{"id":1564,"date":"2015-07-19T11:00:30","date_gmt":"2015-07-19T03:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bruneiastronomy.org\/web\/?page_id=1564"},"modified":"2026-01-04T12:12:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T04:12:32","slug":"observatory","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bruneiastronomy.org\/web\/observatory\/","title":{"rendered":"Mini Rolled-off Roof Astronomical Observatory in Keriam, Tutong"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Hazarry bin Haji Ali Ahmad<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Welcome to Mini Astronomical Observatory<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Note: This page was first written in year 2015, of which the observatory has undergone several renovations and facelifts. <\/em>Some photos and information on this page are outdated.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"A<\/a>
A Photon Collecting Device and the author (in 2015 – Phase 1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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I became interested in amateur astronomy since my early teenage years, and this year in 2015, I had built a longtime dream of a 1.5 x 2.5 meters observatory (still waiting for a proper name) in my backyard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, it is more of a cozy room just enough to fit 2 to 3 people plus a dozen of my telescopes, accessories and storage boxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The observatory has a unique designed with a roll-off retractable roof which can be manually moved out to provide an unobstructed view of the sky when open, and critical protection for equipment such as from the rain when closed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Mini-Observatory Visit \/ Access Request Form<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

It is a wonderful place to have a permanent setting for my scopes to save time-consuming setup, avoiding damages to equipment from lugging around and tedious alignment procedures of a telescope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The private owned observatory is fully functional and ready for astronomical observation when first completed on 1st Syawal 1436H corresponding to 18th July 2015. On that evening, observations began with imaging of the Lagoon Nebula (catalogued as Messier 8). <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Observatory<\/a>
Simple sketches of the observatory plan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Kids enjoying their first-time tour at the observatory (new construction). <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"The
The Lagoon Nebula (M8) is a giant interstellar cloud in the constellation Sagittarius. Image by Hazarry from his backyard observatory on July 18, 2015.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"A<\/a>
A customised roll-off roof of the observatory showing the wheel mechanism (Old Photo)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Location<\/h2>\n\n\n\n