The Astronomy Group of Mankato State University will expand its observing facilities by adding a 16-inch telescope to Standeford Observatory. The telescope will be housed in a new five-meter dome at the present Observatory site. The telescope will be used primarily to train advanced students in astronomical research techniques and telescope use. The 16-inch telescope is an f/13.5 Cassegrain reflector built by Sigma Research Inc. It is microprocessor controlled and is able to use a variety of auxiliary instruments. Initially the telescope will be equipped with an astronomical camera and a photometer. Later a spectrograph will be acquired for use with the telescope. The Sigma 16 optical system is convertible to a Coude' optical configuration, and the microprocessor control system can be interfaced to a minicomputer. Students in an Observational Techniques course will use the telescope to obtain astronomical plates for astrometric reduction, photometric data for photometric reduction and eventually spectrograms for spectrum analysis. The telescope will be used by students to conduct a modest research program. The area of this research will probably be variable star photometry. It is expected that this student research will yield publishable results.
