Painter Hall Telescope at the University of Texas

March 9, 2007

Photos of the Painter Hall Telescope at the University of Texas.

The telescope is housed in a dome at the top of Painter Hall.

The OTA was made by the Warner and Swasey Company of Cleveland in the 1930s.
The refractor lens was made in the 1800s.

Pointing the telescope at an object is a manual process.

The clock drive on the telescope is driven by weights, the dome is rotated manually as well.

A view of the 9-inch telescope looking out at the Austin night sky.

The Painter Hall 9-inch telescope has a long history with the University. The lens in the telescope is actually older than the tube, mount and dome and was ground a little before the turn of the 20th century by the John A. Brashear company -- one of the finest lens makers of the time. The tube and mount were made by the Warner and Swasey Company of Cleveland and was placed in Painter Hall when the building was constructed in the early 1930s. Unlike most modern telescopes, no electricity is required to operate the clock drive on the telescope. Instead, the drive is wound up to raise a weight which will drop throughout the evening and turn the drive gears.

Source: University of Texas Website