At McDonald Observatory in western Texas, there is a very unique telescope. This telescope had it's original first light back in October of 2009, but on April 20th, 2011, the Wren-Marcario Acecssible Telescope (WMAT) have its first ADA accessible first light.
Modifications were done to the telescope to allow for a longer focus instead of just where the eyepiece should be. A periscope viewer was then installed in the eyepieces' place where it can rotate plus and minus 6” from the prescribed ADA eye height for someone in a wheel chair. This makes observing all over the sky possible without moving or straining to see through an eyepiece.
The second “first-light” of the WMAT was during the day, of a nearby radio tower that had burned down in recent fires in the area. More tests are still being done but so far everything looks great!
The WMAT is kept very busy at the incredibly popular McDonald Observatory star parties, and has been successfully used at every one (the only trouble being arguments breaking out in the crowds when people try to cut in line!).
For more information, see the articles about the dedication of the WMAT observatory and the original first light article.
