Mobile Observatory Project Progress!

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We’ve been busy building a mobile observatory out of a humble trailer. We had already cut a hole in the roof, and mounted a ring for the dome. Now it was time to clean the dome and prepare it for attaching to the top of the trailer.

Pieces of the observatory dome being cleaned
Pieces of the observatory dome being cleaned
Dome pieces ready for mounting on the trailer
Dome pieces ready for mounting on the trailer

We ended up needing more hardware for the project, and with the afternoon winding down, we packed everything up for the night. The assembly crew reconvened a few days later to continue the work. As you can see below, we were able to get the dome fully installed and working great!

Richard refers to this as 'climbing Half-Dome'
Richard refers to this as ‘climbing Half-Dome’
ichard and Barton work on attaching the shutter doors
ichard and Barton work on attaching the shutter doors
Completed dome in twilight
Completed dome in twilight
Venus makes an appearance over the dome
Venus makes an appearance over the dome

Since then, Richard has been working on the electrical wiring, and work on the telescope pier has been progressing. Stay tuned for future updates, and more pictures are available on Richard’s Bellcroft Observatory page.