The telescope, a 6" F-15 refractor, is permenantly mounted to point at Polaris, the north star. A large clock motor rotates the telescope, and the 10" flat mirror mounted on the top, near the lens. The telescope is rotated until the mirror picks up the sun, and then the image of the sun is reflected through the lens and down the tube to another mirror at the bottom of the 'scope. The image is then reflected 90 degrees, through a series of lenses, and is then projected onto a screen, where it forms a 3 foot image, showing sunspots, limb darkening, faculae, white-light flares, or maybe a solar eclipse.

Move your mouse over the image on the right to see the solar telescope in action

The solar observatory was built in 1971 by Del Wiseman and members of the Portland Astronomical Society. Move your mouse cursor over the picture on the left to see how the observatory is designed.