| Other Observatories |
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This page is a showcase for anyone who has built their own observatory at home. To add your observatory to this list, please send a photo, a short caption and a link if you like. Make sure the picture format is jpg. (Please keep the file-size low if possible). I will post your photo on this page for all your friends to see and admire.I look forward to receiving your efforts! Send it to infoatasignobservatorydotcom Barry Armstead's dome is made of plywood, coated in fibreglass, which sits on a wood-framed,colorbond-clad wall. It took a year to build and is a solid testimony to what can be achieved with recycled building materials, industrial scrap waste and some divine energy applied for a positive outcome.
Margaret had professional handymen to build her cosy little observatory, to blend with her house. She finds it so handy - a matter of a couple of minutes to set up and put away door to door
Eric's flip-top observatory is just right for a 70 year old to cope with and pop out for quick viewing. It is a prefabricated aluminium shed, with his roof in two sections which are opened by leverage  Phil's Sirius 2.3m dome is in beautiful Rockhampton, QLD. His photos are taken with an STL-11000M on G11 and televue NP101mm F/5.4  Shawn's observatory in tropical north queensland is a 4.5 metre dome of fibreglass on plywood shell and housing a 14" LX200R.  Shevill has been a keen amateur astronomer / telescope and camera builder since the early 60’s, with a special interest in astrophotography. A member of the BAA, London (Lunar Section), his photographic expertise was greatly encouraged by Patrick Moore, with whom he has maintained a lasting friendship. Shevill was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1969.  Here is Lee's very neat home-built observatory and website "Between the clouds" Lee has built his observatory with a view to moving it if he changes residence. It is built with plywood and corrugated iron over a timber frame and has a roll off roof.  Dave's Burton View Observatory shows how keeping it simple can make for a very comfortable, efficient and great looking observatory. His simple design is easy, cheap and solid, making the most of limited space in his garden.  Steve Quirk's amazing converted wheat silo is testiomony to Australian inginuity. As a friend and astrophotography mentor, it's hard to top Steve's wealth of experience, approachability and will to share his know-how.
 Joe Garlitz was the man who inspired me to go with the challenge of a geodesic dome. His detailed tutorials on a DIY dome make for a fantastic journey of adventure in building a very professional looking dome. His construction instructions are a must for study before attempting such a task. He makes it look so easy.
 Two years ago when Dave first got interested in astronomy he would never have guessed in a million light years he would now be standing in his OWN observatory, but that's just what he's doing. He reckons it's great to have everything in one place and not find he's left something indoors therefore ruining his night vision to get it. Now his scope is permanently polar aligned he can be up and viewing in about 5min not and when I've finished, just lock up and go indoors.
 Star Track Observatory Dave's home-built observatory is located in a rural village in Suffolk, UK. The observatory, which has an attached 'warm-room', is of all wooden construction, and currently houses a Meade 12" LX200R with a 'piggy-backed' ED80 Refractor, which doubles as a guide-scope. The observatory was completed in early 2002, and the 'warm-room' extension added the following year. More recently (May 2008), the original roll-off-roof, was replaced with a rotating 'turret', to give better protection from the wind.  Located under dark night skies in rural Beresford, South Dakota, Hodgson Observatory is a privately owned astronomical facility belonging to Richard and Nancy Hodgson. The main observatory with a roll-off roof was built in 2003. The smaller Wide-Sky observatory was built in 2007 and has a counter-weighted clam-shell roof that completely opens leaving only its 4-foot walls enclosing the scope.
 Misty Glen Observatory is a 2.3m Sirius Home Model, designed and manufactured in Australia. The Observatory is situated in the rural town of Cootamundra, NSW in the South-West Slopes region. The main instrument is a 5" Takahashi FS-128 mounted on a Losmandy G-11 with Gemini. The scope is used for both visual (Double Stars/Globular Clusters) and imaging with an SBig ST4000XCM CCD camera. The other instrument in use is a Takahashi TSA-102 mounted on a Losmandy GM-8 with an Argo Navis push to control  S.I.E. Observatory The S.I.E. Observatory ..."Smiling Irish Eyes" is the result of Bob's desire to observe during the cold winter months.. Over time Bob has found it more difficult to "lug" out the gear, set up and endure the cold weather so the obvious solution was to build an observatory.  El Yunque Observatory Pedro Scorza's El Yunque Observatory 18.14 N., 64.41 W. in the sunny island of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean. The dome was handmade with coroplast laminated with glass and epoxy. and was very simple and easy to execute design  Bob McCourt's roll-off modified "Kit" shed is a picture of neatness and functionality with it's timber fascure design. This 8'X8' gable roof shed, although purchased in kit form was still lots of fun to assemble.  Steve's stainless steel shed observatory in Perth, W.A. is simplicity and function in harmony. His split roll-off roof opens from the centre to open up the night sky. Steve has built his observatory on a budget but it's not without a snazzy feature or two. He even has a curtain between the computer area and the scope area for a cosy warm-room. Steve's semi-permanent design allows for a future move to a dark sky with relative ease
 David Higgins, of Canberra is an accomplished astronomer and has some nifty and unique ideas built into his roll-off-roof, garden shed observatory. The shed is 2.1m x 2m x1.8m and houses a 14 inch SCT. David has a great history with the Canberra Astronomical Society and the once grand Mount Stromlo facilities.  Steve's Geodesic Dome Steve's geodesic foam and concrete dome is a real beauty. Geodesic designs are strong, loads of fun to build and more than worth the effort in the end. Building with foam has enabled Steve to move the dome easily when he changes his yard around.  Jaicoa Observatory is located on the western side of Puerto Rico. Situated in the town of Aguadilla, it was built by Efrain Morales and measures 10' x 10' ,5' 4". The walls are made of concrete blocks and the roof was made with galvanized beam frames and sheet metal. It was built to resist high winds (Hurricanes) and is situated on the roof of Efrain's house, overlooking the bay. It houses a Meade LX200ACF 12" OTA, mounted on a Celestron CGE GE mount.
Norman wanted his Meade 10 inch GPS to be ready-to-use in minutes without the need to carry it into the garden. His focus was on somethng that was just big enough to house the scope and conserve space in the back yard. After studying various designs, Norman decided on a fully moveable shed, so that he could just roll it off, plug in the 'scope and commence operations.
This wonderful, plywood framed observatory is home-built in the garage. Located in Lakeland, Florida, this neat dome houses an Orion XT-8 Dobsonian telescope.  Located in Spring Branch, Texas, The Lozano Observatory is a privately owned observatory which houses a 12" Meade LX90-GPS Primary telescope and a 66mm Astrotech Refractor intended for CCD imaging. It's mission is to increase the interest in amateur astronomy and astrophotography for family, friends and the public. Initially, this site was intended to encompass only a domed structure; however, Robert's wife thought it would be a great get away for the family and the rest is history!  Joe built his observatory in 2005 primarily for astrophotography. He is the president of Orange County Astronomical Association" in Warwick, NY. USA. As a result, Joe has previously conducted a presentation on how to build observatories, at which many people found it enjoyable and informative.  Rainer's magnificent observatory was started on 25th of June and finished 11th of September 2008 and commenced operation in October/November 2008. It houses 2 piers (6500kg each) with 2 mounts and 4 telescopes in total. It is built right into his house and is also being prepared to be remotely controlled.  Dave reckons that apart from the actual telescope, the observatory has to be the most useful observing aid. He observes occultations, both lunar and asteroids. Setup to target in the FOV is only a couple of minutes. Built in 2004/2005. Dave's major concern was threat from bush fire as the bush is nearby. So it's mostly made out of steel.  Beamhill Observatory Located in Staffordshire in the UK, Ade built his observatory in the spring of 2008, having got tired of setting up and breaking down his kit to observe or photograph the sky. It was constructed using an old 8'x6' shed as the basis for the design and then extended to twice this size to incorporate a roll-off roof, drop down walls to the south and east, and a separate 'warm-room' for an imaging computer setup. Ade's equipment is mounted on an 8" diameter concrete pier which has been cast into a block in the ground. The whole observatory cost less than £400 to build, and is the best investment he has made in his hobby. The observatory houses an Orion 80ED Refractor and a Skywatcher 200P Newtonian telescope.  Ten Chain Hill Observatory. Peter's roll-off is made from a modified field shelter for horses. It's a 5x4 metre raised timber floor design with 2 independent slabs and piers for 2 scopes to operate simultaneously. Thus far, Peter had been concentrating on imaging with home-made refractor scopes of 90 and 127mm diameters.  Tom's 24' dome was his first construction project ever, taking four months to build. Construction started in October of 2002. Tom designed the dome construction after visiting many observatories around the country. Tom's friend and neighbor Jack Newton helped him with construction. The dome houses a 42" telescope. Steve's geodesic observatory is a classic Buckminster Fuller Geodesic design. Steve's website is an account of how he built it using Joe's Garlitz's plans on the net. Details and pictures are in roughly chronological order to show how it has progressed over the years.
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