Author Archives: Michael Foegelle

I just noticed the other day that Google has updated their aerial views and the observatory is now on the map!  This looks like it was taken around March, and I was actually out there working on it when this … Continue reading →

I was able to complete the roof drive last weekend (April 7th) and clean up the observatory, setting up the telescopes for first light. My wife had some friends over that night. I also took pictures of the setup including … Continue reading →

It’s been a couple of months since construction started on the observatory structure itself and I’ve made excellent progress. The observatory is dried-in and the siding is halfway completed. It’s really turning into a nice looking building. With the rain … Continue reading →

Almost a year after pouring the slab, and about six months since the last time I worked on anything other than design, the observatory is back under construction. Framing of the main building is nearly complete, and I’ll be spending … Continue reading →

Welcome to MythBusters! Recently the question was raised as to whether or not it was safe to run your electronic telescope mount and a dew heater off of the same battery.  As usual, proponents lined up on both sides of … Continue reading →

So I’ve been helping a new friend out with his new 11″ Celestron Edge HD telescope with Celestron NightScape CCD and NexGuide imaging setup, and about the time he was getting set up to make some progress, he broke his … Continue reading →

It’s been several weeks since I posted them, but I’ve put up a couple of sets of pictures showing the last several months of work to get power and water out to the observatory and animal shed, as well as … Continue reading →

While we weren’t able to see the full annular eclipse from the Austin area, I was able to capture the first 50 minutes or so of the solar eclipse before losing it in the trees.  I’ve posted a couple of … Continue reading →

It’s really happening! After many months of work on the footings and site prep (not to mention the design work to get to that point), I’m finally getting the slab for the observatory poured. I have plenty of pictures to … Continue reading →

I just got back from my hike across the hill from the Union Square area in San Francisco over to the Scope City store near Fisherman’s Wharf. Given that we don’t have a brick and mortar scope store in the … Continue reading →