Wyalusing Observatory

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The Wyalausing Observatory is an establishment of the Starsplitters of Wyalusing located in Wyalusing State Park (42d. 58.873min. -91d. 06.570min.) The observatory consist of two primary telescopes: the 11 inch Schmidt Cassegrain "Hoeger" Telescope and 16 inch Schmidt Cassegrain "Grunwald" Telescope.

[edit] Grunwald Telescope

This 16 inch telescope is named after Dr. Ann Grunwald, and was built using the funds of the Henry Huser, the Grunwald family, and various community donations. First light was September 2006, and proved capable of viewing 19.5 magnitude in one minute. The telescope is permanently mounted in a 15-foot diameter dome, and can perform remote observing from the Lawarence L. Huser Astronomy Center. The purpose of the telescope is solely to capture astrophotogrphs with a large format CCD camera. All construction and alignment is to be completed by mid 2007.

[edit] Hoeger Telescope

This 11 inch telescope is named after Martha Hoeger, and was the first telescope to be established at the site. The telescopes primary use is for public and private programing; though many photos have been taken with this telescope. The telescope has been converted from the originally manual fork style mount to an electronic German Equatorial mount. The telescope is situated on a deck with a roll-off design enclosure. The deck features wrap around seating with a maximum capacity of thirty individuals. The two primary insturment are free-floating from the structures around them, and the piers extend well below the frost line.

[edit] Sources

Starsplitters of Wyalusing Minutes, and http://www.wyalusing.org/observat.htm