The Rolnick Observatory
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The Rolnick Observatory, located at 182 Bayberry Lane in Westport, CT, is situated at the highest point in Westport. The observatory dome rests on top of an old NIKE radar tower as seen in the picture above. The observatory is named after Gerry Rolnick, one of the founders of WAS and the person who ground the 12½ inch mirror which is still in use today. The small shed in front of the observatory tower is where the 25 inch Newtonian Telescope is stored. The other building is known as "The warm room", simply because it is just that - a little room where members and public alike can go to rest and warm up after observing. It is especially used in the winter!
Another building on the site is the Fred Bump Education Center (see picture below). It is in this building where WAS meetings are held, along with various continuing education classes. The building is named for Fred Bump, a founder and former president of WAS. Fred was instrumental in securing and building up the observatory site over the years.
![[Rolnick Image]](images/observatory/rolnck3.jpg)
The main observatory located on top of the NIKE radar tower houses a 12½ newtonian reflector (pictured below). The mirror was originally ground by Gerry Rolnick, and was later repolished and resurfaced by Perkin Elmer. The fork mounting is made of ¼" plate steel. The picture below was taken after the scope was refurbished in 2004.
The refurbishment of the telescope was made possible by a generous donation from Lydian Asset Management of Westport. The tube was replaced along with the rotating ring system. The optics were recoated with enhanced aluminum, and the scope is now driven by Software Bisque's Telescope Control System. The desk was also completely rebuilt as seen below, it now houses the eyepieces along with a 19 inch Dell LCD monitor:
The view from the tower...
![[Rolnick Image]](images/observatory/rolnck4.jpg)
John Soisson in the dome using the 12½...
![[Rolnick Image]](images/observatory/was1.jpg)
![[Rolnick Image]](images/observatory/was2.jpg)
WAS also owns a 25 inch Newtonian Telescope. The telescope, shown below, is the largest in the state of Connecticut available to the public. It was purchased from Obsession Telescopes, which is located in Lake Mills, Wisconsin. The primary and secondary mirrors are from Galaxy Optics, based in Buena Vista, Colorado.
As one can see by the wheelbarrel-like handles, the scope breaks down fairly easily and can be transported to various dark sky sites.
![[Rolnick Image]](images/observatory/obsess2.jpg)