The
Blaber Observatory Main Page
Depending on whom you speak with, this is
either...
- An outbuilding that was constructed in willful and flagrant
violation of the covenants and restrictions of the Ox Bottom
Homeowner's Association (if you spoke with certain of my neighbors)
- A shack that is an eyesore, and should have been built in a
less-sturdy manner so that it would be easier to tear down. Although, it
does block the view of the old lady across the way when she sits outside
and smokes a cigarette and coughs like a
- An observatory, an inner sanctum and refuge from the madness of the
world, a place to study astronomy and cosmology - the greatest scientific
disciplines known to man (if you asked me)
Building the observatory was a great experience. Mostly because half-way through I freaked out and
decided I had no idea what I was doing and that it was going to be an utter
disaster and a terrible waste of money. At the same time, neighbors (that
desired to remain anonymous) complained to the homeowner's association that I
was insane and building a hideously ugly giant box in my back yard. I came to
the conclusion that the situation was probably perfect: any thing more
grandiose and I would have crumbled under the stress. Anything less, and it would
have been a trivial endeavor.
Florida
- the lightning capital of the USA.
Summer in
I have had two occasions where electronics
in the observatory have been fried by nearby lightning strikes (despite having
surge protectors). Mostly COM ports burn out. Here's a list:
- Robofocus controllers (2x)
- PC motherboard (COM port)
- Sidereal Technology servo controller (2x)
- Scope shaft encoder
Combined with software glitches, the system
is always challenging (and expensive) to use!
Here is more information on the observatory,
as well as images I have taken:
- The type of observatory - a "Roll-off roof" design
- The telescope it houses - a Meade 12" LX-200 Schmidt Cassegrain design
- Images from the telescope
2001 Michael
Blaber