The United Kingdom telescope

THE

UNITED

KINGDOM

TELESCOPE

T. J. LEE Royal Observatory. Edinburgh

Scotland

ABSTRACT

The U.K. Science Research Council is setting up an infrared observatory for the benefit of all U.K. astronomers on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, at an altitude of 4200 m. Facilities include a 3.8 m telescope and common user instruments. Construction is being carried out in industry under contract to the Royal Observatory. Edinburgh, which specified the design and is also responsible for instrumentation and operation. Low cost of the telescope is achieved by a number of simplifications including an unusually thin Cervit mirror. With a well designed support system it is hoped to focus 95:/i of the radiation into a one arc second image. Optical configurations are f/9 Cassegrain, f/35 chopped Cassegrain, f/20 coude and f/2.5 prime. The telescope is scheduled to commence operation in Hawaii sometime in 1978. Instruments include TV acquisition, a computer, photometers, a polarimeter and a spectrometer. Future plans are being made for submillimetre and millimetre wavelength spectroscopy.

A NEW PROJECT

FOR

MILLIMETER-RADIOASTRONOMY

J. W. M. BAARS, P. ZIMMERMANX Max-Planck-Tnstitut f. Radioastronomie 53 Bonn. Auf dem Hiigel 69. Germany Now published in Kleirz/wubacher stadt, Germany).

Berichte

20, 59 (1977) (issued by Fernmeldetechnischen

485

Zentralamt-Darm-