Astrophysics

The Solar Telescope

This instrument is meant for observing the sun, it was donated by Professor Luis Enrique Erro, its plaque reads:

“This instrument was acquired with a large part of the sum that President Lázaro Cárdenas gave me to cure my deafness. It must stay in Mexico as a reminder of this great Mexican.”

The telescope used to have a Ross J W Fecker Camera, commonly known as a “BM” camera that has a 3 inch diameter (7.62 centimeters). Its focal length is 21 inches (53.34 centimeters). With a 390 inch per millimeter scale.

The refractor has a screen that projects the sun’s image and allows a clear view of sunspots on the photosphere, which means “Light Ball” in Greek.

Due to the fact that the chromosphere shines very brightly, a Lyot Filter is used. All solar flares and solar prominences originate in the chromosphere.

In 1957, the BM camera was removed and a telescope refractor was adapted next to the existing one, also, it was fitted with a Lyot Filter.

The reason the Lyot Filter was added was because the “International Geophysics Year 1957” contributed with three daily routines of solar activity that were later sent to Dr. Kepenheuer of the Fraunhoffer Institute in Germany.