The Observatory Dome
I purchased this unassembled 12-1/2' galvalume observatory dome on AstroMart in January of 2012. I was told by the seller that this is one of only two made by Lancaster Domes in Lancaster, PA back in the 1990's, and is apparently the only one surviving. This dome was said to be the prototype for a dome built for one of their big customers who was an amateur astronomer. That dome, as the story went, was later dismantled. Lancaster Domes is no longer in business in 2024.
This prototype is a modified silo dome and appears to be closely modeled on an Ash Dome. It came with a set of uncut dome panels so if it was previously assembled as a prototype then the original panels were replaced with new ones when it was sold. I also received a generic Lancaster silo dome manual which explains panel assembly, but contains no information on how the custom base ring, aperture shutters and shutter tracks go together.
I did find some Ash Dome documents online with details on assembly, which helped me decipher the base ring and roller assembly, but unfortunately my dome is not an exacting copy, some liberties in the design seem to have been taken here and there. This dome has a two-piece rolling shutter as well as a drop-down shutter section to figure out. Perhaps it's copied from an older Ash dome than the one I have the manual for, I can't be sure since Ash never replied to any of my phone calls or emails. I guess you have to be throwing big bucks their way to get them to talk to you.
This prototype is a modified silo dome and appears to be closely modeled on an Ash Dome. It came with a set of uncut dome panels so if it was previously assembled as a prototype then the original panels were replaced with new ones when it was sold. I also received a generic Lancaster silo dome manual which explains panel assembly, but contains no information on how the custom base ring, aperture shutters and shutter tracks go together.
I did find some Ash Dome documents online with details on assembly, which helped me decipher the base ring and roller assembly, but unfortunately my dome is not an exacting copy, some liberties in the design seem to have been taken here and there. This dome has a two-piece rolling shutter as well as a drop-down shutter section to figure out. Perhaps it's copied from an older Ash dome than the one I have the manual for, I can't be sure since Ash never replied to any of my phone calls or emails. I guess you have to be throwing big bucks their way to get them to talk to you.
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In this photo are the dome panels and base ring sections. There are six sections to the ring. The diameter is marked as 12-1/2', and I assembled the base to confirm this. The panels are galvalume while the base ring and track sections are galvanized.
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These are all parts of the shutter tracks. I didn't know it at the time, and was told by the seller it was complete, but some track parts are missing.
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The larger main rolling shutter section sitting behind the dome panels.
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Lower aperture fold out door.
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These two sections of the shutter aperture tracks were already damaged when I purchased the dome. Hopefully this won't be too hard to correct.
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Page created 11/27/2017
Last update 12/22/2024
Last update 12/22/2024
