A Trip To Tucson.

I had some business to attend to in Pheonix this weekend, but afterwards I moved on to Tucson for a visit.

2014-02-14 16.47.40-4

Luckily, I was able to stop by and see one of my favorite telescope manufacturers.  Once we entered we were asked if we wanted a tour!  Dreams do come true!

2014-02-14 16.48.34-3

Here is the grinding machines for the large telescopes.

2014-02-14 16.49.12-1

The mirror coating machine that they recently purchased.

2014-02-14 16.50.25-2

The main grinding room.

2014-02-14 16.51.57-2

Blanks waiting to be transformed.

2014-02-14 16.50.37-1

35mm and 60mm grinding machines waiting for blanks.

2014-02-14 16.52.06-3

The blanks attached to base ready to be ground to perfection.

2014-02-14 16.51.00-4

An early stage etalon ready to move on down the line.

2014-02-14 16.51.19-2

The etalon is sandwiched between two blanks with tiny, tiny, tiny spacers less than .000005mm!

2014-02-14 16.54.25-1

Ye Olde Optics Shop!  Yeah!

2014-02-14 16.55.23-2

All the parts starting to come together.

2014-02-14 16.55.31-1

Parts waiting to ship.

2014-02-14 16.55.48-2

Completed 60mm solar scope waiting for pickup by their new owners.

2014-02-14 16.55.56-1

A lone 100mm scope amid the 60mm scopes ready and waiting.

2014-02-14 16.59.54-3

A microscope to place the spacers.

2014-02-14 17.00.01

The spacers are made from pieces of a larger piece.  Literally, they just break off little pieces of the blank and place them to create the air gap necessary for the solar scope to work correctly.

2014-02-14 17.00.35

Handing over an etalon!

2014-02-14 17.00.41-1

Checking for perfection using a standard light emitter.

2014-02-14 17.01.31

The business end of a Lunt Solar Scope ready for testing.

2014-02-14 17.02.00-3

One last check, and Lunts are go!

You can find out more about these amazing solar scopes here.

Tomorrow, Kitt Peak!

– Ex astris, scientia –

I am and avid amateur astronomer and intellectual property attorney in Pasadena, California and I am a Rising Star as rated by Super Lawyers Magazine.  As a former Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy, I am a proud member of the Armed Service Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association working to aid all active duty and veterans in our communities. Connect with me on Google +

Norman