The ITS Academy G. Caboto in Gaeta (LT, Italy) is a high technological institute created to meet the training needs of the entire economic sector that develops around the sea and logistics. Within this strongly technology-oriented context, the institute has decided to expand its offering toward a new horizon: the study of the sky. ITS Academy G. Caboto wants to develop a dedicated astronomy program, run by its own teachers, and for this reason it chose us to build a complete ASTRO-RES Observatory Station, customized to the institute’s needs and installed on the roof of the new campus currently being completed near the sea in Gaeta.

 

The work begins with the preparation of the base. A dedicated concrete base had already been prepared on the roof of the building, on which our team checks position and levels before proceeding. In the background, the construction crane and the sea of Gaeta.

 

 

The dome is lifted and moved onto the roof with the help of the crane. The structure of the ASTRO-RES Observatory Station is designed to be assembled and tested at our headquarters in Italy and then split into just a few parts for transport: this simplifies the installation and makes it safer, because most of the complex work has already been done and verified at the factory.

 

 

The dome sections are joined together directly on the base. The team works with precision to align and connect the parts, restoring the structure to its final configuration.

 

 

The dome is anchored to the concrete base with perimeter anchor bolts. Working point by point all along the perimeter, we ensure the stability of the structure even in strong wind conditions, which is particularly important in an exposed location such as a rooftop near the sea.

 

 

The segments that make up the upper part of the dome are installed. This is the stage in which the shell takes on its characteristic shape, completing the protective enclosure that will house the instrumentation.

 

Silicone sealant is applied along the joint between the base and the dome structure. This step ensures a perfect contact and proper insulation between the parts, protecting the internal instrumentation from infiltration and moisture.

 

 

Inside the dome, the pier that will support the mount is installed. The pier is fixed to its own base and carefully leveled: it is the element that guarantees stability and freedom from vibrations for the entire observing system.

 

 

The head of the equatorial mount is mounted on the pier. At this stage the mount is oriented with a good approximation toward the celestial North Pole, awaiting the precise polar alignment that will later be refined at night.

 

 

The main telescope, a Celestron EdgeHD 11 inch, is installed on the mount. It is the observatory’s flagship optical instrument, chosen for its performance and its versatility in astrophotography.

 

 

Alongside the main telescope, an apochromatic refractor is mounted in parallel, with the EAGLE control computer fixed on the top bar. The EAGLE is the management heart of the entire observatory: it powers and controls all the devices, enabling automated and remote operation of the system.

 

 

The optical train is completed with the guide telescope and the ECCO2 environmental module, which monitors ambient conditions. On the main telescope you can also recognize the ESATTO focuser (on both telescopes) and the ARCO rotator (on the refractor), which together ensure focusing and framing.

 

 

The imaging cameras are installed and connected: a cooled camera for long-exposure, wide-field imaging, a planetary camera and a guide camera. In this way the Observatory Station operators have several imaging systems available depending on the type of object they wish to capture.

 

 

A crucial step is cable management. All the connections between instruments, cameras, focuser, rotator, flat field generator, closure motor, dome and EAGLE computer are neatly arranged and secured: clean cabling is essential to avoid problems with the cables during the telescope’s movements.

 

 

The ASTRO-RES Observatory Station is now ready to be used. We are proud to have installed one of our Observatory Stations here in Italy, and even more so in such a highly innovative institute as the ITS Academy G. Caboto and in a location as beautiful as the city of Gaeta. A further confirmation of how our systems can become concrete tools for education and discovery.