the observatory
Location
Up and running in May 2021
Up and running in May 2021
We are located at the southern end of the Mornington Peninsula - the 'dot' at the end of the long, narrow piece of land at the bottom of the images here. The sky is classed as 'suburban/rural transition', away from the worst of Melbourne's light pollution, for now.
Up and running in May 2021
Up and running in May 2021
Up and running in May 2021
The learning began when the dome was complete and instrumented
Big mount, small scope
Up and running in May 2021
Big mount, small scope
.jpeg/:/cr=t:0%25,l:0%25,w:100%25,h:100%25/rs=w:388,cg:true)
A large mount (the gizmo that tracks the stars) provides the flexibility to add almost any size telescope. My first small refractor has been upgraded to a larger Stellarvue refractor., Details of our equipment are listed in the 'What's in the Observatory?' section below.
Sensors
Remote operation
Big mount, small scope
Weather near the southern coast can be challenging, this Cloudwatcher system senses cloud, rain and wind so the dome can shut when conditions change. The CCTV lets me 'see' what's happening.
Remote operation
Remote operation
Remote operation
Voyager software (top right in this image) allows a full night's imaging to be scripted for multiple targets in a single night. Weather sensors and CCTV provide information about observing conditions and the position of the telescope.