This single integrated image, not much in actual data or quality, is the result of a nine month, roller-coaster adventure.

I started doing AP in the late winter/early spring of 2019. For the past four years I would set up my rigs in my backyard. As the years passed, after upgrading from an EdgeHD 8 and EQ-6R Pro GEM to a CEM70 and Askar 130PHQ, I realized that I needed to find other ways to get the job done. I just turned 60 and the wear and tear of lugging 100-200 pounds out to the back yard and back into my garage was making things progressively more painful. I tried to find a scope buggy but they were no longer being made and I was too lazy/picky to make my own.

Nine months ago I started to seriously investigate having an astroshed built. I bought plans, looked into chopping the roof off a shed, etc. When I tried to contract someone they didn't want to take on the job - they didn't have the time, workers, or the job was too small (e.g. not enough money for them to waste their time). One offer was over $9,800 US for a 6'X6' RoRo SkyShed on a wooden deck, obviously an overbid to scare me off. Others offered to try next summer (2024) at slightly lower prices.

Right when I was ready to give up a dear local Astronomy Club member offered to sell me their gently used, three year old 8' NexDome, loaded with extras, at a very affordable price. Now I had to find a way to get a pad built to have a place for the dome of my dreams.

A neighbor/friend who owned a construction company graciously offered to build a 12'x12' concrete pad using his machines, at a very affordable price, in a very reasonable timeframe. The problem was once the spot in my backyard was dug, and a 1000 pounds of concrete & rebar was put in for the pier, his concrete person couldn't complete the job and my neighbor was not capable of finishing the job. Once the machinery was out of the spot I realized the excavation in my yard was done in a way that meant it would be a "pool" if we got any snow/rain. They cut themselves from the job. I had to find another way to get a pad.

When all was at its bleakest I lucked into someone at my work who knew a concrete pro. After seeing my situation he put together a plan to "pull a Phoenix out of the ashes." I shared the plan with other concrete pros to verify the details. He surveyed the site, helped make the estimates for the supplies needed (i.e. concrete, rebar, wood, etc.) and helped draft a plan to fix my 12'x12' "pool", raise my below grade pier and lay a high quality concrete pad sufficient to hold the NexDome and my AP rig. The only stipulation, he was too busy to do the prep work - it was my responsibility to complete the pier concrete, rock base and forms - but he was willing to pour and finish the concrete at a cheap price because he felt bad about the previous results I was left with.

A VERY dear, life-long friend offered to help me do the prep work. He knew what needed to be done and was willing to help with all the manual labor as long as he didn't have to be responsible for the finishing of the concrete. Everything appeared to be falling in place.

A week later - blasted and sore to our cores from all the work - we finished the job. We raised the underwater pier footing to 12" height using 900 pounds of concrete on top of the 1,000 pounds of concrete and rebar that was initially poured; I installed about sixty feet of 2" electrical conduiting to hold the power and Cat6 network cabling; we built the forms for the base coarse, we delivered by dump trailer and shoveled, raked and compacted 9.5 yds (19,200 pounds!) of base coarse; and then we built and levelled forms for a 12'X12'X4" (2.25yd) concrete pad. The real concrete pro and his son-in-law finished off the job by professionally laying the concrete.

Once the pad was cured enough several other dear friends graciously helped move the NexDome to it's new home on our freshly poured 12'x12' pad with a 24"x24" isolated pier footing. Due to my error the son-in-law helped replace - damn my iPhone compass app - and reinstall an accurately located set of bolts to hold my new iOptron permanent pier.

Thanks to the generous help of many friends the "Grateful to God (G2G) Observatory" is now a reality. Without the gracious help of these angels G2G observatory would not have been possible. I am forever indebted to all who made this possible.

Clear Skies and God Bless!

Update (18Nov23) - Added an additional thirty-five Luminance subs to previous session. I ran out of clear skies while capturing R filter subs. Lord willing, a future upload will have the fully integrated LRGB version. Clear Skies and God Bless to all!