The Observatory
The observatory houses a 12" Meade LX200
telescope. For astrophotography I have used an ST6 CCD since 1993. Nowadays I
mostly use an STL11000M CCD with an AOL adaptive optics unit, and a MOAG. For
spectral control the camera is equipped with an 8 position filter wheel, with C
L R G B filters from SBIG, and Baader H-alfa OIII and SII filters. The Meade
scope does not fully match the potential of this advanced camera, but is a good
start.
The mount is computer controlled, and I normally
observe directly on the computer screen. For reference, I normally use Megastar
or Vickers atlas. The dome is built out of a
frame of marine type plywood and water resistant masonite. It is covered with a
glasfiber coating. It was built in 1998. In 2007, the dome was freshed up with
some new layers of glasfiber coating.
Observations are also made with a 17.5" Dobsonian telescope. This scope can also be seen
in David Kriege’s and Richard Berry’s book “The Dobsonian Telescope” where it
is shown in chapter 1.3.4. The scope was first published in Telescope Making
#17.
Another observatory I have been involved in, and
design responsible for, is the Lahall observatory built in
1979-1983. In the late 80’s I designed the new dome for the club observatory in
Stockholm city, at “Observatorielunden”.