www.baader-observatories.com
After I had experienced several times that a telescope set up in the garden for cooling down had to be brought back into the house because the sky had clouded over, I wanted to have an observatory. From the outset, it was clear to me that, due to the nature of the sloping property, observations could only be made in the southern and western sections of the sky.
In 2005, I looked at various domes at the ATT in Essen and then decided on the one from Baader. With the help of a friend, I was able to build the round structure myself at low cost and pick up the assembled dome in Mammendorf with a borrowed trailer. Neighbors then helped me get the dome off the road and carry it along the stairway path to the garden, where it was placed precisely onto the masonry substructure of the observatory.
Because of the local limitations caused by trees and the shadow of the house, I deliberately chose a low-cost solution (rotation by means of a crank and dome slit by rope pull). For my C11 NexStar GPS, I had made a pier (separate from the floor slab) out of a thick drainpipe filled with concrete, so that observations were possible after a short time. I learned quite quickly how to close the dome slit quietly, so that even at night I could shut it again without disturbing noise. Of course, electronic control for the rotation would also have been more convenient, but over time this arrangement also settled in well.
I can describe the quality of the dome and the handling with rope pull and crank as satisfactory. Only the cleaning, which I carry out every 3–4 years, is very difficult because of the height and design. The search for suitable care products has also so far remained without decisive success.
Because of an eye disease, I no longer pursue the hobby, but grandchildren and friends still observe occasionally.
