Timerson Observatory
(updated August 12, 2004 in reverse chronological order)

August 12, 2004
Timerson Observatory is complete!
Except for a few small, cosmetic details, my new observatory is finished.




  Here's a view towards the East.                     Here's a view towards the North.
           
(The pictures show that the siding isn't straight...trust me, the siding is just fine.  Darn digital!)

I need to complete re-installing the mount and 12.5" Newtonian-Cassegrain telescope.  It fits on the right side of the North view shown above.  
That's why the door is slightly displaced to the left.  The 10" Meade LX200GPS will be located on the left side of the door as seen above.
It is now operational on its Alt-Az mount.  A wedge will be constructed soon by a local machinist.
I'm going to install cables between diagonally opposite corners to hold the rolling section square.

August 3, 2004
Much of the vinyl siding is now on the building.  This view is from the southwest showing
the south wall.  The door still needs siding.  



Below is a view showing how the flap is held up.
Thanks to the Rochester Astronomy Club's roll-off design for this neat idea!!



Here's a close-up to show the details.


Below is a view along the west rail.  You can see the u-channel the 5" wheels ride in.
The side walls above the wheels had to be built up a little to accommodate the height of both telescopes.
I wanted to keep the height of the lower side walls at 4 feet for savings in materials and for a low horizon view.
I have installed a gate hasp in the SW and NE corners to keep the roof in place.

July 24, 2004
The building is nearing completion.  One more coat of white paint is needed.
I also plan to paint the interior of the building to seal the wood.  Gray vinyl siding (to match our house) is next.




             
                                                     New Roof is on, upper part has siding.                       View showing the "missing" south side flap.
                      
                                                View showing flap in position.  Finish work                     South entry door open.  Mount for 12.5" on
                                              still to be done on each end to close up opening.            the concrete blocks can just be seen through door.


July 19, 2004
The walls are up.  The roll-off rail and supports are in.  
The wheels and side-wall "risers" are in place.   Today I was able to put up the trusses in between thunderstorms.

 



I have used new lumber up until now, but the trusses from the old observatory
were in great shape so I re-used them.  I will probably add 2x4's across the bottom
of each truss to be sure they are secured to the side "risers".

July 13, 2004
The floor is done.  The holes in place and wires run for under-the-floor electricity.
The East and West walls are up (and braced).
Holes are in place for the Meade tripod holding the 10" LX-200GPS.
You can see the Meade tripod in position.



Below is the detail on the holes I put in the floor for the Meade Tripod.  Under each hole is an 8" x 8" concrete pad.
It was purposely placed about 3" under the floor to account for some frost heave in the winter.
 I will have sections of floor to put in the gaps when the tripod is not in place leaving the floor level (shown on the right).

                  


July 11, 2004
Next up was to raise the old concrete mount used for the 12.5" Newtonian.  
The drive unit extends down about 8" and so needs to be above the new floor.  
The concrete work was completed on July 10, 2004.
 

         
                                                                                     Old Mounting                        New Mounting up one block

I have changed my mind about installing an 8" pier through the floor for my 10" Meade LX200GPS.
I don't want a pier sticking up through the floor should this building need to be used as a storage shed in the future.
(After all....I may move after I retire!)
Instead, I will place concrete pads just under the floor where the three legs of the Meade tripod would be.
That way I can leave the tripod there all the time in a semi-permanent position while having the ability to keep the instrument portable.
Re-alignment after a move would be kept to a minimum.

 
    July 6, 2004
    The old walls and foundation are gone.  New holes were drilled to support the 4x4 corners.
    2x8's were used to form the outer "box" of the new deck.  Joists are now in.

 


   
     On June 27th, I began the process of readying the site for the new building.  
     On that date, I removed the rest of the side walls.
     The blue covering over the concrete pier can be seen.    


 

 November, 2003

Nothing inside was touched at all!
However, damage to the roof was significant with a fair amount of damage to the building itself.
As winter was fast approaching, no plans were made to try and fix the observatory.  
All the equipment inside was removed and the concrete pier covered in plastic for the winter.
 


In November, 2003, during the week of Veteran's Day, I was home from work after cataract surgery.
The day was extremely windy.  There was a barn fire well to the south and I was watching the smoke and wondering how the firefighters were ever going to put out the fire with all the wind.  
One minute the observatory is fine.  The next thing I see is the roof lift off, almost in slow motion, touch down on one
corner and do a quarter spin and settle down to the northeast of the building.



This is how the observatory looked prior to November, 2003.  
The building, 12' by 12' with 4' high side walls, was first built in the early 1980's.
It was designed to house a 12.5" telescope I was in the process of constructing.

It is aligned so that the roof rolls off to the north.  This is a view toward the southeast.
 

I will be updating this page as construction begins.  Opinions and feedback are welcome!


Brad Timerson         btimerson@rochester.rr.com