9.8ft (3m) Steel Astrodome

The 9′ 10.1″ (3m) Steel Astrodome is manufactured from laser cut panels of either 1.0 mm zincalume or 1.0 mm stainless steel and held together with stainless steel nuts and bolts. It has the advantage of not needing heavy lifting to erect and is flat packed for cheaper delivery and shipping.

This dome can be ordered as a stand-alone observatory or as a semi-sphere dome to be mounted on your building or structure with an included mounting ring. The bottom shutter can be hinged on the bottom to drop down, or hinged on the side as a door.

The Astrodome comes with or without motorized shutter and azimuth rotation. The shutter motor is 12vdc powered by a deep cycle (not included due to shipping restrictions) solar charged 12v battery to eliminate expensive and unreliable electrical slip-rings. The Azimuth drive can utilize 12vdc, 220-240vac or 110vac motors depending on your requirements. The dome rolls on nylon or urethane wheels for smooth, quiet operation and a rack and pinion system is engineered for reliability and is maintenance free.The rack and pinion azimuth system allows for accurate encoding of position if automation is added. Each motor is controlled with a control box that uses a soft start feature to eliminate wear from jarring.

Automation

You can choose to automate the dome using a system of your choice. Astrodomes recommends  the MaxDome system, https://diffractionlimited.com/product/maxdome-ii-observatory-dome-control-system/. The dome can be slaved to the telescope allowing the dome to follow the telescope without the astronomer having to touch the controls.

Shipping and Installation

The dome is designed to be flat packed to drastically reduce shipping rates and can be easily assembled without the need for special tools.

AVAILABLE OPTIONS

In 304 Stainless (additional cost)
In 316 Stainless (additional cost)
Motorized shutter and rotation
Solar vent

For more information or to receive a quote —
email: Astrodomes [at] Astrodomes [dot] com