CCD Sky Observatory

Observatory->Dome & Automation

For many years I dreamed of having a permanent building to house my astronomical equipment.  In early 2008 I purchased and constructed an 8-foot Explora-Dome observatory.  The construction was straightforward and only took a few evenings. I did add some extras, including motors to automate dome rotation, and a monitored security alarm.

The CCD Sky Observatory located in Redlands, California, USA.  Constructed in January 2008 by Christopher Cappelli.

 

Almost immediately I began to experience the benefits of a permanent observatory.  One benefit in particular is that it only takes me approximately 5 minutes to setup for a nights observations.  Now I am gathering far more images than ever before.  Of course I do take some ribbing from friends and co-workers for having an observatory in my backyard but nonetheless it is worth it.

After coming home from work on a clear evening I open the dome to equalize the temperature, turn on my computer and equipment, and upload my observing plan for the evening.  The rest is largely automated. 

Dome Automation

With the construction of the dome completed I next turned my attention to automation. This required building a DIY controller that was developed by Pierre de Ponthiere (a fellow amateur astronomer from Belgium).

Pierre's ASCOM driver, known as the LesveDome driver, coupled with an electronic circuit designed by Charles Harrow, and a USB I/O interface board developed by Velleman have enabled me to automate the rotation and remote power-up of my camera and mount. Pierre also maintains and monitors the Lesvedome Yahoo Group . You can find very detailed information on Pierre's website.