moon phases

The Founders | The 10" Project | The Frame and Mount | The Mirror | The Dome | The Building

The frame and mount of NJAA’s 26" telescope was made by Gaertner Scientific in the 1930s for Indiana University. The frame and mount originally housed a 24" Schwarzchild reflector, located in a small observatory southeast of Bloomington. Indiana’s Professor Wilbur A. Cogshall used the telescope until his retirement in 1944. Following Cogshall’s retirement the observatory fell into disuse and ultimate neglect. University authorities cooperated with the NJAA contingent that traveled to Bloomington in the mid-1960s to arrange the deal. A price of $100 for the mount assembly was set and negotiations concluded on August 23, 1965 as NJAA took possession of the frame and mount and brought it to New Jersey. The telescope at its original home in Bloomington, IN
	left: Professor Cogshall at the finder-scope eyepiece of the 24" Schwarzchild telescope, sometime in the early 1940s. above: After many years of neglect the mount and frame were in a significant state of disrepair. below: Five members of the NJAA were involved in transporting the frame for the new scope, Herman Broennle, Carl Sorenson, John Schultz, Charlie Temperley and Paul Robinson.
The task of bringing it back to life began

Herman Broennle, pictured to the far left working on the cast iron mounting base, played host for the refurburation process during the restoration process - which happened in his back yard!

The mount and frame were fully refurbished by the NJAA founders and early members by 1966. Pictured below with the restored assembly are Charlie Temperley, Jack Painter, John Schultz, R. Wolman, Carl Sorenson, C. Pruha and Herman Broennle. The 4 ton behemoth was now ready for a mirror and a dome!