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20" Folded Newtonian for Ajai Sehgal,
Canada
Installation Completed!
ObservatoryScope successfully completed the
installation and testing of Ajai Sehgal's 20" Folded Newtonian during the early
morning hours of Sunday, September 21, 2003. Both our client and
ObservatoryScope are ecstatic with the telescope's performance.
The instrument's superb pointing accuracy was
confirmed by performing several test slews. An unguided 5 minute test shot of
the Horsehead Nebula in Orion was taken shortly before the beginning of morning
twilight. This test shot confirmed that no drive system periodic error or other
tracking errors occurred during the exposure and that the polar alignment is
quite accurate.
The atmospheric transparency in Osoyoos, British
Columbia is remarkable and is significantly better than conditions here in
North Georgia. We visually saw fainter stars, even with the last quarter Moon
in the sky, than we can see on the best moonless nights in Georgia! Atmospheric
seeing averaged about 1-1/2 to 2 arcseconds, which is a good match for Ajai's
CCD chip which yields 1.8 arcseconds per pixel with the 20". The 28 minute
field of view is sharp to the edge due to the superb coma correction and field
flattening provided by the Paracorr.
Ajai Sehgal's 20" Folded Newtonian ObservatoryScope, fully
installed in its new home and ready for automated operations on a nightly
basis. Note the fully enclosed rear mirror cell assembly which shields the
optical path around the primary from stray light. |
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East side view of instrument. |
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Center box assembly with focal plane access
doors. Note full baffling of the secondary. |
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West side view of instrument. |
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Power supplies are unobtrusively
located at the south end of the instrument's base. |
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A nice view of the completed telescope
installation. The dome is a Technical Innovations HomeDome which was assembled
and installed by Ajai Sehgal and Jack Newton. (Jack and Alice Newton's Bed and
Breakfast in Osoyoos, B.C. is just a few miles away from Ajai's new
residence.) |
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