New 24″ Telescope to Provide Better Research Opportunities for Astronomy Students, Faculty

On July 20, the Astronomy Department’s Van Vleck Observatory acquired a state-of-the-art 24-inch telescope that can view galactic objects remotely and autonomously.

“When fully operational, the system will be able to determine if the weather is favorable for observing, open the dome, take calibration observations from a queue, and close down in the morning, all on its own,” explained Roy Kilgard, associate professor of the practice in astronomy. “We’ll be able to conduct remote observations in real time, with a human operator at home or in their office, and make those images available to our students or researchers immediately.”

The new 24-inch PlaneWave CDK24 system replaces a 20-year-old 16-inch Meade LX200GPS Schmidt-Cassegrain in the rooftop dome of the observatory and will allow for student and faculty research and public observation nights. The department hopes to have the telescope fully operational by the start of the fall semester.

At 8 a.m., crews began the installation, which included using a crane to hoist a steel pier, mounting device, and the telescope through the slit in the dome. Photos of the installation are below: (Photos courtesy of Roy Kilgard and Patrick Bohan)