University of Virginia Library

Officials To Dedicate 40-Inch Telescope

University officials will dedicate the
Astronomy Department's new 40-inch
reflector telescope tomorrow at 4 p.m.
at the Fan Mountain Observatory Station.

The new telescope is designed to
replace the 26-inch refractor presently
used by the Astronomy Department.

"We discovered that repairing the old
telescope, which is beginning to
deteriorate, would cost as much as
building a new one," department
chairman Laurence W. Fredrick said.

Maintains Position

"We decided that to maintain our
position in this specialized area we would
have to build a telescope with a new
design."

The instrument was constructed with
funds from the National Science
Foundation, the estate of the late
Leander James McCormick and the
University Alumni fund.

Dr. Fredrick said that the new
instrument would be used to continue the
observatory's work in "long-focus
astronomy."

This process, according to Dr.
Fredrick, "involves taking photographs
on a large scale to measure the distance of
stars from the sun."

Objects Clarified

He added that the new telescope will
be able to clarify objects twice as faint as
now seen with the present instrument.

Dr. James Baker of Harvard University
developed the design for the new scope.

The Department of Astronomy's
instrument shops have handled the basic

design of the automatic camera and the
entire electronic system to be used in
conjunction with the telescope.

The Fan Mountain Station, where the
new telescope is housed is located on a
215 acre tract 17 miles south of
Charlottesville.

The center has been in operation for
10 years, employing a 32-inch reflector
and a ten-inch astrograph.

President Shannon and Dr. Fredrick
will speak at the ceremony tomorrow.
The main address will be delivered by
U.S. Naval Observatory Scientific
Director Kaj Strand.

The observatory will be open to the
public Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 11
p.m.

Tours of the facility will be
conducted.