Who is running the 74″ telescope?
Specially trained members of the Toronto Centre are operating the telescope. The Toronto Centre membership has always been a blend of professional and amateur astronomers. Many of our “amateur” members earned undergraduate degrees in astronomy with experience using a variety of professional telescopes. Previous David Dunlap Observatory telescope operators have been RASC members, and have even been hired at the observatory from the RASC membership. The Toronto Centre also benefits from technical support offered by the University of Toronto, the original owners of the telescope, as well as the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in Victoria, BC that operates a 72″ telescope. We’re fortunate that Archie de Ridder, who has been responsible for looking after the 74″ telescope – and for training generations of operators – is available to us to provide full training for a core group of operators. Is the telescope going to be used for research? Our hope is that we will be able at some point to
