Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer

This is an ultraviolet detector from project Celescope. Celescope was a battery of four telescopes developed at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in the 1960s to survey the entire ultraviolet sky, looking for unusually hot sources of energy. The detector, the smaller diameter back end of the glass tube, is based upon standard Westinghouse "Vidicon" technology used in TV systems of that day. The larger front section is a special imaging system that converts ultraviolet light into electrons and focuses them electrostatically onto the front of the Vidicon, which then scans the surface, producing a varying current that was telemetered to the ground for analysis. Celescope was flown on December 7, 1968, as part of the payload for the second Orbiting Astronomical Satellite (OAO II). The data from Celescope resulted in a catalog of over 5,000 ultraviolet colors for stars.

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory transferred this detector to the Museum in 1973.

 Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Country of Origin United States of America Type EQUIPMENT-Electronics Manufacturer Westinghouse Electric
 Dimensions Overall: 2 3/4in. x 11 1/2in. (6.99 x 29.21cm)
 Materials Image sensor: Glass, steel, aluminum, ceramic, teflon/plastic
Housing: synthetic foam
 Inventory Number A19840154000 Credit Line Transferred from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.