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Here's a picture of me, my wife Rosie and my C8. It was taken inside Stone Haven, well after dark. (Here's a little advice-take pictures such as this while it's still light outside. The flash necessary to take this shot was borderline painful! Notice how she's the smart one here-her eyes are closed!) This was taken before the roof was installed, but you can see one of the rails I used above my head. (It ened up going left to right in this view.) You can get an idea from this shot how roomy the observatory is. There is just as much room to the left of the pier as there is to the right. |
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Here's a shot of the inside showing the scope, door, roof and part of the benches on the right. You can also see the wheels that the roof rolls on. There are 4-2" wheels per side. Next to the door, just above and to the left, you can see one of the turnbuckles in its stored position. This is where they hang when I ope the roof. This is kind of a nice shot of the new door, too. The light borders and silver hardware should prevent any fumbling for the door in the dark. :-) |
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Here's a shot of the "control center" of Stone Haven Observatory. The first full panel
on the right has changed in that I added a cabinet for the ep's and removed the old chart
eisle. You can see the dimmer switch for the red lights on the left side of this panel.
Next comes the chart table, with storage inside. This used to hold ep's but turned out to be ill conceived-move charts, retrieve ep, move charts ad nauseum. Now, it holds spare writing tablets, old charts, and sundry other nick-nacks. On it you see red flash lights, and the Sky Atlas 2000 that I use quite a lot. Above it, on hooks, are clip boards with guide star coordinates and a list of nicer double stars, as well as the Messier catalog and SAC's 110 Best of the NGC. Behind the scope, you can see the hutch, another red light, another clipboard and a couple power sockets. Below the shelves is the book case. I think the stereo will go there. :-) |
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Looking SW. Nice view of the scope and benches along the wall. Filing cabinet sits under the hutch. Hanging on the wall is the dew heater described in the guestbook. While you're there, why not sign it!? |
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This is a picture of the inside of Stone Haven Observatory as seen from a step ladder looking Southeast over the wall with the roof retracted. It clearly shows the new benches along the South wall, the door to the left, the C8 mounted on the pier and my sweetheart, Rosie. Just above and to her left is visible the power outlet and brackets used for the fan that's installed in the summer. This fan isn't so much to cool the scope as it is to cool the astronomers. It is Sonoran Desert, after all. :-) |
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Shot from above, diametrically opposed to the previous view. Also, it's more recent. The
scope is in the solar viewing mode, with a full aperture Thousand Oaks Type II solar
filter installed. This gives a good "overview" of the observatory.
Also visible between the scope and storage shelf is the adjustable observing chair I built from plans I got off the web, as shown by a member of SAC. The finished chair, plus the link for the site for the plans for this seat can be viewed at this page. I highly recommend this chair, especially for those with small Dobs. It really increases your comfort level, and thus your enjoyment and observing. |
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Here's one of yours truly standing at the control center, moments after taking the previous shot. No, I don't always look this excited. And yes, I am smiling. More on the "next" pages... |
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