Palomar 48" Schmidt Camera
The 48” Oschin Schmidt Camera is located on the grounds of Mount Palomar Observatory. This instrument is only designed to take photos with no visual use possible. It was started in 1938 but was not completed until 1948 due to the interruption from World War 2. The 20 foot long tube and fork mounting weigh about 12 tons. The instrument has a 48 inch diameter corrector lens in front, and a 72 inches inch diameter mirror in the back. This combination provides a 120 inch (3 meter) focal length at f/2.5. This is the largest Schmidt Camera in the World and it’s used to map the sky and find objects for other telescopes to study. These photos were taken in 1992.
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