Also available in German
from a press release of the IG Astronomie
The university telescope, which was generously lended to us by Gerrit Schmitz-Veltin on a long-term basis, is a refractor with an excellent optical system. The aperture of the objective, the most important physical parameter of an astronomical telescope, is 6-inch (150 mm); therefore, the telescope is quite powerful as an amateur instrument: The scope is able to gather 900 times more light than the average naked human eye, so that correspondingly fainter stars can be glimpsed (astronomers speak of 13th magnitude stars), and 30 times sharper, so that correspondingly closer double stars or features in extended objects (moon, planets, nebulae) can be perceived separated (down to one arc second separation).
The instrument is equipped with a 3.5-inch (90 mm) refractor of short length (f/6) as finder scope; this telesope alone would already be a good amateur instrument. In addition, there is a large collection of eyepieces, filters and other useful utilities; this collection was further extended by various adapters which were manufactured by the university's mechanical workshop.
The telescope is set up on a stable mount and a permanently mounted tripod. The mount is of equatorial, or parallactic type, which allows for a simple tracking of the stars against Earth's rotation; an electric motor drive is present. Thus an astronomical object stays in the field of view until the scope is directed to another one.
Because of the elctric drive and the adapters which were made by the university workshop, it is now possible to use the university telescope, besides for visual observing, also for astro photography.
[An image of the scope will be added later]