Sierra Debora Observatory is a private observatory located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada range in Northern California in the El Dorado county town of Shingle Springs. The observatory will consist of a 10 x 12 building with a (eventually) permanent pier that allows for near year-round use. The observatory will be heated (or cooled) to allow for taking astrophotographs and observations via remote control.
The reason for this is that the builder and owner of the observatory is partially handicapped and cannot stand for long periods of time due to lower vertebrae issues. Thus this facility provides the best possible solution to meet his needs and keep the observing comfortable.
Our approaches to doing astronomy will be centered around the handicapped astronomer and how to adapt observing to make the experience pleasant and workable. I plan to share my experiences on YouTube.
The site will be updated with on-scene photographs of our observatory as it is built and finally finished which will replace the default photos in use now on the site. Weather in the Sierra Foothills has been stormy and we’re well past normal rainfall for the area, so we are anxiously waiting for the dry season to begin.
Construction will begin in April 2019 and should be complete by June of 2019. A detailed photographic record will be presented here on the site once complete.