|
Organization | Miami Valley Astronomical Society |
|---|
Location | |
|---|
Coordinates | |
|---|
Altitude | meters (feet) |
|---|
Webpage | {Link without Title} |
|---|
Telescopes |
|---|
Unnamed Telescope | 50cm Dall-Kirkham Cassegrainian Reflector |
|---|
|
is an
Astronomical Observatory owned by Boonshoft Museum of Discovery and operated by the Miami Valley Astronomical Society at Boonshoft Museum of Discovery. It is located at Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in
Dayton ,
Ohio .
The observatory is named after the
Apollo Program and was dedicated in 1969. Because of its location in the vicinity of a major Air Force research and development arm at
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB), the it has benefited from an infusion of top-notch technical talent. With funds raised by both the Museum and the Miami Valley Astronomical Society (MVAS), a design by
Richard Buchroeder was selected and built by members of the Society, many of whom worked in optics and engineering disciplines for the Air Force. Due to the selected design, the optical train was complex and turned out to be problematic to maintain. It was therefore later modified to a simpler
Dall-Kirkham Cassegrainian design.
The original building and the 50cm (20-inch) telescope located in the dome were designed under the advice and guidance of MVAS members. The original building contained an optical laboratory complete with a shock-isolated optical test bench. It also contained space on the first floor
where
Mirror Grinding and polishing was performed.
The remodeling of the Museum in 1991 resulted in the addition of a Digistar
Planetarium at the expense of the MVAS optical shop areas.
The second floor of the Apollo Observatory contains a large meeting room where monthly meetings and social gatherings are held. Adjacent to the meeting room is the MVAS library where members may check out most of the holdings for their use. The 50cm telescope is also located on the
second floor, just to the south of the meeting room.
The MVAS claims that the 50cm telescope is one of the largest telescopes available to the amateur astronomer in southwest
Ohio , although increased
Light Pollution combined with the thermal effects of the building limit its usefulness for serious amateur study.
#
1
#
2
