A Change for the future…

There has not been an update in quite a while to this website. And there is a very good reason for it.

In 2025, I came to the decision that the POD MAX Domed observatory will be replaced with a Roll off Roof (ROR) observatory. I am not getting any younger, and I needed something that is easier to manage, but still give me plenty of room for my equipment. I decided on a ROR design because the dome movement interfered with the movement of the scope mount, it is simplier to operate and I don’t have to get up on a tall ladder to clamp the slot during strong winds.

At the time of this writing, I can tell you that the POD MAX dome has been disassembled and is going to a new home. The frame of the ROR is up, and plywood has been affixed. Key features of the new ROR design include a 14′ x 12′ telescope room separate from a 10′ x 12′ warm room, reuse of the original floor, and full automation of the roof opening and closing. The warm room will be climate-controlled and accommodate visitors. The telescope room will be isolated from any light coming from the warm room, monitors, and other equipment.

The roof will be handled by hardware from great people at Dark Dragons Astro, and is all ASCOM compatible with safety sensors.

I expect the construction to be completed sometime in late April or early May. Then I will be back at bringing you my pictures from deep space.