COMPACT optical Observatory Station with dome

Thanks to all the technologies developed by PrimaLuceLab for remote control and power of optical telescopes, COMPACT Observatory Station is most affordable remotely controlled astronomical observatory that can be used for for astrophotography and astronomy outreach. We are able to customize the telescopes and cameras according to your application and budget, contact us for a personalized quote.

COMPACT optical Observatory Station with dome - main features:

- Optical telescope with cooled camera with possibility to install a second telescope in parallel to provide a different FoV
- Alt-Az mount with automatic slewing and tracking of astronomical objects
- Pier for concrete base
- High load capacity ESATTO robotic focuser 
- ARCO rotator to provide automatic field de-rotation
- GIOTTO smart flat field generator to record calibration frames
- ALTO telescope cover motor to use GIOTTO as a remotely controlled motorized cap
- EAGLE control unit to remotely control and power all the devices
- 2 meter diameter motorized dome synchronised with telescope position
- PLAY software to control the entire Observatory Station and capture pictures

PLAY is the astrophotography software developed by PrimaLuceLab in order to record beautiful pictures of the night sky in the simpler way! PLAY includes many features needed for astrophotography and it allows you to configurate your telescope by selecting OTA and mount provided with ASCOM drivers (tested with ASCOM platform 6.5 and later), control focus with ESATTO or SESTO SENSO 2 and camera rotation with ARCO.

COMPACT optical Observatory Station - ScopeDome 2M dome:

COMPACT optical Observatory Station comes with ScopeDome 2M, the perfect dome for compact telescopes that offers a 2 meter diameter and 59cm wide shutter. This dome is very simple to install since it's delivered to you already assembled and, thanks to the H120 tower, the internal height reaches 260cm so it's comfortable even for tall people or for longer instruments. Great mechanical construction, the ScopeDome 2M with H120 tower offers many accessories to motorize dome rotation or shutter and remotely control it.

ScopeDome 2M with H120 tower: provided accessories

	ScopeDome rotation dome motor with encoder for 2M ScopeDome rotation dome motor for 2M allows remote rotation of the of the 2M dome. For operation, it requires the Arduino Card. It includes encoders for dome position reading.
	ScopeDome shutter motor for 2M ScopeDome shutter motor for 2M allows remote control of the opening or closing of the 2M dome shutter. For operation, it requires the Arduino Card.
	ScopeDome Arduino Card PlugAndPlay  This module is designed to control the astronomical observatory and it uses an open source communication protocol. You can control the ScopeDome Arduino Card via Ethernet or USB and it's powered by an external power supply. Two modules can be connected via BlueTooth in Master and Slave modes: the Master module controls the dome's rotation, the Slave module controls the dome's shutter. ScopeDome Arduino Card PlugAndPlay offers also emergency closing of the dome in case of power failure, rain, clouds, and low UPS battery voltage. ScopeDome Arduino Driver comes with an ASCOM driver compatible with ASCOM platform 6.4 to let you control ScopeDome also with the most popular astrophotography softwares.
	ScopeDome Cloud and Rain sensor The ScopeDome Cloud Sensor is a cloud and rain sensor based on sky temperature measurement, dedicated to work with the ScopeDome Arduino card. It allows for the automatic closing of the dome in case of rain or cloud cover. The built-in sensor heating system prevents false alarms caused by dew.

ScopeDome 2M dome with H120 tower: dimensions

diameter of the dome: 2000 mm
shutter width: 590 mm
dome height: 1400 mm
diameter of the base: 1940 mm
diameter of the outer base ring: 1940 mm
diameter of the inner base ring: 1820 mm
weight (with pallet): ~ 250 kg
height with H120 tower: 2615 mm

360 degrees internal view of the ScopeDome 2M dome with H120 tower, control electronics, shutter and dome motors.

Need help in observatory design and construction?

Thanks to our deep understanding of all the technical specifications and the functions needed for a complete observatory to be really operational, we offer a special service for people (both amateurs and institutions) that want a complete observatory for their hobby, didactic use or work. Thanks to the fact that PrimaLuceLab not only sell all the parts needed for a complete observatory but also design and develops new solutions, our technical team can design and personalize all the instruments (telescope, pier, observatory and control computer) needed to give you a complete system matching your requests. If you're interested, please contact us.