Astrophysics

Data from the Tonantzintla Schmidt Camera

The astronomical instrument’s effective opening is 77.3 cm long. It does not have a diaphragm, the full opening has always been used.

The mirror has a 2.33 meter focal distance.

The Schmidt Camera is an Astrophotographic instrument so it isn’t designed for the visualization of celestial objects, this is why it has two refractor telescopes that are confining, both telescopes are optically aligned to the Schmidt Camera.

One of the telescopes, the Searcher, is small in size (approximately one meter) and its function is to locate the object’s field, it has little magnification and has a simple reticle.

The other telescope known as the Guiding Glass, is three meters in size. Its function is essential and allows the use of a punctual celestial object, like a star, which is in the middle of the Guiding Telescope’s reticle. Its considerable magnification, around 320 X, allows it to keep the star centered in the illuminated reticle during the photographic plate’s exposition time. It also has an eyepiece and rack, specially designed for multiple exposition plates with up to three colors and spectra.