 Westmont
College of Santa Barbara, CA, has been planning a major
expansion and remodel of the Carroll Observatory for many
years.
The dedication of the original observatory was in 1957 and
housed a 16.5" reflector telescope which was made and
donated by George Carroll. The original telescope was equipped
for spectroscopic and position measurements and the facility
has been used primarily for night sky viewing through the
eyepiece; however, the drive mechanism and optical components
in the telescope made it inadequate for use in high-resolution
CCD camera imaging.
Westmont will retire its original telescope and replace it
with a 24 inch F/8 Ritchey-Chretien Cassegrain telescope manufactured
and installed by DFM Engineering, Inc.
"You can expect quality optics,
a superior telescope fork
mount and a state of the art telescope control
system (TCS) in all DFM telescopes," said Dr.
Frank Melsheimer, president of DFM Engineering.
 DFM
Engineering technicians offer expertise in observatory and
dome requirements as well as quality optics, telescope mounts,
and state of the art telescope control systems. Complete installation
and calibrating is also performed by the DFM experts.
The new DFM CCT-24" features more than twice the light-gathering
power of the old telescope and nearly twice the resolving
power. In the remodeled observatory, the new computer-controlled
telescope will have a much more stable mount to take extended
exposure imaging and photography. The telescope is currently
under construction and is expected to be installed later this
year.
"This telescope will be a magnet for astronomy enthusiasts
around Santa Barbara and the South Coast," says Dr. Michael
Sommermann, Professor of Physics. "It will become a focal
point for astronomical research by faculty and students in
areas such as the photometry of variable stars, minor planet
observations and much more. Westmont College serves as one
of the observing sites for the Santa Barbara Astronomical
Unit.
 Obtaining
the research-grade telescope meets one of Westmont's funding
priorities: improving the quality of science facilities and
equipment. The arrival of the new instrument contributes to
the evolution of the physics department into physics and astronomy
program.
"We are ready to take another step forward in science
education at Westmont," says President Stan D. Gaede.
"Not only will the telescope provide a valuable resource
for our general education curriculum, but it offers an opportunity
to transform our very fine Physics Department into a physics
and astronomy program."
Thanks to the $740,000 project, faculty and students will
conduct astronomical research and the observatory will be
open for monthly public viewing. The W.
M. Keck Foundation awarded Westmont a $300,000 grant for
the telescope last year. The James
L. Stamps Foundation also gave $90,000 for the project.
College officials have raised the remaining funds.
• CCT-24
Telescope
• Telescope
Control System (TCS)
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