Gallery · 25. December 2014
To minimize drafts and humidity when the dome is closed, the ScopeDome manual recommends capping the top of the crown with a ring of sheet metal that extends horizontally to the lower dome casing.
Gallery · 23. September 2014
Two photos taken with a GoPro mounted on the edge of the open dome slit.
Gallery · 10. September 2014
As is the norm in observatory building, there are commissioning delays: mainly malfunctions in the electrics because of water leakage.
Gallery · 09. July 2014
Fine-grinding and figuring will soon commence on the 62 cm lightweight cellular primary. More to come about the fixed-post machine and techniques.
Gallery · 01. July 2014
The floorboards are lain in a pattern of eight fields oriented to cardinal points. The floor area is only seven square meters (75 square feet).
Gallery · 30. June 2014
The spider with the secondary mirror removed. The three-element flat field corrector is visible in the spider’s center gives an 80 millimeter flat focal plane. The entire assembly as pictured is 13 kilograms.
Gallery · 26. June 2014
The photo below shows the optical tube assembly (OTA) configured for prime focus flat-field photograhy. The secondary mirror is removed so that the light path passes through the flat field corrector and filter wheel.
Gallery · 23. June 2014
Ceiling Cat suddenly materialized. There is a gap in our knowledge as to why this being is attracted to large telescopes.
Gallery · 22. June 2014
The primary mirror cage is the most massive part of the optical tube assembly. It is a truss-tube made of powder lacquered square bar steel.