a m ile\ue000 s to n e : T h e D a n is h 1 .5 m te le s c o p e o n L a S illa m a d e its fir s t a s tro n o m ic a l o b s e rv a tio n s . T h is m a rk s th eb e g in n in go fa n e ra w e h a v e lo n g lo o k e dfo rw a rdto , w h e n th is p o w e r fu l n e w to o l w ill v a s tly in c r e a s e th e s c o p ea sw e il a sth e e x te n to fo u r p o s s ib ilitie sfo r re s e a rc h

tra lw av e le n g th 4 9 0 011a n d w id th8 0 0 1 1 ).T h e e x p o s u r e tim e w a s 3 0 m in ,a n dth ep ie tu re s h o w s fa in te r d e ta ils th a nas im ila r1 5m in d i- re e tp h o to g ra p ho f th e s a m eo b je e t fro m

o fG ru b b P a rs o n s , N e w c a s tle , E n g la n d , iso f th e a s y m m e tr ic a l ty p e , c lo s e ly r e s e m b lin g th e 1 .5 m te le s c o p e o n G e rro T o lo lo . T h e d r iv e e m p lo y s la r g ew o rm

5 0 0 -k g m e c h a n ic a l p r e lo a d a p p lie dth ro u g hs te e l w ir e s e lim in a te s g e a r b a c k la s h . T h e tu b eis a c la s s ic a l o p e n S e r r u r ie rs tru c \ue000 tu re . P rim a rym irro rs u p p o rt is b y a s ta tic le v e rs , ra d ia l s u p \ue000 p o rtb y le v e rs a c tin g

inp u s h - p u llo n b ra c k e ts c e m e n te dt o th e e d g eo f th e m irro r. T h e reisn o p ro v is io nfo r c h a n g in g s e c o n d a ry m irro rs , a s th e R itc h e y -G h re tie n fo c a l s ta tio n is th e

m e c h a n ic a l d e s ig n a n d g r e a tly a s s is ts in m a in ta in in g a c c u \ue000 ra te o p tic a l a lig n m e n t. T h e te le s c o p e is c a p a b leo fc a rry in g a u x ilia ry in s tr u m e n tsw e ig h in g

d ia m e te r, p rim a ry fo c a l ra tiof/3 .5 , a n d fi n a l fo c a l ra tiof/8 .6 . T h efo c a lle n g this th u sc lo s e to1 3m , a n d th e p la te s c a le16"/m m . T h e u s a b le u n c o rre c te dfie ld

te le s c o p e . L a b o ra to ryte s tso f th e m irro rs ,b o th s e p a ra te ly a n d incom \ue000 b in a tio n ,s h o w

8 0 % in0 ':4 5 , a ne x c e lle n t re s u lt. T h e s te lla r im a g e s o b ta in e d d u rin gth e te s t o b s e rv a tio n s a req u ite s a tis fa c to ry ,b u t e n \ue000 tire lylim ite db y s e e in gw h ic h

T e s ts w ith th e te le s c o p e a t4 5 \u00b0 z e n ith d is ta n c e N ,S ,E a n d W s h o wth a tth ec o m b in e d e ffe c tso f fle x ur e intu b e a n dm irro r s u p p o rtp ro d u c ea to ta lo f le s sth a n0 ':2 5o f c o m a .W e h a v e e v e ry re a s o nt ob e lie v eth a t th e te le s c o p e is a b let o ta k e fu ll a d v a n ta g eo fe v e n th en ig h tso f v e ry b e s t s e e in g .

fo rth e te le s c o p e ,c o m p le te w ithitsto rq u em o to rs a n d e n c o d e r s , w a sb u ilt b y th e C o n \ue000 tro lsG ro u pa t E S O T P D iv is io n . Itiso f th e s a m e g e n e ra l ty p e a sth a tfo rth eE S O 3 .6m , a n d c lo s e ly s im ila rt o th o s elo n g in u s e a t th e E S O

50 cm , 1m ,a n dS c h m id t te le s c o p e s ,w h ic h s im p lifie s its u s e a n d m a in te n a n c e . Its g e n e ra l fe a tu re s (p re \ue000 s e ttin g , file so fp ro g ra m m es ta rs , o b s e rv e rc o n tro l o fte le -

n o ty e t in c lu d e d ,b u t th e p o in tin ga c c u ra c y isa l re a d yo f th e o rd e ro f 1 0 -1 5 ". A llc o n \ue000 tro l a n d

T h e o p tic a l c h a ra c te ris tic so fth e te le s c o p e m a k e it e s p e \ue000 c ia lly s u ita b lefo rd ir e c to b s e rv a tio n s w ithp h o to g ra p h ic a s w e ila sm o re a d v a n c e d d e te c to rs . F o rs u ffic ie n tly a c c u ra te g u id in go flo n gexposures ana u to m a ticg u id in g system

e s s e n tia l,p a rtic u la rlyb e c a u s e th e a s y m m e tricm o u n tin go f o u rte le s c o p e m a k e s a c c e s st o th e fo c u sin c o n v e n ie n t- to say thele a s t- in

w h e re b y th e C o p e n h a g e n U n iv e rs ity O b s e rv a to ry s u p p lie d th e m e c h a n i\ue000 c a l, o p tic a l a n de le c tr o n ich a rd w a re , a n d E S O , in th e p e rs o n

Inth ea u to g u id e r a c tu a llyb u iltin to th e C a s s e g ra in a d a p \ue000 to r, a m o v a b lep ro b ep ic k s u p th elig h tfro m a g u id e s ta r n e a r th e e d g eo fth e fie ld a n d s e n d s it toa n im a g e d is s e c to r tu b e , w h ic h p e rfo rm s a c ro s s -s c a n in th e a a n db d ire c tio n s .If th e s ta r is

p o s itio no fth e te le s c o p e .O ur la b o ra to ry m e a s u re m e n ts in \ue000 d ic a te dth a tt h e d e v ic es h o u ld b e a b let og u id et o a na c c u \ue000 ra c yo f0

T h e a g r e e m e n t s ig n e d w ith E S O , a n d a p p r o v e d b y th e E S O C o u n c il,s p e c ifie sth a t th e te le s c o p e ,c o m p le te w itho p tic s a n dc o n tro l s y s te m , a n d th edom e a re s u p p lie d b y th e U n i\ue000 v e rs ityo fC o p e n h a g e n , a n d t h eb u ild in g b y E S O . Itisfu rth e r la id

s o m eo r a ll t h e D a n is h a u x ilia r yin s tru m e n tsm ig h tb e c o m e a v a ila b le a ls ot ofu tu re E S O o b s e rv e rs . A t th e m o m e n t, w e s h a ll th e re fo reju s t b rie fly lis t th o s e e x is tin g

M c M u lla n e le c tro n o g ra p h icc a m e ra .lIfo rdG 5 e m u ls io n , D S B filte r . T h is 4 5 m in e x p o s u r ep ro v id e sm o red e ta ile din fo rm a tio na b o u t th e c e n - tra l re g io n th a n th e 2 0 0 "re p ro d u c tio nin th e H u b b le A tla so f G a la x - ie s .

O m e g a C e n ta u r i,th eb rig h te s tg lo b u la rc lu s te r in th e s k y .1 0 m in e x p o s u rein (Johnson)V colour. Thep la te was takenb yS . Frand- s e na n dB .T h o m s e nfo r th ep u rp o s eo fc h e c k in g th ee le c tro no p - tic s , inp a r tic u la r th ea c c e le r a tio np o te n tia l. T h e re is th e r e fo r ea

M a r s e illeo b \ue000 s e rv a to rie s a n d w ith E S O to u s e ac o p yo f th e r a d ia l- v e lo c ity scanner CO RAVEL on

A c c o r d in gto o ldtra d itio n , th ed is c o v e r e ro f am in o rp la n e t h a sth e rig h tto g iv e it a n a m e . N o w a d a y s , am in o rp la n e t isc o n s id e r e da s "d is c o v e re d "a n dw o rtl,yo f r e c e iv in g anum ber a n d a n a m e , w h e n

a n d o th e ro b s e rv a to rie s a n d re c e n tly , s o m e w e re o b s e rv e d in th eth ird o p p o s itio n .M o rew illb e

p la te th a t w a so b ta in e din F e b r u a r y 1 9 7 6 , b y H a n s - E m i l S c h u s t e r , i nc h a rg eo fth e E S OS c h m id t te le s c o p e . Itsp re lim in a ryd e s ig n a \ue000 tio n

D ecem ber7 , 1 9 7 8 , re a p p o in te d P ro fe s s o rL . W o ltje ra s D ire c to r-G e n \ue000 e ra lo fE S O

A t th e m o m e n t, th e te le s c o p eis in th e te s tin g p h a s e w h e re it isu s e d b y D a n is h o b s e rv e rs , p a rtlyt o o b ta in u s e fu l o b s e rv a \ue000 tio n s ,b u tp rim a rily tog a in e x p e r ie n c e a n d fin da s m a n yo f its w e a k p o in tsa sp o s s ib le . U n a v o id a b ly ,w ith ac o m p le x te le \ue000 s c o p e s y s te m

lik e th is , in adom ew ithq u itelim ite d s p a c e , th e re h a v e a lre a d y b e e n a n d w ill b e m a n y u n fo re s e e np ro b \ue000 le m s w h ic hm ust b e s o lv e d b e fo r e w e re a c h th e le v e lo f s ta \ue000 b ility a n d s a fe ty r e q u ir e dfo ro p e ra tio n

b y v is ito r s . A n d , a s a lw a y s , itisd iffic u ltt op re d ic tth etim e n e e d e d t os o lv eu n \ue000 know n

a to u r h a n d s . It w ill b e u s e dt oc o n tin u e a n d e x p a n do u r v a r io u s re \ue000 s e a rc h p ro g ra m m e s o n G a la c tic s tru c tu re ,b u tth e n e wo p \ue000 p o rtu n itie sfo r e x tra g a la c ticw o rkn o w

o u ra p p re c ia tio n toth e firmo f G ru b b P a rs o n sfo r th e ir e x c e l\ue000 le n t c ra fts m a n s h ip a n d c o o p e ra tio n , a n dt oa ll p a rtso f E S O fo rm uchh e lpd u rin g th ep ro je c t-inp a rtic u la rtoF . F ra n z a ,

ins e n tim e n ta lr e m in is c e n c eo fc o l\ue000 le g e d a y s .T h is P h o c a e a - ty p em in o r p la n e t w a sfo u n d o n th e s a m e b lu es u rv e y p la te a s th ela r g e - p e r ih e lio ncom etS c h u s te r 1 9 7 5 1 1 ".

in J a n u a r y 1 9 7 8 b y E S O a s tro n o m e rR ic h a r d W e s t. It w a s o b s e r v e d a t v a r io u so c c a s io n s in 1 9 7 8 a n d o n th e b a s iso fap re lim in a ryo rb itc a lc u la tio n , D r. C o n ra d B a rd w e ilo fth e

o b \ue000 s e rv e d info u ro p p o s itio n s ,i t h a sn o w re c e iv e d n u r n b e r (2 1 1 7 ). A I\ue000 th o u g ha s a m p ieo ftw o c a s e s m a yn o t b e s ta tis tic a llys ig n ific a n t, s e n tim e n ta l re a s o n s