June 7, 2005

ObservatoryScope has been selected to build a custom heliostat plus a weatherproof enclosure for a college in Hawaii. This instrument is unique in that it is low cost, due to the use of off-the-shelf components wherever possible, and is designed for both daytime solar observations and for nighttime celestial observations within a declination range within 30 degrees of the celestial equator. The fork and base from a Meade LX-200, modified with stepper motors, serves as the tracking platform. Two 8" optical flats direct the light vertically through the roof to a 5" refractor. A Coronado SolarMax 90 package provides filtration for solar imaging in H-alpha. The instrument will be operated from inside the obsevation room via a computer system running Comsoft PC-TCS control software. This computer may be linked to another computer running TheSky planetarium software for easy point-and-click slewing to celestial targets. A preliminary design for this instrument is shown below.