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West Wales observatory complex


Shed9

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I was fairly sure I'd already posted this here but apparently not, anyhow it's progressed recently so posting it.  I've been working to setup a more permanent setup since last year and slowly starting to get somewhere with it.  The whole site is around 10 acres, based in West Wales and inside the perimeter of a national forest.  The point is it's rural and fairly dark, bortle 3 at least and >80m above sea level

On the site there are currently two domes, 2.2 and a 2.7m Pulsar's, including the base for a 3m dome which is going in later this year, plus the pier foundations for a 9x3m ROR which will house a further five piers, so eight in total.  There is also a warm room which is essentially a box trailer jacked off it's trailer base, and a small metal building also currently being built to handle all the electrics and networking for the site.  The images below were taken at different times with the first two taken earlier this year (looking South), the third giving an idea of area and the third another view looking North.  The warm room currently has eight 345w panels installed on three sides and a car port cover will go on the remaining side to offer an open / covered seating area.  And yes I know placing the panels like that is not optimal but it gives good coverage and I'm going with it for now.

I've dug underground conduit from the base of the hill to the top ridge where the domes sit with separate conduits for power and data respectively, and then these spread out (again underground) to each building from a single point, that being the shed that is being built to house electrics.  This electric 'shed' will house power terminations, networking, data storage, solar charger and an inverter (all victron) all being centrally manageable.  I have a good mix of mounts and scopes to go round, although the ROR will also partially be available to local astronomers when ready.

I'll try to keep this updated and happy to answer any queries if it adds value to other peoples builds.

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domes air.png

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Thanks both, appreciate it.  It's not a group share project or for remote setup.  Just me and my OCD I'm afraid, although as already noted up there ^ in my first post, there is intention to possibly open up the ROR for other people in the hobby in my area.   I have also toyed with the idea of astronomy airbnb but that's also dependent on accommodation and other services which is just not on my radar right now.

Edited by Shed9
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Wow, that’s some serious amount of work, that will make quite some work once all is capturing photons.
I presume this will be imaging or a mixture with some visual use?

I dream of a dark sky and an observatory, but wow, multiple observatories is something else.

Wish you well in your remaining build and look forward to future updates.

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Thanks all for the input, I'll try to put up updates when I can and hope my own learning experience can help others.  Things are starting to move a bit quicker lately now the ground works have essentially been completed.  I'm getting ready to pull the mains, DC and network & control wires through this weekend along with adding an earth to the site.   Also, to confirm, the site is in South West Wales and the kit will be used for a mix of imaging and visual.  

Edited by Shed9
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A tremendous amount of work! I admire your bravery and ambition! :thumbsup:

I just hope your security and insurance is in order. Don't give away any details online!

Are brush fires a possible risk?

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2 hours ago, Rusted said:

A tremendous amount of work! I admire your bravery and ambition! :thumbsup:

I just hope your security and insurance is in order. Don't give away any details online!

Are brush fires a possible risk?

Like most jobs, it's the preparation that takes the longest more than anything else.  Took about six months to clear the land area itself which was also to remove brush from around the installation bases - we don't get much wild fire here but it is a risk that we manage where we can.  My house is on the land itself so I'm not that far away and whilst its remote its not remote from me if that makes sense.

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Great looking project.  That’s the sort of thing I’d like to do if I ever win the lottery - which is unlikely since I never buy a ticket. :) 

Two questions occur to me. Those trees look quite close. In which direction are they? Hopefully not the south.

Secondly, did you need planning permission to do this? What did the authorities make of it? 

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26 minutes ago, John_D said:

Looks great. If you start offering tours then count me in!

( With the weather so far this summer flooding is more of a risk than fire ☹️🌧️ )

The setup is on the ridge line of a small hill so no risk of flooding.  You're not that far away from me so happy to let you know when it's finished.

20 minutes ago, Ouroboros said:

Great looking project.  That’s the sort of thing I’d like to do if I ever win the lottery - which is unlikely since I never buy a ticket. :) 

Two questions occur to me. Those trees look quite close. In which direction are they? Hopefully not the south.

Secondly, did you need planning permission to do this? What did the authorities make of it? 

We've been in Wales a while now, around 22+ years, but took a while to fully appreciate the dark nights.  My mum left me a bit of money in her will, not a lot but I didn't want it going on bills, the day probate came through, a small pulsar came up for sale near me, it felt rude not go down this route, it just spiraled from there.  The land aside, my budget is not huge, I'm doing all of the work myself, however one of my neighbors is a farmer with a PTO mixer off the back of his tractor and he has a cable plough which he helped with the concrete and laying the conduit.

Because of the elevated height of the hill, the trees are not in line of sight, every pier point on site has full 360 coverage above 30 degrees as a minimum.

This is in the curtilage of my garden, it comes under permitted development, as it doesn't exceed the size limits, well within boundaries and not for habitat use.  Permitted development will define the final size of the ROR but I'll make sure it's within those parameters when it goes up.  

Edited by Shed9
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2 hours ago, Shed9 said:

The setup is on the ridge line of a small hill so no risk of flooding.  You're not that far away from me so happy to let you know when it's finished.

We've been in Wales a while now, around 22+ years, but took a while to fully appreciate the dark nights.  My mum left me a bit of money in her will, not a lot but I didn't want it going on bills, the day probate came through, a small pulsar came up for sale near me, it felt rude not go down this route, it just spiraled from there.  The land aside, my budget is not huge, I'm doing all of the work myself, however one of my neighbors is a farmer with a PTO mixer off the back of his tractor and he has a cable plough which he helped with the concrete and laying the conduit.

Because of the elevated height of the hill, the trees are not in line of sight, every pier point on site has full 360 coverage above 30 degrees as a minimum.

This is in the curtilage of my garden, it comes under permitted development, as it doesn't exceed the size limits, well within boundaries and not for habitat use.  Permitted development will define the final size of the ROR but I'll make sure it's within those parameters when it goes up.  

Great! Sounds like you’re fully on top of it.  Well done for doing most of the work yourself.  It’ll be very interesting to watch all this come together. Good luck. 

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