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 12-inch telescope is one of four full-scale engineering models or prototypes for the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Project Celescope. Celescope was a project in the 1960s to survey the ultraviolet sky at wavelengths invisible from the ground. Each of Celescope's reflecting telescopes was equipped with a special Uvicon television tube sensitive to ultraviolet light, set behind different filters. The signal from each telescope was telemetered back to a ground station where it was used to construct a photometric map of ultraviolet sources in the sky. The telescope system was flown on December 7, 1968 as part of Orbiting Astronomical Satellite. The data from Celescope resulted in a catalog of over 5,000 ultraviolet colors for stars.

The telescope was transferred to NASM as part of a suite from SAO 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 INSTRUMENTS-Scientific Manufacturer Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
 Dimensions Storage (Rehoused on Aluminum Pallet with one other object): 121.9 × 121.9 × 121.9cm, 106.1kg (48 × 48 × 48 in., 234lb.)
 Materials Aluminum, Plastic, Glass, Rubber (Silicone), Stainless Steel, Steel, Stainless Fabric, Nylon
 Inventory Number A19731428000 Credit Line Transfer 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.