Sola Virtus Observatory

The Sola Virtus Observatory is a privately owned and operated Astronomical and Meteorological Observatory located on several acres of land in northwestern Harford County, Maryland. The rural area provides a peaceful setting away from more lightt polluted skies to record weather events and data and to view and image the heavens.

The Fiberglass Observatory is mounted to a deck platform which raises the elevation of the observatory 3 feet. Observatory features include a 16 inch 5000 psi high strength concrete pier. A custom made 1 1/4 inch aluminum pier plate mounts to 4 bolts on top of the pier with vibration dampening isolators underneath.

Power is supplied to the observatory by 120 volt 20 amp GFI service and 12 volt DC service. Electric is available right on the pier by way of 2 duplex boxes supplied by wiring chased inside the pier. A Furman PL- Pro DMC and Furman Plus II equipped with 2 intensity adjustable lamps working in tandem with 2 CyberPower UPS units, monitor and condition all power sources as well as providing a back up power supply until all systems are shutdown.

Lighting is provided by 2 marine grade ships's bulkhead lamps, one red, one white, adjusted by 2 Lutron dimmer switches controlled at the pier. Four 12v pod lights provide perimeter lighting, one mounted to the underside of each wall deck.

Data and communications is supplied by way of a 2 inch pvc conduit. Phone and DSL are in a separate 1 inch pvc conduit.

Atmospheric conditions inside and outside the observatory are monitored by a Davis Vantage Pro2 with Solar & UV sensor pack and a Wireless Envoy. Weather conditions such as precipitation, dewpoint, barometric pressure ,wind speed and direction as well as temperature and humidity inside and outside the observatory are logged and uploaded to a computer inside the observatory. © SVO Weather software along with Storm Predator and StormLab Weather Radar software, monitor approaching severe weather and issue alerts allowing ample time to shutdown the Observatory. A Mitsubishi AC/Dehumidifier controls interior humidity and temperature levels automatically. A Honeywell air filtration unit controls interior contaminates. A Nicro solar vent fan mounted in the top shutter position exhausts excess heat build up.

The main duties of the observatory will be locating DSO's and NEO's as well as general observing, astrophotography and meteorite data collection. 

I'm often asked as to the origins of the Observatory name. Well, it is actually part of the motto from the Coat of Arms of my Scottish Clan.