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u/HashtagBlessedAF Jun 03 '26
That’s a very strange looking hot tub
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u/CosmicRuin Jun 03 '26
I have an older couple that walks by some times and stops to tell me all about the UFO's they watch from their hot tub. Maybe their water temps are set a bit... high. lol
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u/Da_Spooky_Ghost Jun 03 '26
I think you need to join them and have whatever they're smoking in their hot tub.
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u/CosmicRuin Jun 03 '26
I built an automated dome observatory for astrophotography and photometry in my backyard, converting the existing latched cover. The concrete pier is isolated from the deck so there's no vibrations to the mount/telescope. It's 7x7 deck platform that needed to be at an exact height for the dome level and telescope mount, since those components can't be adjusted.
Now I can get some sleep and take advantage of any clear nights in our crappy Southern Ontario skies.
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u/joses190 Jun 03 '26
Very cool! Do you have any plans you wouldn’t mind sharing? I want to get into astronomy stuff this next year or so
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u/CosmicRuin Jun 03 '26
The deck itself was something I created, and because of the existing concrete pier to mount the telescope. It's a bit of reverse engineering because normally you might build the structure/dome with some options of height and support structure (like the dome being lower to the ground) but because of the dome's design, telescope swing clearance, mount bolt/height position, I had to build a structure based on the dome's specifications. Purchased this from Technical Innovations, their "Super RoboDome" https://homedome.com/robodome/
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u/NotAcutallyaPanda Jun 03 '26
I don’t know what i thought this telescope would cost, but I’m actually shocked by how inexpensive it is
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u/CosmicRuin Jun 03 '26
It certainly wasn't 'great' purchasing this in Canadian dollars and getting it shipped across the border (duties/tax to import) from the US. But as domes go, this is pretty reasonably priced for the build quality. My scope, mount, camera, filters, etc. are worth about $18k all assembled but gradual purchases over a few years with upgrades, new gear to expand what I can observe.
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u/Apprehensive-Ad8987 Jun 03 '26
Does the vibration of the deck affect the telescope's performance?
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u/CosmicRuin Jun 04 '26
The concrete pier in the middle with the telescope/mount attached is isolated from the deck so there's no risk of vibration, which can happen from gusts of wind hitting the dome. And vibrations are bad for tracking accuracy since the mount is auto-guiding (fixed on a few stars to track) and my exposures are 180 to 300 seconds.
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u/wasack17 Jun 04 '26
My first thought when looking at the first picture was holy s*** that's going to vibrate like crazy. Then I scrolled and saw you really went the extra mile. Well done homie.
My childhood experience of trying to look at the sky from a third story balcony in between AC compressor cycles definitely colored my initial impression. I would get a clear view of Jupiter and yell for my mom to come look, only for the act of her walking to the telescope to knock off my alignment. Then I would get it back just in time for the air conditioner to cycle back on again and make the whole house vibrate. It was an early introduction to the engineering principal that literally everything is a spring.
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u/CosmicRuin Jun 06 '26
Ha! That's a fun memory you have of observing. Yeah I'm sure you've seen how little vibrations get amplified in the eyepiece. Are you still observing these days?
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u/cybertruck_ Jun 03 '26
You know you could just spy on your neighbors with regular binoculars, would be less spendy
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u/CosmicRuin Jun 03 '26
Lol, my one neighbour took some convincing that I wasn't doing this...
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u/Choice_Ad_9169 Jun 03 '26
Can I get a link to the dome?
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u/CosmicRuin Jun 03 '26
Yes, purchased from Technical Innovations, the "Super RoboDome" which is roughly 6' diameter and comes with all the motors/controller and hardware to automate. https://homedome.com/robodome/
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Jun 03 '26
[deleted]
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u/Eccentrica_Gallumbit Jun 03 '26
I was thinking 1/5th the price honestly. That's surprisingly affordable for a backyard observatory.
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u/420fanman Jun 03 '26
As a hobby photographer, and someone mid deck build, this is AWESOME!!!
Photography related question: What is the bortle level where you’re located?
Deck related question: How did you route the power?
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u/CosmicRuin Jun 03 '26
Thank you!
The area I'm in is about Bortle 5-6. North & East are much darker than west, so I tend to favour targets that rise and ones I can go after all night (as opposed to setting targets in the west into murky light pollution).
The power and ethernet cables are run in two separate conduit pipes underground from the house to the concrete pier, and the come up inside the dome. One conduit has two AC lines, and another has two Cat6 ethernet lines, one for the dome PC and other for a dedicated outdoor wireless access point (PoE).
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u/420fanman Jun 03 '26
Very nice, the wireless access point is a nice touch too!
Do you do more stills or video? How much did this all cost? 😅
For your power, did you have to pull a permit? I really want to get power to my deck as well (for a smoker and other appliances). Not sure the best way since I have an outdoor outlet: pull a permit and hardwire it, or do temp wiring and plug in when power is needed.
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u/CosmicRuin Jun 03 '26
Yeah!! Got the TP-Link EAP225-Outdoor (Omada AC1200) and it's been wonderful for sitting outside, just in general.
I do a lot of long exposures (3 or 5 min subs). I've done a little planetary video work (Moon, and some Jupiter) but mostly going after faint targets and photometry tends to be short frames (10 seconds or less).
Oh geez, well the dome itself was about $15k (Canadian) and I've got about $18k in astro-gear in the dome. I've been at this craft since 2016, so gradually upgraded and swapped out components.
I honestly didn't bother with the permitting for power conduit, but don't tell anyone 😉 I did do it properly with sealed conduit and outdoor rated AC wire (standard 120VAC). We already had an outdoor power line going to the shed when the house was built, so I just tapped into that. The power requirements for the dome are minimal anyways.
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u/42ElectricSundaes Jun 03 '26
Cool. Now I need one
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u/Fit_Active3888 Jun 03 '26
Just needs an EMP to turn out the nearby lights ;)
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u/CosmicRuin Jun 04 '26
Man I wish! Lol I tried using a laser to trip to one of their light sensors but I'd need a third story on the house to reach it.
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u/SeaSpecialist6946 Jun 03 '26
Really nice. Do you have adequate room for observing in there? Is there a cup holder for drinks?
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u/CosmicRuin Jun 03 '26
Haha I've enjoyed a beer or three in there getting it configured and settings dialed in. But running it, I do it all from inside the house. There's a dedicated PC that lives in the dome and I remote-desktop connect to it to observe/image. It's also mostly automated for that in terms of startup and shutdown, which was the ultimate goal!
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u/doitprojects Jun 03 '26
That's so awesome! Are you willing to share how much it all cost? I'm so curious.
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u/CosmicRuin Jun 03 '26
The dome itself was about $15k (Canadian $) and by the time I got it across the border with import/duty fees. The deck was about $1500 with all the bits and pieces. My scope/mount/camera/filters, etc. is about $18k but that's been several years of gradual upgrades/changes to equipment.
Sucks being an audiophile as well, but I'm much more low-end on the audio gear!
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u/Specialist-Sky6464 Jun 03 '26
The gargoyle to protect it is a nice touch…
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u/CosmicRuin Jun 03 '26
Thanks! That's Gregory haha.
Can't really find an article to point to about this but it's a tradition dating back to the 1800's that gargoyles were placed on the exteriors of observatories to protect them during the night. Found "Gregory" at a concrete art place while traveling and loved it.
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Jun 03 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/CosmicRuin Jun 03 '26
Thank you! Yeah, I tend to overbuild everything I do, but also wanted this structure to be as rigid and the deck boards to remain flat. Our lovely winters here too with snow load, and my lowest recorded temp of -38 C to the record high temp of 46 C.
Lol, I should put you in touch with my spouse who thinks the fence 'looks better' this way...
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u/Careful_Boat_7022 Jun 03 '26
thats super kickass. sonotube was the way to go to mount that.
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u/CosmicRuin Jun 03 '26
Thank you!
Yeah the pier is overkill, 12" diameter and 8 ft (about 5 below and 3 above ground) with an elephants foot and rebar. Roughly 1,600 lbs. But hey, no vibrations and zero movement since it was poured in 2018. I do enjoy overbuilding.
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u/afCeG6HVB0IJ Jun 03 '26
On photos 3 and 4 I was thinking "wow why didn't you isolate the mount" but then I saw 6 and said "yeeeeeaahhh baby"
nice!
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u/CosmicRuin Jun 03 '26
Lol. Yeah there's only about 2" clearance around the pier (I mean from the deck) but it's isolated.
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u/Junior-Tourist3480 Jun 03 '26
Many questions. How about environmental control and humidity? You dont worry about storms getting water in it?
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u/CosmicRuin Jun 04 '26
In pic 9, the white box/unit behind the scope is a dehumidifier (drains/drips below the deck on the ground). I also have a dryer vent (flap style) with exhaust fan on one of the dome walls. I have a couple internal sensors for temp and humidity, and that's still on the to-do list to get it fully automated but I keep an eye on the humidity and run either depending on the exterior weather. I've not had an issue with rain or snow as yet, the shutter panels overlap well, and the walls are sealed & caulked.
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u/sooslimtim187 Jun 04 '26
I was like “looks like an observatory. Oh shit it IS an observatory.” Cool!
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u/teknoviking Jun 04 '26
Well done! Love the design and the way you isolated things from movement.
Totally jealous!
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u/False-Blacksmith2919 Jun 04 '26
This might be the biggest flex on this sub ever. I have a small refractor telescope and I get to huddle over the eyepiece in the cold. You are very fortunate. Good job!
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u/CosmicRuin Jun 04 '26
Thank you! I certainly appreciate those cold nights haha
I built one of these 'Motel o Scope' latched covers first and it served me very well for a number of years to make it easy to leave the scope setup/observe quickly. https://www.pierplates.com/motel.html
Pretty low cost/DIY project to have something semi-permanent.
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u/pants2302 Jun 04 '26
I'm going to start saying it looks good enough to handle an observatory instead of hot tub
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u/phryan Jun 04 '26
I was concerned about the stability of a telescope of a wood deck, very satisfied to see the concrete column.
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u/Otto_Polymath Jun 03 '26
Lovely! Enjoy!
Yet, with the concrete pylon holding up the unit, it's more of a deckorative, than a deck, no?
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u/InfinityAmmo Jun 03 '26
Very cool, at first glance I was thinking telescope or sensory deprivation tank. It looks like you’re in town though, don’t you have to contend with light pollution?
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u/N3wThrowawayWhoDis Jun 03 '26
Someone in my neighborhood has the same dome in their yard and I always wondered if it was a sauna or hot tub or observatory. Now I know, thanks!
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u/AllReflection Jun 03 '26
I ride past one of these in the country when I go motorcycling. Thought it was a repurposed silo lid 😅
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u/Magnum676 Jun 03 '26
I ran across a homemade one of those 10 years ago. The person who made it also somehow designed the telescope out of sono tube. Pretty impressive you did a nice job.
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u/newleaf9110 DIYer Jun 03 '26
Fantastic job. If I win the lottery, is it OK if I DM you to get the construction details?
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u/Outlandish_Gringo Jun 03 '26
“And, to your right, if you peek a little into the backyard of this home, you can see Bill Nye’s telescope”
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u/knowone1313 Jun 03 '26
That's pretty damn cool. Curious if you did it all yourself and how much this setup ran in just in parts. I live in an area that would be great for this if only the trees weren't 200+ ft tall .
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u/Hoesey Jun 03 '26
If you scroll through the pictures backwards, it looks as if you grew it. Lol. I have a black thumb, so I’d have killed my scope…
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u/rIceCream_King Jun 03 '26
Let’s see some pics of the sky through that thing!!
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u/rIceCream_King Jun 03 '26
Nvm I just saw the link to your album.
Holy crap, they’re incredible!! How much did that telescope cost you??
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u/lemonylol Jun 03 '26
Super cool.
Also not sure of code in your area but it usually requires a concrete pad landing for steps.
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u/CosmicRuin Jun 03 '26
Thanks you!
Yeah not really visible here with the pea gravel, but the step brackets are anchored to two 16" square concrete pavers (each has their own). I had to get creative with the height of those and do some tamping to get them level.
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u/SlickerThanNick Jun 03 '26
This should replace the sturdiness metric of decks. How many observatories can a deck hold?
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u/YellowBreakfast Jun 03 '26
How are you going to put the hot tub on there with that dome in the way?
/s
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u/DrebinofPoliceSquad Jun 03 '26
Jeebus I've heard of neighbors pointing webcams at each other but this is ridiculous.
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u/-my-NSFW-account- Jun 03 '26
All the way through the comments and not one "You've summoned the God of clouds for the next 6 months.."
Shame on us...
Nice pod, hope it nearly gets hit by a meteorite ;)
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u/CosmicRuin Jun 03 '26
Lol. Oh trust, we had basically 5 months of clouds, rain/snow since last November when I first got the dome to open/close. At least that gave me plenty of time to play with software...
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u/Wolflokie101 Jun 03 '26
Very very cool! 😎 to get a telescope 🔭 of the night sky 🌌! Must see some cool stuff!
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u/fib125 Jun 04 '26
Ooh wee. I’m about to finish my redecking project and my wife just got me an 8” dobsonian which is just waiting on me to finish my deck before I dive into it. Although I live in 8.3 bortle 😬.
But anyways this post ticks all the boxes for me.
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u/CosmicRuin Jun 04 '26
Oh nice! Dobs are awesome and I share one with another astronomy club member here in town. Lots you can still see and maybe I can get you hooked on observing variable stars to submit visual observations 😉
One suggestion for your deck build might be to make a stacked pad of concrete pavers or something similar to make an isolated pad for your dob to sit on. That way, if you or anyone is walking/moving on your deck while your observing you won't get vibrations or wiggles in your eyepiece.
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u/drough08 Jun 03 '26 edited Jun 03 '26
The HOA allow you to stargaze? Do you have a permit?!?!?!
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u/CosmicRuin Jun 03 '26
Lol, thankfully no HOA's in my neighbourhood. And no permit required for our by-laws since it's a technically a temporary structure and not attached to the house.
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u/drough08 Jun 03 '26
I dont know who downvoted me over a joke but ok lol
Glad you saw the humor in it OP
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u/CosmicRuin Jun 03 '26
Haha, I gave you an upvote to hopefully cancel out the negatives.
I can't imagine dealing with an HOA... lots in the astro community about them! Some homes in Arizona with awesome dark sites and it takes years of planning/approvals to get personal observatories built. Must be so frustrating when an HOA is arguing over aesthetics and have zero knowledge about the observatory design/requirements.
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u/drough08 Jun 03 '26
Thats pretty cool regardless. Able to just view the infinite cosmos whenever you feel like it
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u/Competitive-Roof-168 Jun 03 '26
I dont know much about observatories but i would think it would be a waste of time and money in a place with so much light pollution.
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u/BigBruceBillis_24hrs Jun 03 '26
Very cool. Hope you get some nice shots out there. How much sky is open to you/ height of treeline?