Caribbean Home with Observatory
Comes Equipped for Star Gazing

What: Seven-bedroom, eight-bathroom compound in 15,000 square feet on 2.4 acres

Where: Providenciales, Turks and Caicos islands, British West Indies

Amenities: Guest cottages, caretaker's residence, dance studio, pool, home theater, gym, tennis court, grotto with waterfall, rotating observatory with retractable dome

Asking Price: $13 million

Opening Bid*: $10 million

Listing Agents: Lyle Schmidek and Andrew Harper, Grace Bay Realty, an affiliate of Christie's Great Estates, 649-941-4105

Due Diligence: Mark and Barbara Pankhurst bought this property for $3.2 million in 2000 and renovated it for their hobbies. Mr. Pankhurst, a retired software developer and astronomy buff, built the two-story observatory for his collection of telescopes; the 15-foot dome retracts and rotates, and the telescopes feed into computer equipment in the downstairs office. (The sale price includes the telescopes and other gear.) Ms. Pankhurst, a retired computer consultant, is a ballet teacher and dance enthusiast. She had a dance studio built above one of the guest cottages, and artists in events organized by the Turks and Caicos Friends of the Arts Foundation, which the Pankhursts helped found, often use those rooms. The property sits atop a 70-foot cliff, with stairs leading down to the beach. The main house features a master suite with a deck on the top floor, two guest bedrooms, game room, eight-seat movie theater and a kitchen with eight refrigerators. The Pankhursts say they're selling in order to travel.

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