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Richard B. Dunn Solar Telescope Diagram Cross Section In spite of its complexity, the telescope is quite a simple instrument, consisting basically of three mirrors, two windows and an evacuated optical path. Sunlight enters the tower through a 76-centimeter (30") window located 41 meters (136') above the ground. By placing the window so high up, we avoid distortion of the solar image from local air turbulence near the ground. There, a pair of movable 1.1-meter (44") mirrors direct the sunlight down the 1.2-meter (48") diameter tube that runs vertically down the center of the observing room floor, the sunlight is reflected from the concave 1.6-meter (64") main mirror of the telescope back up to the observing room, producing a 51-centimeter (20") diameter image of the sun for detailed studies. The three vertical 1.5 meter (5') diameter tubes clustered around the central tube extending upward through the ceiling contain spectrographs for analysis of sunlight. By slightly tilting the main mirror at the bottom of the central tube, the sun's image can be focused on any of the spectrographs, or at three additional viewing ports around the central tube. The telescope's entire optical system - from the top of the Tower to the base of its underground portion - plus the 12-meter (40') diameter observing room floor, is suspended near the top of the Tower by a mercury-float bearing. The bearing, in turn, is hung on three bolts, each only 76 millimeters (3") in diameter. The telescope is longer than a football field and weighs over 250 tons. April 2000 |
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