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Welcome to the dome of the Pomona College 40-inch (1-Meter)
reflecting telescope. This dome resides at Table Mountain Observatory,
a dark site operated by Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in the
mountains of the Angeles National Forest. This site is above
the city of Wrightwood, CA. |
| Stepping inside the front door and looking up, you are immediately
presented with the apparition of a great blue & black thing
hanging above your head with various gadgets and devices connected
to the bottom. This is the telescope itself. A custom-designed
reflecting telescope and fitted with automating and camera devices.
The small scope attached to the left of the main telescope is
the finder scope. |
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Were the mirror covers up, one could actually see the 40-inch
primary mirror from the mezzanine.
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Looking to your right, you will see the white arm that supports
the telescope off the ground and allows it freedom rotate
and track celestial objects. Against the far wall is a ladder
leading up to the mezzanine. From the mezzanine, one gets
a completely different view of the telescope as can be seen
below.
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Going back to the main floor by the entrance door and looking
directly across the doom under the telescope, one can see the
doorway leading to the control room. From this room, astronomers
can stay warm and listen to music while automatically controlling
the telescope that must be open to the cold air all night for
observing purposes. |
| The control room has two computers. One controls the telescope
and the other controls the cameras attached to the telescope.
These computers contain a multitude of programs such as Tardis,
which gives the exact time using the internet. |
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