Before roof construction, we took refreshments prepared by Mrs. Takahashi. From left to right, Mr. Yokoyama, Mr. Murakami, Mr. and Mrs. Takahashi, and Mr. Taso, Mr. Matoba. At the back is the 2.7×3.6m prefabricated hut and the rest room. It was a very beautiful sunny day.
Wall sidings (front left), and roof boards (front right). 
Painting anti-corrosive on the roof rails.
We temporarily put wooden boards to make the roof construction easier.
Look at the gap at the corner. We prepared six equal-length wall frames, which didn't make up the rectangle of two squares put together. What a blunder! Mr. Yokoyama made it up, by putting a post of square lumber at the corner the next day.
All the wall frames have been installed. 
After taking some refreshments (see the bigger picture above), we started assembling the slide-roofs.
Roof frames are being assembled with bolts and nuts.
Wall frames have been constructed. 
Toward the evening, we put roof boards in a hurry.
We barely managed to complete the two roofs to prevent it from a shower.

　

The rails are not yet fully fixed.
On the second day (November 4, another national holiday), the half-finished observatory is shining in the morning light.

Mr. Kanao began plaster work to put the rails horizontal.
Mr. Yokoyama is cutting wall sidings. Electricity is supplied by a portable engine generator.

　
We hurried up our work, because a newspaper reporter was coming to interview us. The reported article is shown at the top of the first page.
The news reporter took the pictures of the observatory when we just finished the front walls, with our hand-made 14-inch Dobsonian telescope in it (front right).
Mr. Kanao is levelling the rails.
The rails are almost finished.

　
The last wall siding is being nailed down.
We worked in the car light far into the night to finish the construction.


Further work to complete the observatory.
On November 17 (Sunday), the main telescope Takahashi MT-250 Newtonian was put in the newly built observatory and received the first light. Mr. Kanao, Mr. Matoba and Mr. Kodama worked together.

On November 24 (Sunday), Mr. Yokoyama put inner wall boards and the floor boards just under the equatorial mount with holes for the foundations.

On December 29 (Sunday), Mr. Yokoyama and Mr. Kodama put the rail covers to prevent the snow, installed turnbuckle fasteners to prevent the roofs from being blown off. They also adjusted the equatorial mount foundations and the polar axis of the equatorial mount.

On December 30 (Year end holiday), Mr. Ogawa and Mr. Kodama took the first pictures with the telescope in the observatory.

The fully completed observatory with the roofs closed.

With the roofs open.

From the north-west.

From the south-west.

A view of snow-covered Mt. Daisen (80km away, facing the Japan Sea), taken with a 300mm lens from a spot near the observatory.

You can see Canopes just the two telescopes. This picture was taken with a 15mm fisheye lens.

A view of the illuminated Seto Great Bridges (60km away), which span the Seto Inland Sea. The bridges are illuminated during the holidays in May, 'Obon' festival in August and New Year's holidays. This picture was taken with a 200mm lens from the observatory.

 　

Next Page is here