Looks incredible, I am jealous. A quick note on wind, re: 26:50. I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the possibility that wind could move the roof on its own without the turnbuckles. Roofs are big, so wind has a huge area to act on and generate force. It also generates lift, reducing the force needed to get the roof moving. A 30 mph wind perpendicular to a 15 square foot gable would generate about 35 pounds of force. So it's a very good thing you installed the turnbuckles. Even if that kind of wind isn't normal, a bad storm could hit it just right to ruin your day.
Congratulations on your new observatory! It's an achievement that most astronomers never attain, but yours is very nice indeed. I've been director of my Astronomy Club's Observatory on and off for years, and live in a very similar climate to yours, upstate NY, where snow is a given in the winter, and lots of it. I wanted to make a suggestion concerning your exposed roof rails. We tried the heater tape solution, but ice still managed to be a problem. The only way we were able to completely avoid ice and snow build up on the rails was to cover them. One of our members came up with an ingenious design, using an inverted length of aluminum gutter, mounted on a lightweight frame. You simply place the cover over the rails when you are finished observing, and they remain protected from the elements. The rail covers hang on brackets installed on the rear of the building when not in use, including the summer months. Hope this idea will help you.
Nice job Niko. I built myself a mini-observatory last summer (very small - room for one telescope) and did everything myself, by hand. Using it throughout this winter has been absolutely worth the effort I put in. Think I last polar aligned and calibrated PHD2 in September or so. Your own observatory will remove so many of the "chores", like setting up, cables, polar aligning etc etc etc. With a setup like this you can go from realizing it's clear outside to be imaging in just a few minutes. Your build was very inspiring to tear down mine, and build myself a bigger one.
Get a bit of 3/16ths plywood and trace the contour of your roof panels on it. Cut out the contour and then attach the plywood to a telescopic pole. That way you can get the snow off the roof very effectively after a snow storm.
"A metal bender thingy"... I burst out laughing at that!! lol Hey... I don't know for sure what it's called either but I assume it's a sheet metal handbrake or something like that. I'm making a lot of mental notes watching these videos as I hope to do this very thing this spring... building my own shed observatory.
Hi Nico. I'm a building contractor ( and novice astro photographer ) in the Boston area. Just wanted to say, nice work and great job describing the process as you go.
Looking good Nico and having that dry area sure makes a difference. I had my trusses together and mounted onto the rollers overnight when high-winds hit the area overnight. Without the topping, the skelleton moved very easy and in fact, I found the whole thing laying in the tree off the rails in the morning. I doubt this would have happened with the plywood and shingles on, too much weight for the lift. Opted with this option as the plywood is about 1.12lbs/sqft vs steel roofing at 1lbs/sqft. The shingles is where the weight plays a factor at aprox 2lbs/sqft. While strapping for the steel roof does add weight, its not as much as the shingles in total. I do like the added strength though with the plywood. That being said, I think you made the right call going steel. It's been a while, and I could be wrong, but I think the screws normally go on the ridges so as to let water fall away. You may have to keep an eye on the rubber seals over time once they begin to harden and crack.
I'm not sure how the bee population is in your area, but you may want to check into carpenter bee nesting ideas around the treeline to lure them away from your observatory. Here in the south, they absolutely love fresh lumber.
I've been looking at personal observatories preparing to modify an unused gazebo. After watching your video, I think the gazebo will be leaving now that I've seen two piers inside! Great job of not only design and construction, your video is fantastic. Congrats!
I'm so proud of you Niko, I have 25 years doing construction so even with my experience but limited tools it would be very hard for me to get it done, the way you did it. Congratulations!
Great Job Nico. I would also suggest adding floor and walls to outside structure to make it a cozy debunking place/studio. Walls will also prevent the roof from the under wind that could lift it up.
The heat tape is a good idea. I hadn't seen anybody else do it, but it seems like a no brainer in snowy areas. I'd imagine the same stuff people use in their gutters would work nicely.
Congrats Nico! You did an excellent job. Get some rubber anti-fatigue flooring and cover the entire floor with it. You won't regret it, especially if you ever drop something expensive. Your design is almost identical to my observatory. I used garage door rails as well. 18 years later, and they still work great.
Thanks for the idea! I've been thinking I might want something on the floor. So happy to hear that your observatory is working great after 18 years, I hope mine lasts that long!
Great Video Niko and congratulations on the new observatory. Well done sir, well done. I also like the name and the sign. Clear skies and thank you for sharing.
I would suggest attaching your stairs using heavy hinges or some other type of pivot to allow them to move with frost heave without them tearing themselves off the side of the building.
Always enjoy your videos. Maybe you can go on a hike to a 4000 footer with Taylor the Nahamsha hiker and get some high mountain remote observations. Anyway, about that warped beam. I would take the siding off. Scribe a straight line on top of the beam. Use a circle saw to make a first cut. Then, switch to a small chain saw and follow the first cut but at full depth of the beam. It will be rough, but the siding will then fit and look good. Clear skies!
Congratulations on a job well done! It was very interesting to follow you through the whole process and great that you highlighted some mistakes you made in the ongoing construction. This kind of feedback is so helpful to others who may avoid making those mistakes during their construction process. It all worked out in the end and you have a wonderful observatory for all your future astrophotography sessions. Bravo!
Thanks Nico a dream I would love to fulfill. Just need the house first 😂 alas for now I can live vicariously. Very much appreciate you sharing the journey
Man, just binged the series, love the first video you’re digging with crocs and this video or maybe last you’ve moved on to some good looking work boots, awesome work man keep it up
Lovely project. I wish I had enough land to be able to do something similar. For now, I have to carry my 10" dob outside every night it's clear, which is about twice a month at the moment 🙂
Nico, this is so inspiring, thanks for documenting your journey! It seems like you learned a ton along the way and probably feel ready to take on other huge projects going forward (after a break to enjoy this one, haha). Great stuff!
Congrats! I'm sure you have lessons learned. Please make a follow up video on what you would do different if you did it again. I would put the door under the end, instead under where snow can fall off the roof.
I thought about that, but the way my weather is the door would get lot more abuse that way, and would be more awkward with how the telescopes are positioned. I am working up a presentation of lessons learned for the Astro-Imaging Channel - will be on there March 24th with that presentation.
Congrats on your efforts. An observatory is the next level in AP :). That's the same metal roofing I used on my own. The top cap can be ventilated to let go of the summer heat, and they make some screened vents that fit over the profile of the sheeting cross section underneath. Happy observing!
That final screw is such a relief. I just finished building my observatory. Now to wait for clear skies to use it! Some nice pixel led strips give some nice light and give option to choose red light when needed.
What a great observatory so far! So jealous of the space and time you have there in the US to build this. I dream some day I have the opportunity to build something like this here in the Netherlands :D
All your research, planning and hard work paid off. It appears to be a very well built and functional observatory and you should be very proud of your accomplishment and It is going to be an inspiration to others to build their own even if they don't think they have the skills to do it. Well done and clear skies!
Well done, congratulations! Maybe you can add a horizontal double or even triple 2x4 beam and screw it into the observatory's inside sole plate and top plate. Then, get a few 8-inch long construction screws and run them through the 2x10 that is twisted into the horizontal temporary 2x4 beam that you just made. Let it set for a few months and the twist may relieve itself. If it doesn't just leave the beam in place inside the observatory... no one will see it and the outside looks nice and professional.
It's been amazing watching the build of this. So much that when I buy land, when the last kid is all growed up and move, that I would love to create something similar. Can't wait to start seeing finished works coming from this.
You are amazing. Not only are you a great astrophotography teacher, but you have made a very useful, dare I say definitive series of videos on constructing an observatory. Your attention to detail and work ethic is inspiring. I also enjoyed meeting you and hearing your talks at Cherry Springs this fall.
Fantastic job, Nico! Your videos throughout the project have been both very informative and enjoyable to watch. Thank you for sharing this with all of us.
I saw that you put additional bracing for winds. I live in North Central Texas and we get high winds during storms. The kind of winds that peel metal roofs off and toss them about the neighbors property. I guess some sort of tie down straps to hold the roof closed and down might work. Great video! Thank you for filling my head with ideas. :)
Exciting and Congrats! My build is getting close to finishing, another month or so. Curious, does the video editing take more time than the construction or less?
Congratulations! I don't recall if you mentioned this in an earlier video, but what were your reasons for going with the garage door style rollers vs. angle iron and v-shaped rollers?
Looking really nice…well done indeed….great build 👏🏻👏🏻 The bit on the side that was sticking out, could you not grind away the wood to make it flush, it would not alter the integrity of the building at all…and would look better..?
Well done Nico. Glad you survived and did not have an accident on that roof in the snow... not sure how long it would have taken for someone to find you, if something went wrong. Scary Mary! Must have taken months of planning before committing yourself. I probably would have knocked up a temporary roof cover, being a bit cautious to take the pressure off.. but then that costs extra I suppose. At the end of the day you got away with it. Your a brave guy doing that all on your own. Top marks looks great :-) enjoy. Btw your videos have helped me out on many occasions with Gimp and Siril and I really appreciate that, thanks.
