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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.

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​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.

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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.

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