From old walls to open sky.
This is the original twenty-page build story of Pinnacle Hill Observatory: a meandering journey through demolition, framing, power, paint, first light and all the stubborn practical steps between.
Clear the ground
The project began with a tired farm outbuilding in the Bombay countryside. The interior was stripped, the footprint cleared and a new timber frame raised to define a control room below and telescope floor above.
Make the building work
Concrete, lifting equipment and the observatory dome made the scale of the job real. A long trench carried electricity and data across the paddock, while the roof, walls, stair opening, fireplace and working areas came together around the new frame.
Open the sky
Once the dome, telescope, workstation and imaging equipment moved in, the building became an instrument. The first targets included galaxies, nebulae, planets, the Moon and southern landmarks such as Eta Carinae and the Tarantula Nebula. Continue to the image archive or return to the observatory overview.