Hanwell 30-inch Reflector

The Hanwell 30-inch Telescope (formerly the Millennium Telescope), is a Newtonian Reflector with a 30-inch diameter primary mirror which has been designed and built specifically for use in HCO’s public stargazing evenings. The telescope is one of the largest astronomical telescopes available for public use in the UK and, almost certainly, the largest in the country specifically designed as a dedicated-use public instrument.

The 30-inch Reflector at Stars & Snowdrops 2013

The 30-inch Reflector at Stars & Snowdrops 2013

This telescope is currently in the final stages of construction and, when complete and fully operational, will be the main facility with which the Observatory will then be able to run a full programme of free public star-gazing evenings. The instrument was designed from the beginning, by members of the Observatory project-group, specifically for the prime purpose of such public use - not as a general-purpose observatory telescope, with the public as an afterthought - and this has dictated many of its design features, in order to guarantee ease of access and maximal convenience of use by visitors, many of whom will have had no experience 'at the eyepiece'.

The 30-inch telescope at Stars & Snowdrops 2013.

The 30-inch Reflector at Stars & Snowdrops 2013. The public stargazings will use the fixed eyepiece on the lower deck so that people looking through the can stay in the same position as the telescope moves.

The telescope is an f/6 Newtonian reflector with a 30-inch primary mirror and a focal length of 180 inches. The light path is folded by two additional flat mirrors to send the image to a fixed, horizontal eyepiece at a convenient location for public use. The telescope can also be configured as a standard Newtonian telescope (with only one additional flat mirror) for use in University-level research.

The 30-inch Reflector at Stars & Snowdrops 2013 The 30-inch Reflector at Stars & Snowdrops 2013 The 30-inch Reflector at Stars & Snowdrops 2013

The 30-inch Reflector showing the public stargazing configuration (click on the images for larger versions)

In September 2009, the Millennium Telescope was formally opened by Prof. Alec Boksenberg, of the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge. This 'First Light' event was followed by a celebratory 'Stars and September Woodlands' open weekend.

The 30-inch primary mirror at the official opening of the telescope in 2009

The 30-inch primary mirror at the official opening of the telescope in 2009