The 14-inch Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain seen here was installed in May 2010. This dome was the site of the Miller Telescope, a 12-inch Alvan Clark reflector which was retired in 1972. The new telescope is on the original pier. In spite of a location in the midst of our bright urban heat island, this 14-inch diameter telescope provides quality visual images of the moon, planets, multiple stars, and bright nebulae. The rooftop location provides a clear horizon suitable for observing planets and the Moon at sunset or sunrise. It is reached by the west stairway of the building.

The panoramic image also shows the coelestat for the vertical solar telescope which feeds a live solar image into the astronomy laboratory classroom. Look for a structure on the north wing of the building, near the bottom at the center of the image.

Remotely operated facilities of Shared Skies offer students and authorized visitors an opportunity to observe faint objects under darker skies, and to do their own research.

kielkopf at louisville dot edu