Pier height/placement??

Hello fellow astro enthusiasts!

I am currently building an observatory and am trying to determine the placement of my pier. The observatory is a 10' aluminum dome which will sit on top of an existing concrete block building which is roughly 13'x12'.

The pier is 88" high and the height of the block walls are 83". I am going to raise the base of the dome up about two feet above the 83" block walls to get better sight lines to avoid some obstructions in the view.

I am currently using an 8" LX200 with the equatorial wedge, but want this arrangement to be able to accomodate a different 'scope should I upgrade to a new telescope (larger SCT??).

Should the top of the pier be roughly level with (or maybe somewhat higher than) the base of the dome or am I mistaken? I will likely position the pier to be centered relative to the dome and will be constructing a subfloor at a convenient height(?) when I figure out the geometry I need.

I have not seen much useful information on positioning a pier within an observatory so any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks a lot, Steve

I had to place a 30" platform around my peir otherwise I would have never been able to get to the scope without a ladder.

I have a roll off roof though not a done. And I made it so that the scope would be able to view as close to the horizon as possible, and still clear the roof when it moved
I was also 32" above the ground with the observatory.

I would think that no two are the same though

Mark

Normally the first 15 degrees off the horizon are not used in observatories, there is too much atmospheric distortion. So don't worry about the dome being somwhat higher than the scope, but pay attention to the hieght.

Also a wedge should have an offset pier. The offset is to the south and depends on the wedge and SCT you use. Remeber that the fork arms are tilted which throws off the center point for the scope. With a dome you want the pivot point of the scope to be the center of the dome. My pier is 17 1/2 inches south of the central point, other wedges need only 4-6 inches.

Doug W.