Each semester, Millikin hosts Public Observation Nights in the Requarth Observatory every Wednesday from 7:30-9:30 p.m. when there are clear skies and while the weather is warm (early September–early November in the fall and March to semester’s end in mid-May in the Spring).
We are committed to exploration, discovery, and examination, both of space and ourselves. The facilities and equipment used for astronomy allow just that. Students are given a vast number of possibilities through training in equipment and procedure, easy access to all equipment, classes designed to meet the needs of student's future plans, and independent studies.
Millikin's Astronomy program does not end there. We have one of the largest publicly accessible telescopes in the area. In the fall and spring of the year, we host public viewing sessions, where all members of the community are welcome to stop by to do some stargazing with the assistance of qualified personnel. We also extend our reach outside of Millikin. Millikin's six 8" telescopes are portable, allowing us to go to dark sites for high-detail.
The Requarth Observatory was built in 2000. There are three 300-pound support sections that hold the 20-foot telescope and each support had to be carried up six flights of stairs by hand. It was only after the telescope was installed that the freight elevator became operational.
Faculty and students are continually updating the observatory to meet their scientific needs and there are currently many plans to enhance the stargazing experience for faculty, students, and visitors.
In addition to the main telescope, the Leighty Tabor Science Building also features an observation deck on the fifth floor that surrounds the base of the dome. This observation deck provides the perfect platform to set up the smaller 8-foot telescopes that are commonly used in introductory astronomy classes. Even with a “small” telescope, it is still easy to observe the rings of Saturn.
| Model No. | PI500R, 20" |
|---|---|
| Clear Aperture | 508mm |
| Focal Ratio | F/8.1 |
| Focal Length | 4114mm |
| Primary & Secondary Mirror Substrate | Zero ExpansionAstrositall |
| Telescope Tube | Low Expansion Carbon Fiber |
| Secondary Amplification | 2.70X |
| Spacing (Approx.) | 40" |
| Mirror Coatings | AlSiO |
| Optical TubeDia. | 24" |
| Optical Tube Length | 56" |
| Optical Tube Weight | 130lbs. |
| Focuser | 2.7" |
| Finder Scope | 7X50 |
| Tube Rings | Standard |
| Primary Cooling Fan | Standard (Quantity 3) |
| Slewing Handle | Standard |
| ճܲ'ɳ. | Standard (Quantity 2) |
Meade LX 200 8"Schmidt-Cassegrain
| f | 6.3 | 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Focal Length | 1280mm | 2000mm |
| Aperture | 203mm | 203mm |
| Secondary | 88mm | 76mm |
| Obstruction | 43% | 37% |
| Type | SCT | SCT |
| Drive | Fully computer controlled; 64359 object library; automatic GO TO capability |
|---|---|
| Altaz | Yes |
| Polar | Yes with optional wedge |
| Eyepiece | 26mmPlossl |
| Finder | 8x50 |
| RS232 | Yes |
| Power | 18v DC (AC adapter included) |
| Weight | 41lbs | 41lbs |
|---|
| Tripod | Standard |
|---|
| CCD | Kodak KAF-0402ME + TI TC-237 |
|---|---|
| Pixel Array | 765 x 510 pixels, 6.9 x 4.6 mm |
| Total Pixels | 390,000 |
| Pixel Size | 9 x 9 microns |
| Full WellCapactiy(ABG) | ~50,000 e- |
| Full WellCapactiy(NABG) | ~100,000 e- |
| Dark Current | 1e-/pixel/sec at 0C |
| Antiblooming | KAF-0402ME isNABGonlyABGoptional (KAF-0402LE) |
| Shutter | Electromechanical |
| Exposure | 0.11 to 36000 seconds, 10ms resolution |
| Correlated Double Sampling | Yes |
| A/D Converter | 16 bits |
| A/D Gain | 2.6e-/ADU |
| Read Noise | 15e-RMS |
| Binning Modes | 1 x 1, 2 x 2, 3 x 3 |
| Pixel Digitization Rate | Up to 420,000 pixels per second |
| Full Frame Acquisition | ~35 seconds |
| Field of View | 12 x 8arcminuteson f/10 Meade LX 200 |
| Pixel Size | .9 x .9arcsecondson f/10 Meade LX 200 |
| Limiting Magnitude | Magnitude 14 in 1 second |
| (for 3arcsecFWHMstars) | Magnitude 18 in 1 minute |
| Cooling - standard | Single Stage Thermoelectric, Active Fan, Water Assist Ready -45 C from Ambient Typical |
| Temperature Regulation | +-0.1 C |
| Power | 5VDCat 1.5 amps, +-12VDCat 0.5 amp desktop power supply included |
| Computer Interface | Parallel |
| Computer Compatibility | Windows 98/2000/Me/NT/XP |
| Guiding | DualCCDSelf-Guiding |
| ImagingCCD | Kodak Enhanced KAF-1001E |
|---|---|
| Pixel Array | 1024 x 1024 pixels, 24.6 x 24.6 mm |
| Total Pixels | 1.0 million |
| Pixel Size | 24 x 24 microns |
| Full Well Capacity (NAGB) | 200,000 e- |
| DarkCurent | 9 e-/pixel/second at 0 degrees C |
| Antiblooming | NAGBonly |
| Shutter | Electromechanical |
| Exposure | 0.12 to 3600 seconds, 10 ms resolution |
| Correlated Double Sampling | Yes |
| A/D Converter | 16 bits |
| A/D Gain | 2.0e-/ADU |
| Read Noise | 14.8e-RMS |
| Binning Modes | 1 x 1, 2 x 2, 3 x 3 |
| Full Frame Download | 40.8 seconds |
| Cooling - standard | Two-Stage Thermoelectric, Water Assist, -40 C from Ambient Typical |
| Temperature Regulation | +-0.1 degrees C |
| Power | 10-18VDC, 12VDC nominal, Universal AC to 12VDC desktop supply |
| Computer Interface | Parallel |
| Computer Compatibility | WIndows98/NT/2000/Me/XP/Mac OS-X |
| Guiding | DualCCDSelf-Guiding Standard, |
SGS-SelfGuided Spectrograph
| Dispersion: | |
|---|---|
Two gratings available, on a carousel for rapidselction 150 lines per mm (4.3 Angstroms per pixel) 600 lines per mm (1.0 Angstroms per pixel) | |
| Slit Width | 100 microns wide Entrance Slit |
| Accptancecone angle: | F/6.3 by F/10 |
| Resolution: | |
| Narrow slit & 600 lines/mm | 2.4 Angstroms |
| Narrow slit & 150 lines/mm | 10 Angstroms |
| Wide slit & 600 lines/mm | 10 Angstroms |
| Wide slit & 150 lines/mm | 38 Angstroms |
| Relative Sensitivity to Diffuse Sources: | |
| Narrow slit & 600 lines/mm | 1.0 |
| Narrow slit & 150 lines/mm | 4.0 |
| Wide slit & 600 lines/mm | 4.0 |
| Wide slit & 150/mm | 16.0 |
| Dispersion: | 1.07 or 4.3 Angstroms per pixel |
| Resolution | Emission line is recorded with 2.4, 10 or 38 Angstroms Full Width at Half Maximum |
| Spectral coverage per frame | 91ӣƵ 750 Angstroms with the high resolution grating, or 32000 with the low resolution grating |
| Center Wavelength Selection | Calibrated Micrometer Adjustment |
| WavelenghtRange | 3800 to 7500 Angstroms |
| Sensitivity | Signal to noise ration of 10:1 for a 9th mag star, 20 minute exposure using anon-AGBST-7 and a 10 inch (25 cm)apertaurin high resolution mode. AnABGST-7 will reach magnitude 8. The low resolution mode will be 1.5 magnitudes more sensitive. |
| Entrance Slit | 18 micron (2.3arcsecondswide with 63 inch focal length telescope or 72 microns |
| Uses: | Stellar Classification Analysis of Nebular Lines Indentificationof spectroscopic binaries Measurement of Stellar proper motion to +/- 6km/sec accuracy Measurement of Emission Nebula Proper Motions Spectra of Laboratory and field sources |
| Professional Organizations | |
| Theofficalsite forAAPT | |
| Theofficalsite forAAS | |
| Theofficalsite forAPS | |
| Theofficalsite forSPS | |
| Physics and General Science | |
| The latest news in physics | |
| Science news that is only a click away | |
| A new photo each day with an explanation by a professional astronomer | |
| Locations and Facilities | |
| A systemof Radio Telescopes world-wide | |
| Software, Hardware, and Maps | |
| A free online site which provides detailed star charts up to 7th magnitude objects | |
| A free open source planetarium for your computer | |
| Astro-camera, computer software, and instructions on how to use both | |
| Software which is helpful both all levels of astronomers |