The Kirkwood Observatory solar telescope is an instructional instrument consisting of a rooftop mounted heliostat that directs a beam of sunlight into a dedicated room. In that room, the beam is divided among several optical benches. The first produces a very large white light image of the sun that is used to view sunspots and limb darkening. Next is a spectrograph to examine the spectral colors and absorption lines. Third, a hydrogen-alpha image of the sun is displayed on a TV screen so that prominances, flares, and other active regions can be studied. A spare optical bench can be used for special experiments on the solar spectrum or image.
Kirkwood Solar Live Stream