Hypatia Observatory

Meet Inge and Svend. They met while studying the magnificent night sky. They were both very excited about the upcoming approach of Halley’s Comet. This would be the first time the comet could be photographed! The two stargazers got married and build the Hypatia Observatory together, just in time for the Comet. This was everything they both had ever dreamt about. Now they could be together with their big interest.

They equipped the observatory with the largest telescope they could afford, because the most important part of having an observatory is to be able to see as much as possible of all of the fantastic secrets of the big dark sky of the night. The stairs leading up to the telescope in the dome took up some of the space in the building, but there were still plenty of room for the couple’s desk, books and archives. They even had a little fold-out bed for those long nights waiting for the clouds to disperse and reveal the lights coming from far, far away.

Inge and Svend named the observatory after Hypatia of Alexandria. She was a philosopher, mathematician and astronomer in Egypt, which was at the time a part of the Eastern Roman Empire.

 

I have seen some other observatories made in LEGO, but they all had the same problem: the dome was not round enough for my taste. So when I found the curved Technic Gear Rack I thought I could use that to make a better dome. Four of the curved technic pieces make a full circle, and this I what decides the size of the observatory. The roof of the dome is mostly constructed by using different curved slopes.  

The dome can turn around, 360°, by turning the handle on the side. If you turn the little gear under the two doors, they open the dome so the telescope can look out to the night sky. The angle of the telescope can also be changed.

The main structure of the building is an almost regular hexadecagon. Since it had to fit to the square symmetry of the LEGO-bricks, I had to change the angles just the slightest little bit. This is not really possible to see just by looking at it. A small entrance-room is attached to one side. The whole building opens down through this room and each of the sides separates, opening into the main room and revealing the office and small library on the inside.

 

The stars have always been the origin of many dreams and adventures, both the dreams about travelling to the moon and other planets, and part of the navigation when travelling on our own planet. People have been looking up to the stars for a familiar world, no matter where they were on Earth. With large telescopes we got closer to the stars. That is why an observatory is both a very solid building and a place of dreams and adventure. And I guess that is why I made the Hypatia Observatory.

The construction of the dome and the round(-ish) building and all the features are all things that makes it an interesting build. And the little details on the inside, with the lives of Inge and Svend, also give life to the building. This is not just a building – this is a place where two people lives out their lives and common interest.

I hope you like the Hypatia Observatory as much as I do, and that you will support it.