Equipment at Sherzer Observatory

10-inch apo refractor
10-inch apochromatic refractor telescope
with 4-inch apo guide scope under the 6-meter dome
( enlarged view of above image )
( Tom Kasper's fish-eye view )
Students and staff  have access to a 10-inch f/14 apochromatic refractor telescope with 4-inch apochromatic refractor guide scope, SSP-5 PMT photometer, ST-8 and ST-237 CCD imagers, Canon 20Da DSLR, .7Å Daystar H-alpha solar filter, Coronado H-alpha and CaK solar scopes, 10-inch and 5-inch aluminized glass solar filters, spectroscopic eyepiece, sensitive Stellacam II CCD video camera system, color darkroom, 4-inch achromatic refractor, 12.5-inch, 8-inch Newtonians, three 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrains (two Celestron Nexstar 8's and one Meade LX-200), two 10-inch and eight 8-inch Dobsonians (4 with computer guiding), 5.5" Schmidt camera, historically-registered 4-inch Alvan Clark refractor and sidereal clock, Goto EX-3 and Sega Homestar classroom planetarium projectors, PC LAN with Internet access.  Classes in the astronomy lab utilize a variety software packages including Siennasoft's Starry Night Pro desktop planetarium program.  The observatory computers use Software Bisque's The Sky and CCDSoft packages, Berry's AIP4Win, and other image processing software.

A "Fastar" Celestron 14-inch (C14 SCT) Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube assembly on a CI-700 GEM serves as our largest aperture instrument.  It is regularly used in the field at KEEC (Fish Lake), the Great Lakes Star Gaze events, Kensington Metro Park events, and at other dark sky sites. A  Model 7.5 Boyd Observatory dome serves as the permanent home for one computer-controlled Celestron Nexstar 8 and is currently undergoing upgrading and  installation.  Sherzer Observatory has a fine dual selection of effective primary instruments:  the resolution and magnifying power of the 10-inch apochromatic refractor for excellent lunar, planetary, and Hydrogen-alpha solar views, and the ease-of-use "go-to" and "Faststar" low f/ratio capabilities of the Nexstar for CCD/digital imaging and student projects. The student Astronomy Club's 1.42 GHz (21cm Hydrogen line) radio telescope operates from 404 Sherzer as well.

The department additionally maintains a 12.5-inch and two 10-inch Newtonians, plus another 8" SCT at EMU's KEEC (Fish Lake) near Lapeer, Michigan. 


The C14 at Fish Lake (KEEC)


Our Dobsonian telescope "fleet" - some 8's, three 10's, and a 12.5


Classroom planetarium in the Astronomy Lab

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