Astronomical observatory
The structure of the Observatory was entirely designed by me and my father-in-law, Antonio di Folco. It is the result of a long work of analysis and attention to detail aimed at creating a solid environment, immune to vibrations and water infiltration.
Astronomical Roll-Off Shelter
Designed by me and build and installed by "2M Carpenteria Metallica srl" under the careful guidance and expertise of Pietro Micheli. It is a rectangular structure 2.9mx3.0m with internal height decreasing from 1.90m to 1.80m. The roof, slightly sloping to facilitate the flow of water, can be extracted by sliding it on external horizontal rails of about 3m in length and reinforced by support rods at 45°. Once positioned on the external guides, the roof will free the night sky above the Artec 250E optical tube positioned on the steel column in the center of the structure. The system is working well, however we decided to reinforce , as soon as possible, the external guides for the roof extraction to reduce vibrations. The walls and roof are made of 4cm thick polyester-glass laminate panels, while the entire load-bearing structure is made of hot-dip galvanized iron sheets. The roof is moved by a rack-pinion system driven by the DOA 600 electric motor with a nominal power of 190W. There are 5 control cameras (IR can be deactivated) : 4 outside and 1 inside, 6 light points : 4 outside and 2 inside, all of which are of course deactivated during photo sessions. The large internal space has allowed to include 1) a desk with a laptop protected from humidity by an iCap® Mid PRO box, 2) a cabinet to store tools and equipment 3) a small refrigerator because a cold beer in the summer should never be missing. The concrete floor has been covered with a mosaic of 2cm thick rubber panels. In the front of the structure, a natural stone flooring has been created while on the west side, the reinforced concrete platform intended for the trolley/rails system of the 16'' Dobson telescope. The Observatory has two entrances, a main one with a full height door and a secondary lateral one used exclusively for the exit of the 16'' Dobsonian telescope . The Observatory is protected by an alarm system as well as by external lights and control cameras all equipped with motion sensors and IR.
The backbone : platform and plinth
The observatory is located on a solid reinforced concrete platform with a thickness varying from 25cm to impressive 40cm due to the sloping ground. At the center of the platform there is a solid 40cmx40cmx120cm (LxWxH) reinforced concrete plinth , completely diconnected and independent from the structure of the platform. The plinth has a larger rectangular base buried under the platform, in order to ensure maximum stability. The steel column, on which the robotic mount that supports the Artec 250E optical tube is anchored, is fixed to the central plinth, thus basically completely free from vibrations. The column is bolted to the central concrete plinth with 8 Ø16mm threaded rods blocked with a chemical anchor and a nut and counter nut system to ensure an initial basic leveling. There is a complex system of pipes embedded in the concrete for the passage of electrical and network cables, the most important of which is the one that leads to the column located on the central plinth, thus avoiding the passage of cables on the floor.
Remote control and full automation
The astronomical observatory allows full remote control and automation through a complex system designed and installed by my friend Giorgio Diegoli. It allows to sleep without worries while the system works with no risk of exposing the instruments to rain or excessive wind. I must admit that I spend many hours in the Observatory when I have the chance. However, living in Rome and traveling a lot for work, remote control and automation are essential for me to enjoy this passion every night with clear skies. The system is made by a main electrical panel (picture) and a secondary elecrical panel anchored to the central steel column. The main electrical panel includes a Denkovi control board with 12 relays that allows the operator to open/close the roof, turn on/off the mount, the camera, the focuser, the flat panel, the optical tube fan and the safety lights outside the observatory. The board also manages the laser system that prevents the roof from closing if the mount is not in the parking position, thus avoiding any risk of collision with the optical tube. Finally, the control board receives the analog signals of the two limit switches (open/closed) as input, allowing the software to determine with certainty the position of the roof. The electric board includes 3 intelligent Shelly switches all LAN wired, a discharger, a circuit breaker and a series of magnetothermic switch. There is a 16-port Ethernet switch to connect most of the devices of the Observatory. A surge protector has also been placed between the LAN cable coming from the house and the Ethernet switch. There is also a WI-FI access point used only by some of the control cameras and to connect the mobile phone of operators due to the poor network coverage in the area. There is a UPS unit with the purpose of stabilizing the current that powers the delicate instrumentation and securing continuity in the event of an external power failure. This last aspect allows the parking of the telescope and the closing of the roof even in emergency situations. Power wiring is arranged on 2 separate high (230v) and low (12v) voltage terminal blocks. Two 12v power supplies convert the 230v alternating current into 12v direct current to power most of the devices. Finally, there is the "CloudWatcher Solo" capable of decoding the data acquired from the external weather station. The system allows a complete remote control and can be used from anywhere in the world. It is also possible to set up a full automation. It allows , once an astronomical target in the sky has been defined at a certain minimum altitude above the horizon and with a certain maximum presence of the moon in the sky, to open and close the roof autonomously, point the object, track it and take pictures. Of course, this is as long as wether conditions allow (Safe) . Because when the weather conditions worsen the system automatically parks the telescope and closes the roof, only to reopen it and continue the photographic session if the weather conditions improve during the night.
The secondary electrical panel positioned on the steel column has the purpose of accommodating the cables coming from the main electrical panel and powering all the instruments, including the mini-PC placed inside it which has the function of server with the task of managing all the astronomical instruments and saving the files of the acquired images. Inside there is also a 24v power supply and the control box of the 10micron robotic mount. The astro-photographic software used is N.I.N.A.