The network expansion continues. Earlier this week Faulkes Telescope North was joined by 2 smaller telescopes, installed inside the Haleakala observatory enclosure as can be seen in the images. You can just make out the 2 small black tubes next to FTN.
Mark Elphick (Haleakala LCOGT site manager) and Brian Haworth (IT leader) installed both 0.4m telescopes. It involved lifting over 600 lb of telescope 10 feet in the air, without crane or forklift, just brute strength.
They had substantial logistical support from our Santa Barbara headquarters. A great team effort!
This marks the beginning of the 0.4m part of the global network. Although these telescopes are to be used in most cases by education user or general public, the excellent atmospheric conditions at Haleakala and professional instrumenation will enable them to be used to make high quality observations that rival their larger cousins.
Now there will be the optical commissioning and then software commissioning before these telescopes can be used and integrated into the network. We hope that very soon we will be able to let the public start using them for their own projects.
If you would like to be involved or kept up to date with our network expansion plans, and be among the first to use them, sign up for our newsletter, either in the box on the front page or at the sign up page.
