How To Build A Cheap Observatory and Pier

I was getting tired of keep setting up my HEQ5 to polar align each time i wanted to use the scope so i decided with a budget in mind to setup a backyard observatory with concrete pier.

I managed to find a 7×5 very well made shed in my local classifieds for the small sum of £50.00  and this was going to be used as the observatory.

Next Step was to build the telescope pier and base around the shed, the tube i am using in 8″ ducting tube 1500mm long cost £23.00 from Amazon and is to be placed 500mm below the ground, giving me a 1 meter pier above ground.

After hole was dug, i used metal fence posts rods inside the tube to help strenghten the mount, Concrete was then poured in the hole and mount was levelled off and left overnight.

After pier base was left to harden over night i cut a hole in the shed floor and started to build the observatory

Starting to get somewhere now 🙂 Not sure on which way to go with the roof yet as my DIY skills are not the best. But i will come to that later.

Ok back to the mount, now after reading up on google, the easiest way to mount your HEQ5 mount is to get hold of a brake disc from any Vauxhall corsa 99-08 i think they are all the same size, make sure it has a 60mm hole in the centre which is perfect for my mount.  I added m12 threaded bar cut into equal lengths this will be set in concrete to mount my top plate to the pier.

Here you can see i added the rest of the concrete and while still wet placed the brake disc into the pier, i then used small blocks of wood to raise the top plate so i could access the bolt in the centre of the mount. i used a piece of thick steel i had lying about to mount the HEQ5 to the top plate with a single bolt through the centre. I left that over night to harden. Pretty simple but very effective and rock solid!

Here is the mount finished and ready to to polar align tonight.

The rest of the build is still on going so stay tuned for part 2!