At Observatory Park on Turner Farm in cooperation with the Fairfax County Park Authority, the Analemma Society provides the RATO for public outreach programs in astronomy.
The RATO is a tall cinder block building, approximately 26 feet high, exists on the site with a 16 foot diameter electrically driven Ash Dome. The building is separated from the telescope support, providing vibration free observing.
Underneath the dome is a Mead 16", f/4.5 Newtonian reflecting telescope (Model DS-16) with an Equatorial Mount on a 6-inch diameter pier. The telescope is equiped with:
- a powered worm gear drive Model #897 Electric Motor System
- Mead Model 36 Single/Dual Axis Controller
- Diagonal Prism #918 1-1/4" O.D. and a 2" O.D. Diagonal Prism
- 2-inch rack-and-pinion focuser #67
- Tele Vue 40mm Wide Field Lens
- 2" Tele Vue 12mm Nagler, TYpe 2 lens and an assortment of 1-1/4" lenses and plarizer
- Off axis Mead AA 12mm Illuminated Reticle Guider
- Telrad finder
- 8 x 50mm viewfinder
- 2" Lumicon Barlow Lens
- 2" Lumicon coma corfrector
- Lumicon Hypersensitization Kit Model 300
- SBIG Model ST-6 CCD Imaging Camera
The telescope is controlled using AstroPhysics software.
Also available is an auxiliary 8" Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescop (Model # 2080) with quartz LX Drive. For portability, it is mounted on an Equatorial Wedge/Field Tripod System. There is a Dew Cap and 8" Solar Filter.