- Observatory
- Steel Pier
- Telescope mount
- Optical tube
- Computer
- Camera and filters
Sydney West observatory
Images
Drawings
Video
Private observatory in Sydney
A skilled astrophotographer in West Sydney wanted to install a Green Line medium roll-off observatory in West Sydney, to operate his setup comfortably from home. For this project we supplied:
This telescope is designed for long focal length astrophotography, bringing the pixel scale to its limits.
OBSERVATORY: Green Line Medium roll off Observatory
This modular observatory made in Germany is easy to assemble and operate, making it the optimal choice for remote or domestic setups. Most of the wooden parts are CNC machined requiring a minimal number of screws, while the robust pine wood structure makes this observatory easy to blend in a backyard and robust against stormy weather.
PIER:Testar Pier 2000
Designed by Testar following the strict specification of 10Micron, our piers provide a solid base for mounts. Made from structural steel, hot dip galvanized for a long lasting corrosion protection and painted, this pier is designed to last. The base and the top steel plate have a thickness of 25mm, the tube is 8.2mm thick while the vertical reinforcements increase the frequency of resonance. In telescopes, low frequencies of resonance due to wind or motor tracking must be avoided.
MOUNT: 10Micron GM2000 HPS
10 Micron is leader in manufacturing precise telescope mounts. The success of their products is due to their astonishing experience in precision mechanics since 1960 and the use of absolute encoders that deliver a superior tracking capability. In most cases, 10Micron mounts do not require to be guided making their mounts ideal for astrophotography. The GM2000 has a payload capacity of 50kg.
The Ritchey–Chrétien is an ideal optical design for astrophotography, delivering a good correction on full frame sensors. The focus on the back makes this instrument easy to use and when combined with a robotic focuser such as the Esatto 3", it delivers razor sharp images. The tube is made of CNC aluminium plates and truss tubes of carbon fibre.
CAMERA: Touptek SkyEye 24AC
With pixels measuring 5.94µm per side, this camera is ideal for telescopes with a long focal length. It installs the Sony IMX410C back illuminated full frame sensor with 24 Megapixel. Among colour cameras, this is one of the most advanced.
COMPUTER: Prima Luce Lab Eagle
Embodied in a solid aluminium case, the Eagle combines a powerful computer with a handy power distribution system. Being compact and sturdy, it can connect directly on a telescope, drastically reducing the amount of cables hanging from the telescope.
For this observatory, we supplied the instruments and we installed the roll-off observatory after treating the wood.
PROCUREMENT: All the components of this observatory were already in stock and ready to be installed. This is one of our strengths, having a large stock of any kind of telescopes, accessories, cameras, mounts as well as entire observatories.
DRAWING: to maximise the height of the pier and therefore have access to objects just above the horizon, we use CAD to check how high the telescope could go before touching the roof. With the configuration that we designed, the telescope needed to be parked horizontally but it has the advantage to point objects as low as 5°-15°.
WOOD PRE-TREATMENT: the Greenline observatory are made of untreated pine wood. The manufacturer Dome Parts ships their observatory all across the globe where treatment requirements could differ. We use our warehouse space to treat all parts of the observatory using oil based wood preservative.
INSTALLATION: once the concrete slab was ready, we delivered the observatory and installed it. It took just one day to assemble the observatory, bolting down the pier, installing the mount and the tube.
