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With the generous support of The Emil Buehler Perpetual Trust, Bergen Community College has established a major college observatory in northern New Jersey. The centerpiece of the Observatory is a set of three 16″ Meade LX-200 fully automated telescopes. Two of the telescopes are permanently mounted in domes atop the college’s newly completed Technology Education Center. The third telescope is designed for accessibility and is mounted on a mobile tripod.
The telescopes are each equipped with state-of-the-art SBIG XT-8 CCD cameras which will enable the scopes to capture detailed digital imagery. Custom spectrometers have been built for each telescope by Dr. Joseph Sivo of Sivo Scientific Company. The telescopes are also outfitted with astronomical video cameras. A full set of accessories (eyepieces, filters and special-purpose lenses) rounds out the equipment list. The telescopes will eventually permit remote operation over the college’s network. Equipment still to be purchased includes three solar telescopes and computers for digital image processing, telescope control and general astronomical work. A classroom adjoining the two observatory domes will permit large-scale projection of images acquired from the telescopes.