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Home Telescopes & Observatories
 

Tom Smith
Dark Ridge Observatory (California)

Last Update: 12-31-2007

Sadly for the CCAS, in May 2007 Tom "retired" from his day job in information technology (computer programming and operations) at one of the world's premier nuclear power generating stations, he and his wife Donna sold their home in Atascadero, CA, and moved south to their newly purchased mountain top in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, to build their dream home and Tom's much-desired serious observatory for personal, professional and educational research. 

Tom's world-class amateur CCD astronomy work and expertise in designing and building fully robotic observatories, is quickly becoming recognized across the U.S., with educational institutions such as Cal Poly State University and Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo, CA, partnering with Tom in operating telescopes robotically from his new observatory. 

Photos of Tom's prior home observatory, the first Dark Ridge Observatory in Atascadero, California, are presented below, but the observatory is no longer in operation.

To see Tom's current efforts on his new home and observatory, see Dark Ridge Observatory

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1. June 3, 2003.  Tom prepares his new 14" Meade LX200 GPS SCT for "first light".   To the delight of Tom, Walt Reil and Tim Martin, at 20:56:25 Tom's new scope resolved its first stellar image, Arcturus, through occasional windows in thick coastal fog.  The fog filter did not work as advertised.  :-)
2. June 3, 2003.  Sighting-in his new scope.
3. June 3, 2003.  Tom's scope has super high quality optical coatings.
4. June 20, 2003.  Tom breaks ground for his roll-off roof Dark Ridge Observatory - West.  Dark Ridge Observatory - East, is located in New Mexico (yet to be constructed).   Tom is BIG into radio astronomy.  He has four other large radio dishes installed elsewhere on his property.   Looking Northwest.
5. June 20, 2003.  First pier hole for Tom's old 12" Newtonian reflector, 3' square and 2' deep, in very tough clay material.
6. June 20, 2003.  These will be the rails that run along the top of each side of the walls for the rolling roof.   The rails are presently welded together into pairs, so Tom has to cut the weld attachments off to separate the rails.  These were found at a salvage yard in Atascadero, sold by the pound.
7. June 20, 2003.  Also found in the salvage yard, a flanged six inch diameter steel pipe to be the pier for Tom's older 12" Newtonian reflector telescope.
8. June 20, 2003.  These are the new sections of 10" diameter pier for his new 14" Meade LX200 scope.  The section on the right, upside down, will be embedded in concrete.  The section on the left will then bolt on top of the embedded lower section.
9. June 21, 2003.  Both pier holes are done.  The far pier will be for Tom's older 12" Newtonian reflector.  The closest hole will be for the big 14" SCT.
10. June 21, 2003.  Pier for the 12" Newtonian.
11. July 16, 2003.  Both piers now set in concrete.
12. July 16, 2003.  Heavy-duty pier for Tom's new 14" GPS SCT.
13. July 27, 2003.  Observatory floor underway.  4x4 outside frame with 2x6 joists.  3/4" CDX plywood.
14. July 27, 2003.  Floor is ready to go.  Walls are next.
15. July 27, 2003.  Note the necessary gap around the cut-outs for the piers .... can't have the observatory structure touching the piers eliminating any chance of vibration from the structure being transmitted to the piers.
16. July 30, 2003.  Wall framing goes up!  The roof will roll off to the left (south).
17. July 30, 2003.  Walls are 6 feet tall from bottom of bottom plate to top of top plate. 
18. July 30, 2003.  Evidence in the background of Tom's VSA (Very Small Array) radio telescope operation.
19. August 14, 2003.  Roof trestle structure takes shape.
20. August 14, 2003.  Roof rail plate connection between the observatory building and the roof trestle.   Double 2x4's on edge.
21. August 14, 2003.  Start of wall siding which will be eventually be painted.  Wall panels are attached via screws.
22. August 18, 2003.  Observatory is enclosed and getting a coat of primer paint.
23. September 21, 2003.  Door is installed.  Roof frame is built in place.
24. September 21, 2003.  Its starting to look a real observatory.
25. September 21, 2003.  The roof rolls smoothly on ten polyurethane wheels.
26. September 21, 2003.  Metal corrugated roofing begins.
27. September 21, 2003.  The roof is placed such that the wheels sit next to the outside flange of the metal wheel channels, thus keeping the roof aligned properly without wandering in the channels.
28. September 21, 2003.  The wheels have a zerc fitting in the end of the axle for periodic greasing.
29. September 24, 2003.  Tom's new 14" Meade GPS SCT moves in.  Boy, is he a Happy Camper!  It took 20 minutes to pry him off the scope.  It was feared that he would get his sleeping bag and PJs to spend the night in his new astro "club house".
30. September 24, 2003.  Just about ready to do some eclipsing binary photometry!  Extrasolar planets here we come!
31. October 2003.  A two-foot extension is added to the pier.  Russ Genet stops by to inspect the observatory's construction progress and pier extension.
32. October 2003. 
33. October 2003.  Tom hard at work starting his testing work.

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