Dale Ghent: A telescope older than all of us still doing outreach

Join us April 13th for a special presentation from Dale Ghent, Member of STELAR and NINA contributor and plugin author. This talk will explore the challenges of adapting the 108-year-old Hooker telescope at Mt. Wilson, California for speckle imaging, showcase engineering highlights and scientific results from these efforts, and discuss the exciting potential for the telescope’s future as a dual-purpose tool for both astronomy research and public outreach.

The 100″ (2.5m) Hooker telescope at Mt. Wilson, California has a long and storied history. Completed in 1917, it operated as a scientific instrument for over 70 years and is best known for Edwin Hubble’s groundbreaking discoveries that reshaped our understanding of the universe. Today, it continues to be the largest telescope accessible to the general public.

Recognizing the telescope’s ongoing potential for producing valuable scientific data, the Institute for Student Astronomical Research (InStAR), Boyce-Astro, and the Small/Scientific Telescope Engineering Learning and Astronomical Research (STELAR) organizations, in collaboration with the Mount Wilson Institute, have initiated a project to adapt it for speckle interferometry of double stars. This initiative aims to reinstate the Hooker Telescope for regular scientific observations, with undergraduate students leading the research and gaining hands-on experience while using a historic instrument.