On Sunday afternoon May 31st Sid Sidhu had a gathering to officially
open his new observatory. Many of the people that had helped and
given technical and moral support were there. Sid started breaking
ground, or was it rocks (Sid gave a wonderful description of how
the rocks split very easily once you know how) in the fall of
1997. Construction started in the summer of 1998 and was completed
recently. The observatory was beautifully constructed, looking
more like an addition to the house than an amateur astronomer's
getaway. A sign hung on the observatory wall with the words "SID'S
TELES-COOP". A red ribbon was suspended in front of the observatory
which was later cut by George Ball.
First of all design criteria ... what did Sid want when he
started this "little" project ? If you've met Sid you
know he's tall (at least compared to my 5 foot 7, actually 7.5)
so this structure had to have a tall enough roof not to cause
any bruising. Sid succeeded and only has to watch his head in
one spot (it was perfect for me !). The observatory is 12 x 8
ft with 6 ft high walls. The roll-off roof was reasonably cheap
to construct and very quiet so as not to bother the neighbours.
The roof is an interesting design in that the split design gives
it some of the advantages of a dome with a movable slit. This
minimizes dewing and is more comfortable for warm-blooded creatures
such as ourselves. I have to comment on the roof framework, it's
beautifully constructed of 1.5 inch square metal tubing and finished
with near perfect welds. Sid had it commercially welded locally
at a very reasonable price. Sid went with all metal construction
for rigidity and lower maintenance. The 25 foot tracking for the
roll-off roof was courtesy of George Ball, apparently sitting
in his yard for the last 40 years ! There is a reason to be a
packrat ! The 18 inch diameter pier is firmly planted on a 5 x
6 x 4 foot base. The larger than normal diameter pier was possible
with the use of a form that was purchased surplus from some highway
construction. There some nice touches with the pier, courtesy
of George also. Sid embedded threaded rod with some nuts on them
into the pier so that the threaded rod could be removed leaving
the nut readily accessible giving a easy method for attaching
things to the pier. Sid's orange C8 looked quite at home on the
pier, though he tells me quietly that he would like to construct
a 16 inch telescope for the observatory at some future date.
Sid is the first to acknowledge all the help he had in the
construction of his new teles-coop. Allan Paul was essential in
stirring the concrete mixture and in the construction of the floor
and walls. Colin Wyatt lent his tools and helped with the roof.
Special thanks go to Vic Hemming for the loan of the concrete
mixer.
So what is Sid going to do in this teles-coop ? CCD imaging
and visual observing will be the primary uses for now. Internet
site access for the schools is in the future.