In June 2014, Chris Ray and Fred Orthlieb began the arduous task of restoring the 20-inch refracting telescope at Wesleyan University’s Van Vleck Observatory in Middletown, Connecticut. The team retained the scope’s major components — including the classic 20-inch lens crafted by Alvan Clark & Sons, the optical tube assembly, and the pier — while updating the operating system to the 21st century. Now, in August 2015, the restoration is nearing completion and should be finalized in time for the observatory’s centennial in 2016.
Wesleyan University has recorded the process in a series of videos.
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