Additional #1: in the following images, the orange Home Depot buckets represent concrete piers. The blue stakes and orange cones represent the building and the white stakes in the scrub trees show the footprint of the rolled off roof on support posts.
Image 0, Image 1, Image 2
Image 3, Image 4, Image 5
• Pier #1 location: 12 feet from south wall; 24 feet from west wall; on the 24’ centerline.
• Pier #2 location: 12 feet from south wall; 8 feet from west wall; on the 24’ centerline.
• Pier #3 location: 7 feet from south wall; 16 feet from west wall; midway on the 32’ length.
• Pier #4 location: 15 feet from south wall; 16 feet from west wall; midway on the 32’ length.
Pier #1 = Joe’s big AP refractor (I think pier location #1 is the best spot of all of the piers).
Pier #2 = KOSC’s Celestron CGE mount and C-14” moved from the dome to the RORO (GN’s idea).
Pier #3 = Celestron original CGEM mount or newer CGEM-2 mount (good for C-8” or C-9.25” or C-11”). Also, the CGEM mount (only 38 lbs.) could easily be removed by one person and a ZWO AM5 & ASIair be added with associated ZWO cameras. Thus, the latest advanced imaging equipment could be demo’ed to the public and even to an advanced class of students.
Pier #4 = Rod’s 12-inch Meade telescope; it would also primarily be a visual viewing scope.
Discussion: Rod’s Celestron C-14 with HyperStar would exclusively be an imaging scope. By moving the KOSC C-14” to the RORO, Rod’s C-14” & HyperStar could then be housed in the 14” dome. This would permit access to one of Rod’s gifts without having to open the more complex RORO. Also, computer equipment & wiring that is part of imaging, could be better accommodated within a dome.
Pier #1, Joe’s AP, for personal use by Joe, or under Joe’s supervision, would have good southerly and westerly views and be excellent for overall viewing by the public.
Pier #2, KOSC’s C-14” (moved to the RORO) would have good southerly and westerly views (M42, IC434, M45, etc.), and limited easterly views, and continue to be excellent for overall viewing by the public.
Further, with Pier #3 (CGEM and/or ZWO AM5 & ASIair) being closest to the south wall, it would offer good northerly views (M101, M51, M13, Big Dipper, Cassiopeia, etc.). The ZWO ASIair broadcasts a WiFi signal to local tablets / cell phones, eliminating the need for complex computer wiring.
With Pier #4 (Rod’s 12” Meade) being closest to the north wall, it would offer good southerly & westerly views (planets, moon, etc.).
This configuration would keep all scopes, including the Springsonian and SeeStar, as visual scopes within the RORO, with an option for an advanced imaging rig via WiFi. The pier wiring will be simplified by having only telescopes for viewing in the RORO – thus, only 110VAC is needed at each pier via buried PVC tubing. Such viewing does not require a computer and its associated complex wiring, nor a wall-mounted control panel.
Additional #3 – Sierra Remote Observatory (SRO)
The Sierra Remote Observatory (SRO) is located in a remote section of the Eastern Sierra Mountains of California. It is a commercial remote observatory about an hour outside of Fresno. SRO sits at about 4,600ft elevation and its main advantage is consistently good seeing and dark skies. SRO also has really great on-site support, power, and WiFi. It is home to many very large telescopes, contains multiple roll-off-roof buildings, and collectively houses over 125 telescopes.
The purpose of including it here as a reference is due to the numerous views of the roof structure. The design of the roof and the “engineered” trusses provide lots of clearance above the piers, mounts, and OTA’s. As the guided tour by Bray Falls unfolds watch the truss design, and in particular, the 2-foot overhang that completes the top of the stationary walls. Copy / paste this link for the guided tour (23 minutes; the video will play after the ads that YouTube forces you to watch).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3t-czoa3mU
If you want to know more about the observatory check out their website:
https://www.sierra-remote.com/
