A domeshape is definitely the most desired kind of astronomical observatory. Unfortunately, a sphere is not the easiest shape to construct from scratch! Amateur astronomers often sigh "If only I had the dome, I would take care of the rest myself!" Well, the initial product we will be offering is exactly that: just a dome which can be altered and customized according to your personal preferences.

The hard part of constructing a dome are the spherical shapes, the left and right part of the dome as displayed in the picture. It's these parts which we manufacture. The guiders for the shutter are integrated, as well as a base ring which ensures a rigid construction and a base on which the dome can rotate later.
The shutter door slides up and down the guiders. Big advantage is that the door has no spherical shape, but is simply cilindrical. The door has a width of around 100 cm.

The first serie of domes that will be made is a relatively small one with a diameter of 3 metres. Not only it is relatively easy to construct, it´s also the size which is populair among amateur astronomers in The Netherlands, because it´s able to house relatively large astronomical instruments. Also it´s easy to integrate a 3 metre dome in the often small backyard!

We estimate the price of a set of the spherical units to be around 2900 euro. However, the final price will depend on the number of domes we'll be ordering at the manufacturer. As soon as new data is available, we'll publish it here.

The dome units will have a smooth finish and a ultraviolet proof coating. A shutter will also be available. The shutter is a relatively simple to manufacture part, but it's important to maintain the same color and look as the rest of the dome. Again, more details to follow later!

Right now we're investigating the exact way to produce the domes in small series. However, the larger the serie, the cheaper the dome can be manufactured. Therefore, we're searching for amateur astronomers who have an interest in purchasing one of the domes. Initially it's not more than that: just a list of seriously interested potential buyers, no commitment to buying or anything.

So if you are interested in the dome, just send an e-mail and we'll keep you informed. If you have the intention of actually buying one, please mention this in the e-mail. This way, we'll get an insight in the number of domes we should order.

Again: no obligation to buy anything. Needless to say: your e-mail address will not be given/sold to third parties.

As soon as we´re actually placing the order we´ll contact everyone on the list again and ask who wants to proceed to actually ordering a dome.