More observatory progress...

[ollypenrice]

With the moon about and the business quiet for a week I got back to work and added two wall's worth of pine cladding and a door. For some reason it hadn't occurred to me that I could have a proper door because there's the rail that carries the roof to be considered. I was going to have just a hatch for you to duck under and the rail fixed permanently. Why I hadn't realized that I could just run a section of rail along the top of the door I really don't know!!! Anyway the idea did occur to me in time so that's what I did and the roof rolling is unaffected. You'll have to duck to get in if the roof is closed but when the roof is open ingress ie easy.

The wall opposite the one with the door will have a box-like bulge for the PC so as not to eat up the limited internal space. The other sides are not visible so will get a much cheaper cladding...

Anyway it's all working fine. Bit of a shock to pay a 120 Euros for the wood preserver-finishing coat but it is the top UV protector and that's what gets the wood here. Today the rails and some of the screws were actually too hot to touch. Mid thirties I think.

Olly

[Tinker1947]

I like the colour , the wife asked if your going to have hanging baskets on the walls....

[ollypenrice]

I like the colour , the wife asked if your going to have hanging baskets on the walls....

Errm, in this climate hanging baskets would need watering around once every three minutes...

Olly

[JamesF]

You'd have to plant asters in them if you did

James

[Gina]

Looking very good - coming on nicely

[Earl]

Tidy Olly, which way is south, i presume the wall facing out of the piccys?

[ollypenrice]

Tidy Olly, which way is south, i presume the wall facing out of the piccys?

The corner nearest the camera is pointing pretty well due south with Polaris above the right hand side of the large tree in the background. Our eastern and southern horizons, formed by mountain ridges, are only raised by five to ten degrees but this is enough to make an excellent wind and LP baffle, though the nearest significant LP is about fifty miles away.

Olly

[wrinkly]

You will obviously need this building tested to be suitable for use by Old Age Pensioners, and my fees are reasonable.

Wish I had your energy and skills.

[ollypenrice]

You will obviously need this building tested to be suitable for use by Old Age Pensioners, and my fees are reasonable.

Wish I had your energy and skills.

I become a pensioner in August myself! Eek.

Olly

[Tinker1947]

I become a pensioner in August myself! Eek.

Olly

I became a pensioner, last tuesday, gonna have to try cutting down on my work quota, this is a set of gates in the making....

And the Posts

[Gina]

I'm been a pensioner for nearly ten years now. Mind you I did get my pension at 60

[ollypenrice]

Anyway, no rest just because it's Sunday! A bit more cladding on the roll-off and a start on the computer extension bay. I think this is a good way to have room for a table without adding a big chunk to the overall size and notably the floor plan and roof. I have a warm room in the observatory three metres away so I just need a 'warm cupoard' in this one.

I'm out of wood so an afternoon by the telly for the Tour de France seems to be coming on...

Olly

PS, Serious gateposts there, Tinker! With the right catapult you could take out an F111...

[Gina]

That's an interesting idea olly

[The Sailor]

Looking good Olly, have to say I have been quitly converting my obsy in the cloudy days, adding a room to it and not having any equipment in it except the pier and the cables to it, want a nice clean area .

Jim

[Tinker1947]

Does that require a PC left in there 24/7 or does a Laptop do the guiding ect, I just acquired a Sony S1 tablet and SkySafari has the buttons ect to control a scope.....really impressed with the Tablet as a mobile data base....

[ollypenrice]

Does that require a PC left in there 24/7 or does a Laptop do the guiding ect, I just acquired a Sony S1 tablet and SkySafari has the buttons ect to control a scope.....really impressed with the Tablet as a mobile data base....

Ideally I'd like to put a desktop in there permanently because they are cheaper and longer lasting than laptops. Also I could have a screen big enough to show the autoguide window as well as the image capture window. Initially, however, I'll just use the present laptop. One observatory (the one with Yves' 14 inch imaging rig) already has a permanent computer so switching on and getting started takes no more than 10 minutes. Taking the laptop out to the other observatory and sorting out all the cables does eat into productive time so permanent IT facilities really are time savers. Also at the end you can just close the roof and not have to bring anything in. Very nice when you're dead beat after an all-nighter. Oh, my computer cupboard will also have a door or black curtain so there will be no light getting into my image or anyone else's, which is relaxing! When I get into full swing I aim to do all the data reduction outside and just copy the calibrated stacks onto a stick and bring those down to the processing room.

I haven't tried a Tablet but they certainly look nifty.

Olly