ArmyAirForce

This section is the general plan for the roof rollers. By running in a U channel on its side, the roof is trapped and can't be lifted off when open or closed. I will cut two small gaps in the top of the channel, when the roof is about 12 inches open. This will allow rollers on the higher part of the roof to hinge upwards out of the channel, so the roof can fold back on itself. It will only be able to do this in one position in its travel. The rest of the time, the rollers will be trapped.

Here's a more accurate indication of the pier/scope height in relation to the walls.

I just drew it all in GIMP on separate layers, and set the layer transparency to 85%.

The small door will shut again for deep sky imaging, to give more protection from the wind. For planetary imaging and maintenance, the whole front will open up, and I may well fit a fold out table for the laptop and accessories on the inside. The pier will actually be a bit taller than it appears in these images, with the 200PDS just having enough clearance for the roof to slide over it. This will mean it has a better view over the walls than it looks. I've already worked out some clever seals for the roof joints and the tracking for the roof, and I've ordered some small parts, but the major building work won't start until the Spring. In the mean time, there's things like the pier levelling plates and mount adapter etc., to tinker with.

The roof will of course have to be bolted up tight when not in use, so to get in and unfasten it, I'll need a small door in the front. I am planning on almost all of the front ( East ) opening too, to allow me to get to the scope for planetary imaging when I need to turn the manual filter wheel and change barlows etc, and also for maintenance. Once inside, I can unbolt the roof locks, and partially slide the roof down until I can stand up. I can then fold the roof over on itself, and slide it all the way open.

Thankfully, my daughter has an interest in astronomy, and gave the thumbs up to the extension on her house! So, design time! A friend suggested folding the roof back on top of the play house, but that would restrict NE-N-NW views even further. Sliding towards the wooden fence would block west views, and same goes for East over the patio. However, if I angled the roof runners down towards the metal railings, the roof could slide off South and down towards my workshop end wall, with this wall supporting the runners. That would reduce timber requirements even further. There wasn't enough room however for the full length of the roof, so the roof would be split in two, with the upper half folding back on the lower part, before sliding back over the fence and path around the back of the workshop. Here's an impression of the observatory all buttoned up, showing the top 8 inches off wall which will roll off with the roof. The roof hinge line and hinge brackets can also be seen. The odd little space at the back corner of the observatory can store the tripod and 8 inch scope if I'm using the 80ED for deep space.

Back in 2011, I spent about 6 months rebuilding the whole garden to make it more child friendly and maintenance free. The last part of the build in December, was a nice 7x5 ft play house for my daughter, then just turned 2 years old. Mid January 2012, I visited Sunderland Astro's Stargazing live event, and re-ignited my interest in astronomy that had been dormant for many years due to other hobbies. The following month I bought a S/W 200PDS on an NEQ6 Pro mount, and I was off on the slippery slope of astro-photography. If I'd got back into astronomy 6 months earlier, there's a good chance there wouldn't have been a play house, but an observatory instead! The play house and patio. I currently set up on the patio in front of the play house door. Having spent quite a bit on the play house, I wasn't going to scrap it and replace it with another shed, and because of the design, and needing to stay a play house, it wasn't convertible either. So, since then, I've set up on the patio, and when deep sky imaging, set the laptop up inside the play house with the cables through a gap in the door. It wasn't until November 2015 that I began to look at the small space to the left of the play house ( South side ). It wasn't a huge space, but could it be used for an observatory? Over Christmas, I got the camera and tape measure out, and started doodling ideas. There was space to the right of the play house ( North side ), and that would allow me to move it North by 12 inches. If I also pulled it forwards 7 inches, it would give me a space to the South that was 66 inches x 60 inches, narrowing to 48 inches to fit around the metal fence. If I could build on the side of the play house, I'd have a perfect warm room already made, and I'd then only need three walls and a roof. The challenge was what to do with the roof that would also maximise the view of the sky. My house is to the South of the garden, blocking views below 25 degrees over the main roof, and 20 degrees over the extension. This isn't much of a worry, as that is where the worst of the light pollution glow is. East over the patio is clear down to about 7 degrees. West has the garden fence, but still a reasonable view. To the North, there's a bright orange street light, so the play house will block the glare from this lamp. However, I would still have a North view above 41 degrees, and can still see Polaris for polar alignment. South View Wifey was quite happy for the build to go ahead, so long as it was painted to match the play house, but would my 6 year old daughter approve?

March - Tracking Sun spot movement March - Solar Eclipse July - Sun / Moon Apparent Size Comparison due to Orbits October - Airliner Transit over Hydrogen Alpha Disc November - Giant Prominence