The Cuno Hoffmeister Telescope (CHT)
The 40 cm Telescope is mounted in the western dome. Its properties are
- Mass: 53 kg
- Primary mirror: 40.6 cm = 16″
- Secondary mirror: 12.7 cm
- Focal length: f = 4 m
- Aperture ratio: f/10
- Resolution: 50 “/mm
The 40cm telescope was named after Cuno Hoffmeister, an assistant of the first director Ernst Hartwig.
The telescope features a Schmidt corrector plate to compensate for aberrations of the mirrors. The optical systems is a Meade Advanced Coma Free type, a special combination of mirrors and Schmidt plate patented by the manufacturer, Meade. The main mirror is protected against dust from above by the corrector plate. The telescope is mounted on an AstroPhysics 1200 mount.
Please cover the Schmidt plate immediately after observing and before closing the dome slit. Never try to remove any dust from the Schmidt plate. A dusty one is better than a scratched one.