The 200" Hale Telescope

On Palomar Mountain

© Selden Ball, December, 2007. All rights reserved.

These Cel:// URLs cause Celestia to display views of the Hale Telescope model and views of some images created using the telescope itself.

Exterior views

• Sunset on Palomar (triplanet conjunction)
• Hale at Sunset
• Hale Telescope
• Palomar Observatory
  Vertical view from above
• Palomar Observatory
  View from the South.
• Large Format Camera's field of view tracking Tau Ceti
  Open the observatory doors to see the whole thing: type the command
  [Enter]Hale_Open_Door[Enter] or [Enter]hod[Enter]

  When looking at the highly magnified viewpoints below, type the command
  [Enter]hhlfcfov[Enter] to hide the Large Format Camera's field of view image, which blocks the center of the screen.

• 1999:
  • Neptune 1999: PALAO off (PALomar Adaptive Optics)
    Normal viewing provides a resolution of only about 1 arc second due to atmospheric disturbances.
  • Neptune 1999: PALAO on
    Adaptive optics can improve viewing to 0.1 arc second
    See also http://ao.jpl.nasa.gov/Palao/PalaoIndex.html

• 2006:
  • Hale Telescope observing Neptune
    You may need to hide the observatory's dome to see the telescope. Type
    [Enter]Hale_Hide_Dome[Enter] or [Enter]hhd[Enter]
  • pov
    This shows the Point of View used for Celestia's observations as a red dot. It's in the dark, so turn up Celestia's ambient light to see where it is relative to the prime focus cage.
  • At pov observing (tiny, distant) Neptune
    Either open the doors or increase magnification to the maximum
  • The field of view of the Large Format Camera
    24' in diameter (24' = 24 minutes of arc)
    You may need to hide the observatory's dome to see it.
    [Enter]Hale_Hide_Dome[Enter] or [Enter]hhd[Enter]

  • PHARO 40" & 25" fields of view (25" = 25 seconds of arc)
    (Palomar High Angular Resolution Observer)
    See also http://astrosun2.astro.cornell.edu/research/projects/PHARO//pharo.html

    The viewpoints below show Neptune using imagescreated using PHARO. False colors are used to show the J, H and K infrared wavelength bands. See also http://www.astro.cornell.edu/~banfield/work/nepmovie/anim2.html and http://www.astro.cornell.edu/~banfield/work/urnmovie/anim2.html

  • Neptune 2006: AO on
  • Uranus 2006
    • AO FoV
    • 25" Fov & orbits
    • Closeup

Looking in from outside

These are viewpoints looking from outside the dome. To see the indicated feature, you'll also have to type a command or two to eliminate the obstructing dome and fixtures.

• To see inside, hide the dome. Type the command [Enter]Hale_Hide_Dome[Enter] or [Enter]hhd[Enter]
• The internal structure of the dome may still interfere. To hide it, type [Enter]Hale_Hide_Dome_Internal[Enter] or [Enter]hhdi[Enter]
• [Enter]hrd[Enter] and [Enter]hrdi[Enter] reveal them again.
• or select the appropriate command script in the directory \hale_commands\

• Overhead cranes' hook
• Crane cables
  These commands move the hook and its cables:
  • [Enter]Hale_Up_Hook[Enter] or [Enter]huh[Enter]
  • [Enter]Hale_Down_Hook[Enter] or [Enter]hdh[Enter]
  • [Enter]Hale_Stop_Hook[Enter] or [Enter]hsh[Enter]

• windscreen height
  The Windscreen moves when different targets are selected.

• elevator from above
  These commands move the elevator up and down:
  • [Enter]Hale_Up_Elevator[Enter] or [Enter]hue[Enter]
  • [Enter]Hale_Down_Elevator[Enter] or [Enter]hde[Enter]
  • [Enter]Hale_Stop_Elevator[Enter] or [Enter]hse[Enter]

• view light paths
  There are 5 paths along which light can travel through the telescope.
  See also http://www.astro.caltech.edu/palomar/animations/lightpath.html
  Type these commands to visualize them:
  • [Enter]Hale_Hide_Light[Enter] or [Enter]hhl[Enter]
  • [Enter]Hale_Reveal_Light1[Enter] or [Enter]hrl1[Enter] (Prime focus)
  • [Enter]Hale_Reveal_Light2[Enter] or [Enter]hrl2[Enter] (Cassegrain focus)
  • [Enter]Hale_Reveal_Light3[Enter] or [Enter]hrl3[Enter] (Cassegrain-Coudé focus)
  • [Enter]Hale_Reveal_Light4[Enter] or [Enter]hrl4[Enter] (Coudé focus)
  • [Enter]Hale_Reveal_Light5[Enter] or [Enter]hrl5[Enter] (bridged Coudé focus)

  Laser guide-star for PALAO
  See http://www.astro.caltech.edu/palomar/AO/

• laser light
  These commands turn the laser on and off
  • [Enter]Hale_Reveal_Laser_Beam[Enter] or [Enter]hrlb[Enter]
  • [Enter]Hale_Hide_Laser_Beam[Enter] or [Enter]hhlb[Enter]
• View laser trolley
  Selecting different targets causes the trolley and laser beams to move
• View laser trolley side

• watch movements
  Type any of the following commands:
  • [Enter]hlm[Enter] to lower the Coudé flat mirror
  • [Enter]hrc[Enter] to raise the Coudé flat mirror's crane
  • [Enter]hlc[Enter] to lower the Coudé flat mirror's crane
  • [Enter]hrm[Enter] to raise the Coudé flat mirror

• View dome base
  Type any of the following commands:
  • [Enter]hhd[Enter] to hide the dome
  • [Enter]hrd[Enter] to reveal the dome
  • [Enter]hhy[Enter] to hide the yoke
  • [Enter]hry[Enter] to reveal the yoke
    etc.

Inside the dome

You should be able to use your mouse to wander around and look at the models more closely. See also http://www.astro.caltech.edu/palomar/images/cutaway.jpg (500KB)

• mirror cover
  Type any of the following commands:
  • [Enter]hoc[Enter] to open the mirror's cover
  • [Enter]hcc[Enter] to close the mirror's cover
  • [Enter]hhy[Enter] to hide the yoke
  • [Enter]hry[Enter] to reveal the yoke
    etc.

• interior

  This viewpoint is inside the dome, too. The tank for aluminizing the primary mirror is to the left and the telescope's cassegrain cage is to the right, enclosing PHARO and the optical bench for PALAO.