Observatory
TO DO
About the Observatory itself.
- Where it is located
- How it was built
- Direction it faces
- Proximity to office
- Column (how and why built)
Telescope
- Make
- Size
- Brand
- Year
- etc
Cameras
- Types
- Purposes
Office
- How connected
- What it contains
- What it is used for
IMAGES OF EVERYTHING
Located in the south of County Meath in Ireland (53d 25m 24.7s N, 6d 34m 25s West), my observatory is a home-built garden-shed-style facility. It has a unique roof design, where two sides can slide off to provide unobstructed access to the night sky.
Inside the observatory, I have an equatorially mounted 254mm LX200 Schmidt Cassegrain telescope and an 80mm Apochromatic Refractor. I also have two CCD cameras - the Starlight Xpress HX516 and the SXV-H9 - along with an 80mm guidescope. For solar and planetary imaging, I previously used a Philips ToUcam Pro webcam, but I have recently upgraded to the more powerful Imaging Source DMK21AF04.AS camera. In 2004, I upgraded from the MX7C to the SXV-H9 camera and added a True Technology motorized filter wheel. I have also added a Coronado PST solar telescope, which is piggybacked onto my LX200.
Recently, I made an enhancement to my solar equipment by modifying the PST. I attached it to a 120mm refractor and improved the resolution of my solar viewing and imaging by using a suitable filter.
With this equipment, I am able to explore the night sky and capture high-quality images of celestial objects and the Sun.
