Observatory

Our observatory enclosures are custom made on-site by us and are designed in a way to ensure that the telescopes enclosed can be parked in any position which enables the roof to be shut very quickly in the event of rain or cloud.

The roof is also designed to let a small amount of airflow inside the observatory, this shortens the equalization time of the mirrors which is very important for successful astroimaging.

We use the best insulated roof panels; these keep the observatories cool in the summer and warmer in the winter.

Each pier is supplied with multiple power points that are earthed and spike protected.

We custom make our piers onsite as these are usually different for each installation.  All piers are constructed from 8-inch Tube and 12mm plate - a construction which we have been using for years, and they have always given us a very solid and adjustable foundation.  We also adapt our pier fittings in order to make your pier adaptors fit correctly.

The floors of the observatories are manufactured using 200mm of reinforced polished concrete.

We have a number of automation and safety features, which are still evolving, to give us a reliable and consistent operation.

Obviously keeping all the equipment that is installed safe and secure is one of our highest priorities.

We have sensors to indicate cloud, rain, humidity and heat, all of which are designed to give us the maximum amount of time in the open, but also to keep all of the equipment safe and dry.

We use the same roof controls as many of the worlds largest remote facilities; these controls can also interact with most remote telescope control software.

Our Davis weather station is top of the range and provides us with a lot of onsite data. We also use a number of offsite stations and each roof has its own weather station that uses the Boltwood file that is available for all users to interact with their preferred capture software i.e.: ACP, SGP etc. 

We have multiple Starlink Satellite internet systems which provide very fast, very low latency internet, perfect for remote telescope operation.

Local to us is the Calar Alto Observatory, this is also another great source of the local conditions.

Calar Alto Observatory weather

We have embraced the fact that we are situated in a high clear day/night count area of the world and to this end we have installed a major solar power system with the aim of getting the observatories using solar energy.

This obviously has lots of benefits for our clients, pure clean, constant power is one of the highlights, but also knowing that you are being powered by the sun to carry out your hobby!!

Always a good thing…

For your security our site is completely enclosed, alarmed and gated plus we have online CCTV covering the whole area.