A 3 meter class dome was installed at the ESAC premises in Madrid for the CESAR solar observatory. The dome sits on a 3m octagonal concrete foundation. A cylindrical pillar is placed in the center for the telescope mounting. The central pillar sticks up from an independent concrete foundation with the shape of a foot, such that the dome vibrations are decoupled from the solar telescope imaging devices. Damping material is placed between both concrete structures. 

Solar dome installation. CESAR

The dome location was selected such that it has full sun visibility all year long, from dawn to dusk. It is built on the highest point at ESAC, with a 4-5m altitude gap to the surrounding natural park to the South. This ensures the best seeing quality at ESAC, in terms of thermal disturbance.

A soiled tubing infrastructure was also built to allow power and network connection. A weather station is connected from an external 2m pole to the north of the observatory. It consists of an anemometer and three detectors (clouds, light and rain), that will ensure safety observations.

The next step is the installation of the two piggy-backed telescopes and the control systems for remote operation.