11/19/2006 - OBSERVATORY CONSTRUCTION BEGINS
It is becoming clear that in the Pacific Northwest, where rain can be constant and one can wait patiently to take advantage of a one-hour break in the cloud cover, an observatory structure is important. Here is the start, several hours after initial groundbreaking (which was more like back-breaking ground CLEARING :)
Up to this point, I've had to break down the telescope and carry everything inside, only to pack it back out when it clears and to pack it back in an hour later when the rain falls again. It's not good for my back, it's not good for the telescope and viewing conditions are far from optimal as the telescope is subjected to rapid changes in temperature. This makes viewing difficult and photography next to impossible.
While the telescope will not be in the observatory most of the time, the structure will allow me to keep it polar aligned for days at a time, making it easier to take advantage of those optimal viewing moments.