Pine Mountain Observatory (PMO) was established in the mid-1960’s by the University of Oregon (U of O). 30 miles southeast of Bend, Oregon off Highway 20, take the take the gravel road at Millican (south). The gravel road will go up from the valley floor 4,200 feet to the Observatory at around 6,300 feet. Early tests proved the location to be excellent for astronomy with very steady seeing. PMO currently operates 4 fixed telescopes and continues U of O’s commitment to astronomy. The University of Oregon established a school of astronomy and celestial mechanics around 1878. Late in 1888 an observatory was completed on”Skinner’s Butte”, in Eugene, Or.
The left walkway leads to the dome of the 32″ Sigma Ritchie-Chretien Telescope. The right walkway leads to the 15″ Fecker Cassegrain telescope and dome. The picture shows a clear beautiful June night on the mountain. Volunteers from Friends of Pine Mountain Observatory (FOPMO) conducted lectures in the dome of the 32″. The 15″ and 24″ inch telescopes were used for public viewing and outreach on June 3, 2000.
24″ f/13.5 Boller and Chivens Telescope
Pine Mountain Observatory Boller & Chivens 24″ Telescope During a night of Public Outreach on June 3, 2000. The public could look through the telescope and gaze upon numerous celestial wonders, thanks to amazingly dark and steady skies. Telescope operators, with a treasure trove of information, would explain in detail the object being observed.
The 18.5 foot Ash Dome sets atop a two story masonry structure. The mount’s footing is isolated from the dome structure and rests on solid bedrock. The first floor houses a work shop, Film Lab and Electrical/Communications Equipment.
On top of the 24″telescope is a camera lens and SBIG ST 6 CCD, used for Public Outreach. Using Timbuktu software and dial-up modems near real time imaging was available to schools and colleges. Long time FOPMO and Outreach Volunteer Rick Kang would show live CCD images during Public Tours on Friday & Saturday nights. Inspired by Dennis di Cicco’s asteroid hunting with modest size telescopes in 1995 and Sky & Telescope article in 1997 (Hunting Asteroids from Your Backyard). Rick Kang used an SBIG ST6 CCD on the 24″ telescope, at both prime focus and piggybacked camera lens, for Astrometry on asteroids. Bend Oregon’s teacher’s group and students began collecting scientific grade astrometric data in 1998. This is a small sample of the Astronomical Outreach done by Pine mountain Observatory and the University of Oregon.
15″ f/15 Fecker Telescope
Canon F1 slide film canon 20mm lens Kodak slide film
The Fecker 15″ was purchased by University of Oregon in 1950 and was used on top of the U of O’s science building until 1961. In the early days of Pine Mountain Observatory a grant allowed the construction of a dome that would house the Fecker 15″. The Fecker Telescope went to its new home in 1968. This was after the Grand Opening of Pine Mountain Observatory on September 17, 1967 . Celebrating the completion of the 18.5′ Ash Dome for the 24″ Boiler and Chivens 24″ f/13.5 and 6″ finder scope .
The Fecker 15″ telescope’s mirror was in dire need of re-coating/ Aluminizing , but still could take Great photos. It still gave visitors a great chance to observe many solar system and deep sky objects. The mount tracked very well, but the operator had to be trained on how to disengage the clutches to manually slew the heavy telescope. Objects had to be centered in the finder scope to be seen in the main Telescope. The operator had to reengage the clutches and clock drive to track the object for visual viewing. Oh, did mention the dome was also operated manually.
Special training and care was needed to do a meridian flip of the mount. The dome opening had to be in alignment with the Telescope to prevent damage to the scope, dome and drive system. The operator also had to make sure to manually track the dome to the telescope, all the while talking to observers and explaining what they were observing. This was a really fun instrument to use, it tested your abilities and knowledge of the Night Sky.
The 15″Fecker, often referred to as the “Matriarch of the Mountain” because of its long, rich history and importance in the development of PMO, fell to disrepair. Replaced by a Celestron 14″ Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope on a Paramount Mount.
In 2012, Alton Luken, a PMO volunteer, found the Fecker 15″ under a shelf behind insulation. So began a 3 year journey to fully restore the Fecker 15″ f/15 Cassigrain to her original glory. The telescope was reinstalled in 2015 to all its previous glory . Now a tremendous tool in teaching University of Oregon Physics students and public outreach. It remains an amazing tool for public viewing of the Universe. On clear steady nights, glimpsing views through this grand old telescope is very special.
The refurbished Fecker 15″, I believe this image was taken by ALton Luken of PMO.
32″ Sigma Research Telescope
The massive and complex Sigma 32″ telescope arrived on Pine Mountain late in 1978. Pine Mountain Observatory enjoyed having the largest scientific telescope in the Pacific Northwest for many years. The 32″ telescope was a research active scientific telescope and endured into the nineties. Astronomers from the University of Oregon and other colleges observed many celestial objects.
n 1980’s Jim Kemp, with a tenure of 27 years at the University of Oregon Physics Department, formed a support group of amateur astronomers “Friends of Pine Mountain Observatory (FOPMO). This group was fueled by Kemp’s obsession with anything astronomical along with scientific curiosity. Pine Mountain Observatory’ ‘s outreach and public awareness became contagious.
Pine Mountain Observatory was designed as a primary astrophysics research facility in the 1960’s. The Observatories current prime mission is Public Education. Pine Mountain Observatory is among a very few research observatories with public access.
Then around the year 2000, the 32″ telescopes mount suffered a catastrophic failure. This failure eliminated any meaningful tracking. Only five of these were ever made because of this and the lack of parts, repairs are not feasible.
Professor Gregory Bothun replaced the secondary mirror of the 32″telescope with a CCD camera developed by him and the University of Oregon’s Physics Department. The new camera named the “COWCAM” would spend many hours imaging nearby Galaxies and collecting valuable data. The sensitivity of this camera allowed short exposures and helped to negate the tracking issues.
Classrooms throughout Oregon now use data collected by the COWCAM on the 32″ and cameras on the 24″ telescopes
Recently a PlaneWave 14″ telescope in a clam-shell dome does scientific work and outreach research. The system uses modern CCD and CMOS technology for educational outreach and scientific research. The telescope is not setup for any visual viewing. The PlaneWave is located near the 24″ observatory.