SFA Observatory

Organization	Stephen F. Austin State University
Observatory code	740
Location	Nacogdoches, Texas
Coordinates	31°45′36″N 94°39′40″W / 31.7599°N 94.6610°W
Altitude	148 meters (486 ft)
Established	1976
Website	SFA Observatory
Telescopes
41" Telescope
41" Telescope	1.04 m reflector
18" Telescope	0.46 m reflector
SFAVSA	radio array
41" Telescope	1.04 m reflector
18" Telescope	0.46 m reflector
SFAVSA	radio array
	Location of SFA Observatory
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The SFA Observatory (SFA) is an astronomical observatory located 17 km (11 miles) north of Nacogdoches, Texas (USA). The observatory is owned and operated by Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU), and opened in 1976. It is used for undergraduate instruction and for graduate-level research.

Telescopes

A 1.04 m (41 in) reflecting telescope built at SFAU based on the design of a telescope at Lick Observatory began operating in 1984. The primary mirror and three secondary mirrors were fabricated in the early 1960s for an unfinished telescope for the University of Texas–Pan American.^[1] It is used primarily for photoelectric photometry.
A 0.46 m (18 in) Ritchey–Chrétien reflector has been in operation at SFASU since 1976, but was originally located on Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands where it was used by NASA to study the Moon for the Apollo program.^[2] It is used primarily for photoelectric photometry.
The SFA Very Small Array (SFAVSA) is a radio telescope array with two 3.0 m (9.8 ft) dishes that was built as a thesis project.^[3] It is now used for instruction.

References

^ "41" Project". Stephen F. Austin State University Department of Physics and Astronomy. Archived from the original on 2012-01-12. Retrieved 2012-01-10.
^ "History of the 18" Telescope". Stephen F. Austin State University Department of Physics and Astronomy. Retrieved 2012-01-10.
^ Wagers, Andrew James (2005). "Hydrogen 21-centimeter emission interferometry": 23. Bibcode:2005MsT..........2W. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

External links

Department of Physics and Astronomy at Stephen F. Austin State University
SFA Observatory Clear Sky Chart Forecasts of observing conditions.

This article about a specific observatory, telescope or astronomical instrument in the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[41PROJ-1] "41" Project". Stephen F. Austin State University Department of Physics and Astronomy. Archived from the original on 2012-01-12. Retrieved 2012-01-10.

[18HIST-2] "History of the 18" Telescope". Stephen F. Austin State University Department of Physics and Astronomy. Retrieved 2012-01-10.

[2005WAG-3] Wagers, Andrew James (2005). "Hydrogen 21-centimeter emission interferometry": 23. Bibcode:2005MsT..........2W. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

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