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11/28/04
Montage de la coupole de Jean-Luc Dighaye
La coupole type "coquillage" de Jean-Luc Dighaye a été installée dans son jardin le week-end dernier. Didier et THierry ont participé au montage. Bientot le gros télescope Dobson de Jean-Luc (AlbertII avec systeme GOTO) y sera installé.
POur plus de détails voir l'email de Jean-Luc ci-dessous (en anglais) :
A 12-ft (3.6m) clamshell dome for EurAstro West's 'Albert' telescope was manufactured by Astro Haven in British Columbia, and transported to Montréal, Antwerpen and eventually Nivezé, where a 4m x 4.5m, 6 cu. m concrete block had been prepared by my neighbour Patrick Joachim, Facility Manager. Unexpectedly, the parts of the dome were delivered without a container, and the lorry lacked any handling tools, thus the stuff was simply dropped on Patrick!
I inspected the shells with my father Jean before erecting the four base sections on the block. Suddenly, one section fell backwards and went skiing down the garden! With the help of Patrick and Didier Keus, Deputy Manager, we could assemble the base. Thierry Thysebaert, Science Manager, came just on time for the integration of the clams, giving the facility its distinctive biker's helmet look. We had to perform the final motor adjustments in a hurry before the onset of a storm, but everything went smoothly and we celebrated as snow and rain just reached us.
We soon learned that the dome was not completely water-tight unless secured with the manual locks - as a result, rain had leaked inside, forming a Lake Albert! So, we had a nickname, also a reminder of 'Laeken', where an even more famous Albert stays: LAC (Lieu Astronomique Convivial) Albert.
POur plus de détails voir l'email de Jean-Luc ci-dessous (en anglais) :
A 12-ft (3.6m) clamshell dome for EurAstro West's 'Albert' telescope was manufactured by Astro Haven in British Columbia, and transported to Montréal, Antwerpen and eventually Nivezé, where a 4m x 4.5m, 6 cu. m concrete block had been prepared by my neighbour Patrick Joachim, Facility Manager. Unexpectedly, the parts of the dome were delivered without a container, and the lorry lacked any handling tools, thus the stuff was simply dropped on Patrick!
I inspected the shells with my father Jean before erecting the four base sections on the block. Suddenly, one section fell backwards and went skiing down the garden! With the help of Patrick and Didier Keus, Deputy Manager, we could assemble the base. Thierry Thysebaert, Science Manager, came just on time for the integration of the clams, giving the facility its distinctive biker's helmet look. We had to perform the final motor adjustments in a hurry before the onset of a storm, but everything went smoothly and we celebrated as snow and rain just reached us.
We soon learned that the dome was not completely water-tight unless secured with the manual locks - as a result, rain had leaked inside, forming a Lake Albert! So, we had a nickname, also a reminder of 'Laeken', where an even more famous Albert stays: LAC (Lieu Astronomique Convivial) Albert.
