The
Kirkwood Observatory solar telescope is an instructional
instrument consisting of a rooftop mounted heliostat that directs a beam
of sunlight into a dedicated room. In that room, the beam is divided
among several optical benches. The first produces a very large white
light image of the sun that is used to view sunspots and limb
darkening. Next is a spectrograph to examine the spectral colors and
absorption lines. Third, a hydrogen-alpha image of the sun is
displayed on a TV screen and live stream so that prominances, flares, and other active
regions can be studied. A spare optical bench can be used for special
experiments on the solar spectrum or image.
