Jackson College Observatory

Designed.

Automated.

Customized.

Sea West designed and built a custom observatory for Jackson College.

 

About the observatory

Jackson College sought a layout and conceptual design for an observatory that will be used for astrophotography, research, and visual observing. To achieve this goal, Sea West collaborated closely with the Jackson College design team, ensuring a successful layout and design that would meet their needs.

  Dome

Dome
 18’-6″ Ash-Dome

Telescope

Telescope
PlaneWave CDK700

camera

Camera
Moravian C5-100, ZWO6200 MC Pro, and ZWO533MC Pro, and Shelyak eShel spectrograph

 

Astrophotography

Astrophotography

Research

Research

Visual Observing

Visual Observing

 

Wheelchair accessible

Wheelchair Accessible

Robotic Observatory

Robotic Observatory

Software Automation

Software Automation

Dome

Dome
18’-6″’ Ash-Dome

Telescope

Telescope
PlaneWave CDK700

camera

Camera
Moravian C5-100, ZWO6200 MC Pro, and ZWO533MC Pro, and Shelyak eShel spectrograph

Visual Observing

Visual Observing

Astrophotography

Astrophotography

Research

Research

Wheelchair accessible

Wheelchair Accessible

Robotic Observatory

Robotic Observatory

Software Automation

Software Automation

Project Scope

Jackson College needed a world-class observatory built for their astronomy department that would also serve as a public outreach center. Jackson College partnered with R.W. Mercer and Sea West to design and build the observatory, which is centered around a main dome with four additional concrete piers outside for smaller telescopes. With the goals of robotic operation of the main telescope, Sea West coupled the dome to an observatory management system, weather station, and an All-sky camera. With this technology, the observatory can be operated anywhere in the world with an internet connection and can also be scheduled to photograph objects all by itself. At the heart of the 18’-6″ Ash-Dome is a PlaneWave CDK700 observatory system, made in Michigan only 30 minutes away. The CDK700 system is equipped with an Optec instrument that has a wide field deep space Moravian Instruments C5-100 camera, planetary camera, live streaming color camera, and Shelyak eShel fiber-fed spectrograph.

solution

To deliver the best possible solutions, Greg Stafford with Observatory Automation Solutions enhanced the observatory’s automation capabilities. Moreover, PlaneWave Instruments played a crucial role by supplying the CDK700 telescope and offering their expertise in telescope installation. This collaborative effort ensured the observatory’s success and the fulfillment of Jackson College’s aspirations for a sophisticated and functional facility.

Thank you to our team of partners and vendors! 

Jackson College facilities management

R.W. Mercer

Greg Stafford of Observatory Automation Solutions

PlaneWave Instruments

Ash Manufacturing Co.