4Domes Observatory
Oklahoma City Clear Sky Clock

Cheddar Ranch Observatory Clear Sky Clock
 

Construction Gallery

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Groundbreaking with a big shovel on 2/8/2009! Larry cleans up a trencher used to trench waterline and footings. We got the trencher stuck twice, once in the dark! The waterline is a long trench and this section had to be filled in by hand because of the proximity of the fence. A bunch of sore backs! The waterline trench up to the construction site. Footing trenches for Dan's observatory. The treeline to the east blocks a large part of the Oklahoma City light dome. Trenches for the L&D observatory footings. The building in the distance is the OKCAC main facility. Mike helping out with the trencher clean up. Mid February of 2009 and we have a major cold snap but we're out building forms to get concrete poured before spring rains wash out our footings. You'll get an observatory when hell freezes over! Any time now! Larry and Mike bundled up on a cold morning. David is at the construction site in the distance. Forms begin on the L&D observatory. Mike and David survey the previous day's work on the L&D observatory footings. Or perhaps they are just waiting for the ground to thaw! Larry, Dan and David in what will be come the L&D observatory control room. Forms begin on Dan's observatory. The apparent slope of the ground is not an illusion. The building site is steeply sloped from north to south. Dan in his future control room. Mike's observatory and control room are to be built on piers. These are the holes for those piers. Buildiong up the forms for the L&D observatory slab. The south side forms are about 18 inches taller than the north side forms due to the site slope. Mike and Larry after a long day of work. The south side forms of the L&D observatory. Building up the forms for Dan's observatory. David and Larry's brother, Darren who was kind enough to help out with the concrete work. Larry is in the background. A telescope pier footing; 3 feet in diameter and 4 feet deep. The telescope pier must be isolated from the rest of the structure to prevent vibration. Justin, our very generous neighbor, hauls in some free sand from a pond excavation. Sand is not terribly expensive unless you wish to have it hauled out to the boonies. Justin saved us a lot of money! March 2, 2009 - Concrete pour day! Well, the first one anyway. Fellow club member John with David. Nice of John to come out and help! Darren finishes the slab for Dan's observatory. Larry pleased with the day's pour. The observatory slab and pier for Dan's observatory. We had to scramble but we determined a method for pouring both the pier and the slab in a single pour while keeping them isolated. The finished slab and piers for the L&D observatory. The concrete crew at the end of a successful pour. Nothing to do but let it cure! May of 2009 and first building construction. A shed for tool and lawnmower storage. Spring has sprung so time to start mowing. Larry demonstrates techniques for scrap wood disposal in the boonies. Just wait for a calm evening! Fellow member, Ken and Mike chat in David's future observatory on a club n observing night. Fence post installation. For security, the site is fenced with a 6 foot tall security fence. But it's unobtrusive because of the slope to the south. Framing a deck on the south side of Dan's observatory. Framing starts on the L&D control room. The L&D obseravatory is metal framed and sheeted. The deck nearing completion. Ready for the grill! The view south from Dan's deck. The pads in the distance are observing pads of OKCAC members. Framing up on Larry's observatory. The tops of the walls are about 15 feet above grade to avoid ground effects. Dan's deck gets a ramp. Larry, ever the scrounger, locates some surplus staircases for the observatories and the front porch. Piers and framing have been started on Mike's buildings but someone has moved into the observatory basement! David checks out the burrow while Larry cowers at a safe distance. Framing starts on Dan's obsevatory. Framing up David's observatory. The L&D control room gets roof purlins and a door frame. Looking west from the top of David's observatory. Dan's observatory is in the foreground with the OKCAC facility in the distance. Dan's observatory, now dubbed Spacship Earth gets some portholes. Interior walls in Dan's observatory and the ridge pole is going in. These walls create a tool/storage area and a closet as well as supporting the roof. Spaceship Earth gets doors and windows but still no roof. Exterior sheeting going up on David's observatory. Sheeting on the L&D control room. The stairs are also installed in both observtories. David's observatory gets a door. Dan's control room gets roof framing and sheathing but still not weather tight. November 7, 2009 and Larry is pleased with the weekend's progress. November 21 and Dan's control room now has a roof. And the roof and doors are up on the L&D observatory but still not weather tight! We need some domes! Building dome supports. We built three of these in a long day. The morning was well spent building the jig to hold the members for welding. Decmeber 19, 2009 - A red letter day! Dan's dome is in place and his observatory is now weather tight! Same day, Larry's and David's domes are up too making them weather tight. Now we'll concentrate on Mike's buildings. The interior of Dan's dome. These are all 8 foot ExploraDomes. The dome support in place in Dan's obsevatory. The support not only holds up the dome but also squares up and braces the top of the open box of the observatory. A handheld shot at night but three down... actually up... and one more to go! An extra weekend allows Dan to build the ladder and platform in his obsevatory. The open lower shutter illuminates the soon to be scope area in Dan's observatory. Mike's observatory gets framed and some siding. Mike's control room is framed and gets a roof and his dome is installed. February 13, 2010 - We've hit our one year anniversary since breaking ground and 4Domes now has four domes! February 27, 2010 - Yet another red letter day! Mike's buildings are now weather tight! February's fA full moon rises over the north domes. Trenching in electrical and networking. Keeping with tradition, we get the trencher stuck in its own ditch. Now well versed in trencher rescue procedures. Dan's control room gets some sheetrock. Pier installed in Dan's observatory. The steel pier is 10 inches in diameter and is very stable. The obligatory red light in Dan's obseravatory. The base of Dan's pier now with the steel pier mounted above. Note the gap between the pier base and the slab to avoid transfer of vibrations to the pier. July 31, 2010 - The first telescope is mounted at 4Domes! Dan's C14 on an AP1200 mount with a QSI 583WSG camera. Still some wiring management to do but nearing first light. For now the domes will have to be turned manually to keep aligned with the telescope. The second telescope mounted at 4Domes! Larry's C14 is up! Dan's control room is taped and bedded and textured. Ready for some paint. The workstation to be in Dan's obsevatory. The track lighting will be for red light. The small window looks out on the mount and telescope to monitor slews. The telescopes are up but no first light tonight! Thunderstorms are popping up around us. Mike's observatory now painted and trimmed out and just in time! Here comes the rain! August 7, 2010 - First light for Dan's observatory! Dan's workstation is complete. Dan's workbench and storage area. August 11, major construction is now complete but still lots to finish out. Carpet goes into Dan's control room. Larry hiding in Dan's closet. He's tired of laying carpet! The tiled entry and carpeting in the L&D control room. Larry's and David's workstations are nearing completion as well. Networking goes in. All buildings at the site share a common local area network and internet connection. Larry doing what we do. Imaging from his control room. Required equipment! A gift for the L&D observatory from Larry's wife!