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The Observatory and its Telescopes
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The main telescope is a 0.25m (10 inch) refractor, with a focal length of 3.7m. The instrument was built by Thomas Cooke of York in 1871. Refracting telescopes have long been regarded as the superior instrument for planetary observing.
When the Mills Observatory opened on 28 October 1935, it originally housed a 450mm (18 inch) reflecting telescope, constructed by the Newcastle-based company of Grubb Parsons. The remains of the original telescope can be seen in the upper display area of the Observatory.
The Observatory now also has a 12 inch Meade Schmidt Cassegrain reflector which is fully computerised and can find 30,000 objects in the sky.
There is also a variety of smaller telescopes and binoculars that visitors can use from the Mills Observatory's viewing balcony or the car park.
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