Worcester Park Observatory [wpo] overview

Grandchildren enjoy the domes!

my homepage small Meade dome simple octagonal dome simple scope tripod LX200 pier dome types

A fuller illustrated description of my observatory and its construction can be found in Small Astronomical Observatories; Patrick Moore [editor]; Springer-Verlag 1996; chpt. 6 - ISBN 3-540-19913-6.
Click here to see air tempertures within the observatory, workshop, garage on a very hot summer afternoon effected by different building materials.
Click here to see IR reflectivity of various metals and of chlorophyll in plants - the near perfect IR reflector as shade material.
The larger brick observatory was built in 1974 and measures 17ft x 8ft x 8ft high with a raised floor under a 10ft dome. Hand augured pile foundations penetrate 2m into the London clay subsoil (below ground shrinkage and frost-heave levels) support the masonry walls and concrete telescope pier. The dome contains a 17.5" Newtonian [for sale] on massive steel forks equatorially mounted with a cluster of other 'scopes i.e. 10" aperture f/4 dedicated CCD camera, a massive 9" aperture f/4 Wray lens and an orange C-8. August 2001 the larger dome stripped for conversion to a workshop - the end of an era.

The dome is made of thin ply sheet and is frameless except for the shutter 'hoops' and a continuous ply box beam at the perimeter on which it rotates. It is clad externally in thin aluminium printing plates epoxied in place like roof tiles. The top of the up-&-over shutter incorporates a rooflight that provides welcome daylight to the interior (why are some domes so gloomy?). The dome has survived 25 years with the occasional lick of paint and its 'warm' inner surface (painted sky blue) never 'sweats'.
The smaller wooden observatory, built in 1995, is under 6ft diameter and raised on stilts. It contains a 12" Meade LX200 now used almost exclusively because of ease of use. The dome is made of thin aluminium sheet over a plywood frame. The lightweight flexible ali shutter is removed and set aside during observations. Space between the two observatories serves as a warm computer room where telescopes and CCD cameras can be viewed but are remotely controlled - bottom left cross-section. This comfort makes for more frequent and better quality observations. Click here for photos+schematic of steel pier and photos of chimney-pot pedestal for 8-inch C8 SCT.