Ruth Patrick Science Education Center Observatory

The Bechtel Telescope

 See pictures taken through our telescope.

Ruth Patrick Science Education Center Observatory	Bechtel Telescope

81° 46' 10.73198" W
33° 34' 29.14440" N

Equitorial Pier Angle = 33.59°

The Ruth Patrick Science Education Center Observatory is on the roof of the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center on the Campus of the University of South Carolina Aiken. The observatory houses the Bechtel Telescope. Bechtel Savannah River Inc. and the Bechtel Foundation donated $30,000 to purchase the telescope for the observatory. Because of this generosity, the telescope now bears the company's name.

 

The Bechtel Telescope is a 16 inch, Meade LX-200, Schmidt-Cassegrain, catadiaptric telescope. What does all of that mean?

The telescope's main mirror is 16 inches in diameter.

Meade is the name of the company that manufactured the telescope, although the telescope was purchased from Camera Corner in North Carolina. LX-200 represents the specific type of telescope the company manufactures. Meade also makes LX-200 scopes that are 8", 12" and 14" in diameter.

Schmidt-Cassegrain and catadioptric refer to how light is gathered. This type of scope uses mirrors and lenses to form the images. (See table below for telescope comparisons)

The observatory building was manufactured by Observadome in Jackson, Mississippi. It is five meters in diameter and has a rotating domed roof.

See pictures of the observatory installation and the telescope installation.

See pictures taken through our telescope.