Building an Observatory Part 1

The main conclusion that I made after my first winter season doing astro photography is that I need to maximize the time the telescope is in use and I need to minimize the time I spend setting up and adjusting gear. This got me thinking about ways to keep my equipment outside all the time and how to automate starting up and shutting down sessions without having to go outside at 4am in the morning on a workday. The solution, my own roll off roof mini observatory that I can automate. Without having any experience whatsoever in this field and without making any real plans I plan on building this during the summer.

In this first part you will see the foundation as far as marking the space, getting some earth screws in the ground, digging out a hole for the pier and laying down protective pipe for the electricity and network cables. I will also start construction of the foundation for the floor and walls. The idea is that the mini observatory will be completely insulated and heated (at least to keep it above freezing).