First constructed in its early iterations in 1972, the Van Allen Observatory (VAO) is a 17-inch Corrected Dall-Kirkham reflecting telescope, owned and operated by the University of Iowa Department of Physics and Astronomy. It is stationed on the roof of Van Allen Hall in Iowa City and is open to students and community members as it is used for undergraduate astronomical laboratories and public outreach. The VAO is named after one of the greats of space science, the Physics and Astronomy Department’s Professor James Van Allen.
In addition to its Cassegrain reflector, the VAO telescope consists of a twelve-position filter wheel and high quantum efficiency charged-coupled device (CCD) camera. The Van Allen Observatory system was upgraded in 2014 with funds from the Carver Trust and is regularly updated with funds from University of Iowa Student Technology Fees.
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