| Telescope | MDM 2.4m |
| Date | 9/13/96 |
| Instrument | Templeton |
| Filter | V_schom |
| Exposure Time |
2.5 sec |
| Other | Focus Exposure |
Problem:The airbags supporting the primary mirror were deflated when this image was taken. The reason for the triangular shapes of the stars in this focus image was that the mirror is supported at 3 ``hard'' support points. This, of course, made it impossible to obtain a good focus. |
Fix:DO NOT MOVE THE TELESCOPE! The problem here was that the PC which ran the program responsible for the air pressure in the airbags was hung up. When it was rebooted, the airbags were re-inflated, and the problem was taken care of. A word of caution, however: moving the telescope with deflated airbags can actually cause damage to the telescope itself. |
Return to the "Unusual Appearance" Directory