SUNY Oneonta College Observatory

The SUNY Oneonta College Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Oneonta, New York. The observatory is home to the largest optical telescope in New York: a 1-meter (40 inch) Newtonian reflector. It is also believed to be the one of the largest telescopes open for public observing east of the Mississippi. The telescope was constructed by JMI Telescopes of Lakewood, Colorado.

SUNY Oneonta College Observatory
OrganizationState University of New York at Oneonta
LocationNew York
Coordinates42.497162°N 75.060235°W / 42.497162; -75.060235
Telescopes
Main telescope1m (40") Newtonian reflector
Secondary telescope 116" Schmidt-Cassegrain
Secondary telescope 214" Schmidt-Cassegrain
Location of SUNY Oneonta College Observatory

The JMI website quotes the cost of the telescope at $159,000.[1] The JMI design is more cost-effective than other telescopes because of its dobsonian mount and optical system. SUNY Oneonta acquired the telescope in 2006 for less than $150,000.[2] After construction of a new dedicated observatory building, the telescope had a "first light" ceremony on May 30, 2009.[2]

The observatory is located off the main campus of SUNY Oneonta at the Oneonta College Camp, and contains several instruments. There is a 16-inch Meade LX200 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (SCT) and a 14-inch Celestron CGE1400 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, each housed under separate domes and permanently mounted. Also available for observing are two 8-inch Celestron NexStar SCTs, a 10-inch Orion XT10 dobsonian, an 11-inch Celestron CGE1100, and JMI RB-66 reverse binoculars. For data acquisition, students can use a research-grade SBIG STL-1001E CCD imaging system, a high-resolution SBIG spectrograph, and a photoelectric photometer. The college hosts regular public viewing sessions, generally on designated dates once a month year-round.[2]

More information, including a calendar of the public observatory nights, can be found at http://www.oneonta.edu/observatory/.

References
  1. "JMI On-line Catalog 40" New Technology Telescope". JMI Telescopes. Retrieved 2009-05-31.
  2. Richardson, Denise (2009-05-27). "On the Bright Side: SUNY Oneonta to unveil state's largest optical telescope". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 2013-02-03. Retrieved 2009-05-31.
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