How about a metal grain bin observatory like they have at Sunspot Observatory? On Fri, Mar 6, 2015 at 10:10 AM, Stan Gorodenski <stanlep@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > Some of you know I bought land in New Mexico in December 2005. It is > near Datil on Horse Mountain. I always wondered why it is called Horse > Mountain. Who would like the observatory they have on a mountain that > has a horsey feel to it because of the name? I think the reason it is > called this is because at a certain time of the year the flies are > terrible, and since flies are around horses the way they are kept in > rural areas this is probably how the name originated. Just guessing. > > This is one of the darkest sites around, at 8,000 ft ele. and as far as > I could tell, without monitoring things, the seeing is pretty good. One > can see the VLA from the subdivision. It has been difficult to do any > construction because of the distance from my home in Dewey, building > requirements by the state (they require a licensed contractor to do > electrical and plumbing, contrary to Yavapai county Dewey is in), > because of the remoteness of the area it is hard to find reputable > construction workers, and a hardware store and a building materials > store is 80 miles away in Socorro. > > Finally, after all these years my observatory will happen. It will be > the same size and design as the one in Dewey. Ground breaking should > occur in a week or two for the observatory. As a result, I am now on the > look out for a dome. I will probably have to make one myself like I did > for the observatory in Dewey, but if I do it would be simpler than the > one I made for the Dewey observatory. If any of you know of someone who > has a metal (it has to be metal, not fiberglass) dome they are getting > rid of, 10' to 12' in diameter, I would appreciate knowing about it. > Stan > > > -- > See message header for info on list archives or unsubscribing, and please > send personal replies to the author, not the list. > > -- See message header for info on list archives or unsubscribing, and please send personal replies to the author, not the list.