backyard observatory
With a garden observatory at home, you can simply open the roof and in a few minutes you’re observing. When it’s time to stop, just close up and head indoors.
There are many styles of home observatory. Commercially made glass-reinforced plastic domes are an instant – although expensive – solution, but home-built options also include apex-roofed sheds with roll-off or lift-off roofs.
If space is tight you can make a small enclosure, which rolls back on wheels. Every style has its merits and drawbacks, but the great thing about designing and building your own observatory is that you choose the best size, layout and appearance for your particular situation.
Skyshed Pod Dome Observatory For Astronomy And Astrophotography
Here we will outline the construction of a domed-roof observatory. This is ideal for a site with strong winds, local light pollution and limited space because the dome shields the telescope and observer.
First we'll consider the location and show how to cast the concrete foundations, then we'll deal with the framework for the walls and floor, and then we'll construct the dome and fit out the interior.
The construction methods and principles described can be used with other designs and the materials and techniques will be familiar to anyone with DIY experience, so read on and begin dreaming of your own miniature ‘Kitt Peak’.
Home Observatory Makes Stargazing Easier
Carefully consider the siting of your observatory. Spend several nights with your telescope on a portable mount, trying different locations. There are a number of factors to consider, all influencing where you get the best views.
Could small trees eventually grow and block your view? Do house lights cause a nuisance? Is the site secure? Make a note of the optimum position and decide how high the mount should be.
Once these practicalities are resolved, check that you have permission to build. With the aid of sketches or photos of similar projects, talk to your family – especially if a favourite flowerbed will require ‘modification’!
A Backyard Observatory
It’s also a good idea to check with your local planning authorities. Temporary structures less than 3m tall are usually allowed, providing that they are not too close to buildings or beyond the boundaries set by building lines.
An informal chat with the planning department may be all that is required. Inform your neighbours as well – a good relationship helps things run smoothly.
) for the central pier. Bolting the mount to this solid mass of concrete keeps it aligned and stops vibrations at the eyepiece when walking around on the floor above.
Allen Parish Man Sets Up Backyard Observatory
Because the floor is raised, additional shuttering (wooden support) was used to provide a short column on which to fix the steel pier.
Eight M12 threaded rods a metre long were cast into this column to provide reinforcement, and 50mm sections were left sticking up to which the pier base was bolted.
Sawing and nailing together the shuttering, and mixing concrete, is hard but rewarding work. Neatness isn’t vital, but ensure that each surface is level and smooth to avoid problems later on.
A Compact Backyard Observatory
Follow our step-by-step guide below, and then we'll get on to finding out how to construct the framework for the walls and floor.
Carefully mark out the ground using wooden pegs, straight poles and string. Peg tops, which are used as a reference for the top of the concrete, should all be hammered down to the same level and checked with a spirit level rested on a long bar.
Dig the pad holes 400x400mm (250 to 400mm deep) and central pier hole (900x900x900mm). If you dig the holes carefully you may not need any shuttering, but off-cuts of timber or plywood nailed together can be used to keep the edges neat.
Your Backyard Observatory: Bringing The Stars To You
Here we’ve used chipboard to make shuttering, which gives the concrete neat edges and sides. Make a frame to hold the eight 1m-long threaded rods in place while the concrete in the central pier base sets. Note the spirit level for accuracy.
A cement mixer (and plenty of help) makes mixing the concrete easier. Protect grass and plants from cement dust. Add enough water to make a ‘dropping’ consistency like thick porridge. Wash all your tools before the concrete on them sets.
Pour in the mix and pat it down to remove air pockets. Top up to the correct level then use a trowel to smooth the surface. Make a square frame to form a lip on top of the pier base. This will help you align shuttering for the top part.
Diy Observatory Dome
Once the concrete begins to set, fit your frame around the upper section of the pier and pour in the remaining concrete. The shuttering can be carefully removed after a couple of days, but don’t chip any edges, which take much longer to go hard.
The main structure is ready to receive the dome; the steel pier inside is firmly bolted to the concrete foundations and a neat plywood ring tops off the walls. Credit: Mark Parrish
Once all the concrete work we covered in Part 1 is complete, it’s time to start work on the walls and floor structure. This doesn’t involve any complicated joints, just careful cutting and fixing with screws and nails. You may need help to erect the posts, but once they are upright, construction is fairly straightforward.
An Observatory Is For Sale (+a Home)!
The eight posts have shaped strips on either side, to which the wall cladding will be fixed. They also have hardwood blocks attached that hold the joist support beams, plus pads on the bottom.
We used hardwood off-cuts for these pads, but you could improvise with thick plastic or ceramic tiles – anything that separates the wood from the damp ground.
You should first loosely erect the structure and then make adjustments so that the posts are evenly spaced and upright. An off-cut of wood, bolted to the central column, provides a useful reference point to take measurements from.
Stargate 4173: A Home Observatory In Poughquag
Tap a nail into it and you can use a length of string to ensure all the posts are the same distance from the centre. If some of your concrete pads aren’t quite level, you can add a little packing under the relevant posts.
A jig was built for the router to cut the eight curved sections for the plywood ring on top of the observatory walls. Credit: Mark Parrish
When you come to the joists, the first to place are the long ones either side of the central column. Leave a gap of about 10mm between the concrete and the wood so that vibrations from walking on the floor aren’t transmitted to the telescope.
Skyshed Pod Dome Backyard Observatory (pod)
We used 75mm woodscrews screwed in at about a 45º angle from either side to fix the joists onto the supporting beams.
Next, fix a joist at right angles to form the step. The remaining joists are placed at an equal spacing (about 400mm apart) until you reach the edges.
In between the main joists, nail short sections of the same timber to brace the structure. Our joists were 50mm wide x 150mm deep, but if you want to calculate your own depth, use the following formula as a guide:
Backyard Raised Observatory
Next, cast a simple concrete floor under your step. Alternatives could be a gravel patch or a simple paving stone. This will help to prevent wear and will stop muddy footprints getting into the dome after wet weather.
For our cladding we used sawn and treated ‘feathered edge’ fencing boards. These are screwed into place with an overlap of about 30mm, starting close to ground level with the thin sides at the top.
A smoother, but more expensive, option is interlocking tongue-and-groove board, and a cheaper option is plywood; the choice here is a personal one because the outward appearance will be quite different for each.
First Light From The New Backyard Observatory! ( Space_man_spiff )
A dark brown preservative paint was then applied to the outside. If you line the inside of the observatory with plywood or coated hardboard panels, it provides a smooth surface for putting up your sky charts and astrophotos.
Finally, cut the eight sections of the plywood ring that fits round the top of the posts. These provide a fixing surface for the dome wheels and also make a great shelf for eyepieces and cups of tea.
We made a jig (a frame to hold a piece of wood in position) that enabled us to cut the plywood sheet to the required radius using a router, but it could also be cut with a jigsaw.
Why I Built A Backyard Observatory
At this stage you should also bolt the steel pier to the central concrete column. The top of the pier was used to hold our router on its long arm to trim the ring to a perfect circle once the pieces were screwed to the post tops.
With the ring on, don’t forget to cover up your construction with plastic sheeting to protect it from rain before we show you how to construct the dome in Part 3 below.
Cut sections of timber for the eight posts, joist supports and top bracing. A circular saw will make short work of the angled cuts, but it can be done with a handsaw. All our timber is pre-treated, but freshly-exposed cuts require preservative.
Backyard Observatory Stock Photos
Screw together the sections for each post. Use galvanised coach bolts to hold the hardwood blocks that will support the floor and hardwood pads below the
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