Astronomy on Tap Atlanta: The Tools of the Trade – From Screws to Solar Science

Speaker: GSU Astrophysicist Dr. Fallon Konow

Abstract: Telescopes of various sizes enable all other astronomical research; even theoretical work and modeling utilize observations to validate their results. I will speak about the process of building a (small) research-grade telescope (specifically for solar observations) — from designing the telescope’s specifications to match your science, optical alignment, sky testing, observational campaigns, and everything that can go wrong in the middle.