Hampshire Astronomical Group

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16" Dome

A16 inch telescope was first installed on the site in 1993 in a wooden framed structure topped with a fibreglass dome.

After thirty years sterling service it was decided to replace the telescope and dome with more modern designs that would require less maintenance.

Firstly a new brick substructure was built almost entirely by our late President, Graham Bryant.

This was topped with a motorised Pulsar Dome.

 

We chose to replace the old mount with a Paramount Taurus 400 fork mount to support the telescope that we had selected, an Orion Optics 16 inch AG16 Astrograph.  The AG16 is a fast telescope with a focal length of 1520mm and an aperture of f3.8.

The addition of a computer and two screens allows the mount, telescope and dome to be controlled from a control desk in the dome, or remotely from the warmth of the support building.

The 'fast' optical system makes this telescope ideal for viewing objects outside of our solar system. It gives superb wide angle views of the night sky, ideal for viewing open clusters, globular clusters and comets. Despite this, the telescope can still be pressed into action with observations of the moon and planets with good results.

We acknowledge East Hampshire District Council for their support of this project through their Supporting Communities Fund 2022 in granting a third of the costs.