think fast

Seeing stars (and other heavenly bodies).

Question 8.0 (3/8/2011):Schmidt telescope

Case Western Reserve University owns a wide-field Schmidt telescope used for astronomical research. This telescope, currently located at Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Ariz., was built in what year?

The answer was B: 1939.

The telescope was originally housed at the Warner and Swasey Observatory on Taylor Road in East Cleveland about 4 miles east of what was then the Case Institute of Technology. By the 1950s, lights from the city were impeding astronomical photography. A new observatory was constructed 30 miles east of the original site, and in 1957, the Schmidt telescope was moved to the new location, the Nassau Astronomical Station.

In 1978, with funds from a National Science Foundation grant to the university, arrangements were made for the relocation of the telescope to Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. The agreement provided half of the telescope time to the university and half to the national astronomical community. Construction of the building on Kitt Peak began in spring 1979, and the telescope was installed that June.

The telescope continues to evolve and serve as a powerful tool for the university's astronomical research. Learn more about changes to the telescope and its discoveries, including orphan stars and comets.

Question courtesy of Chris Mihos, PhD, professor of astronomy.


Week Eight Stats

How did you do? Stats: 117 people submitted answers for Question 8.0, 32 contestants selected the correct answer. Average time to correctly answer: 23.4 seconds. Fastest time? Four seconds. Check out last week's top 10 players and then visit the leaderboard totals for February.

Take a shot at the next question, will be posted on Tuesday, April 26, 2011. See other past questions and answers.