Isaac Newton Telescope

Isaac Newton Telescope
The INT dome by moonlight
Alternative namesIsaac Newton Telescope 2.5m Edit this at Wikidata
Part ofIsaac Newton Group of Telescopes
Roque de los Muchachos Observatory
Royal Observatory Edit this on Wikidata
Location(s)La Palma, Atlantic Ocean, international waters
Coordinates28°45′44″N 17°52′39″W / 28.7622°N 17.8775°W / 28.7622; -17.8775 Edit this at Wikidata
OrganizationIsaac Newton Group of Telescopes Edit this on Wikidata
Built1967–1984 (1967–1984) Edit this at Wikidata
Telescope styleCassegrain reflecting telescope
Newtonian telescope Edit this on Wikidata
Diameter2.54 m (8 ft 4 in) Edit this at Wikidata
Collecting area5 m2 (54 sq ft) Edit this at Wikidata
Focal length8.36 m (27 ft 5 in) Edit this at Wikidata
Mountingequatorial mount Edit this on Wikidata
Enclosurespherical dome Edit this on Wikidata
Websitewww.ing.iac.es/Astronomy/telescopes/int/index.html Edit this at Wikidata
Isaac Newton Telescope is located in Canary Islands
Isaac Newton Telescope
Location of Isaac Newton Telescope
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The Isaac Newton Telescope or INT is a 2.54 m (100 in) optical telescope run by the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes at Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on La Palma in the Canary Islands since 1984.

Originally the INT was situated at Herstmonceux Castle in Sussex, England, which was the site of the Royal Greenwich Observatory after it moved away from Greenwich due to light pollution. It was inaugurated in 1967 by Queen Elizabeth II.[1]

Herstmonceux suffered from poor weather, and the advent of mass air travel made it plausible for UK astronomers to run an overseas observatory. In 1979, the INT was shipped to La Palma, where it has remained ever since. It saw its second first light in 1984, with a video camera.[2][3] A major change was the mirror was now made of the new type Zerodur glass, as compared to the old mirror's Pyrex glass.[4]

Until 2024, the main instruments were the Wide Field Camera (WFC) and Intermediate Dispersion Spectrograph (IDS). WFC is a four CCD photographic prime-focus instrument with a relatively large 0.56×0.56 square degree field of view, which was commissioned in 1997. IDS is a medium-low resolution optical spectrograph (R 550-9375).[5] As of mid 2024 the INT is undergoing upgrades in preparation for the installation of HARPS3[6], after which it will be the main instrument.

The old site of the INT is now the Observatory Science Center at Herstmonceux, and it is known for its distinctive greened copper dome and various science and astronomy activities.[7]

  1. ^ Smith, F. Graham; Dudley, J. (1982). "The Isaac Newton Telescope". Journal for the History of Astronomy. 12 (1): 1–18. Bibcode:1982JHA....13....1S. doi:10.1177/002182868201300101. S2CID 116989341. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  2. ^ "Chronology of the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes".
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference light was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Porter, John Guy; Moore, Patrick (1984). Yearbook of Astronomy. W. W. Norton. ISBN 9780393301472.
  5. ^ "Gratings". www.ing.iac.es. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  6. ^ "ING Instrumentation Update 2024 - 2025". www.ing.iac.es. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  7. ^ Treadwell, Timothy (2017-03-29). Astronomy Adventures and Vacations: How to Get the Most Out of Astronomy in Your Leisure Time. Springer. ISBN 9783319500027.

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