This temperature controlled insulated container, or "Cold Box" was used to house photoelectric photomultipliers used with telescopes at the Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO). The photoelectric photometer is a device for measuring the amount of light gathered by a telescope from point-like sources such as a star or the nucleus of a galaxy. Light collected by a telescope that had then been processed through a diaphragm and filters in the photometer head (Catalogue #A20000791000) was routed onto the face of a photoelectric photomultiplier tube inside the red container. This tube converted the light to an electrical signal and amplified that by a cascade effect. In operation, the box was filled with dry ice to maintain the tube at the low temperature required for enhanced sensitivity and low thermal noise. This box was built at KPNO in 1974 and used extensively for measuring light from astronomical objects; it was donated by the Observatory to NASM in 2000.
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
INSTRUMENTS-Scientific
Manufacturer
Kitt Peak National Observatory
Dimensions
3-D: 33 x 40.6 x 38.1cm (13 x 16 x 15 in.)
Materials
Metals
Glass vacuum tube
Electronics
Foam insulation
Inventory Number
A20000791001
Credit Line
Gift of Kitt Peak National Observatory
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
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