ACTIVE CONSTRUCTION:  The first concrete pour was successfully poured on Dec 1 (pictures HERE).  Now  the race is on to assemble forms for the next pour and the pad the ITEK will finally rest on.  The telescope is temporarily stored at a warehouse in Bridgewater, NJ.  The pre-fabricated pieces for the sheet metal observatory are already on-site at UACNJ. Once the slab is ready, we will assemble the ITEK optical tube and base on the slab and erect the observatory housing  over the top of it.  We will work on the telescope over the winter, and then modify the building so that it will slide open on rails.  At first light it will be operating as a huge Dobsonian.  Increased functionality will be introduced in distinct stages as we figure out the electronics.

ACTIVE CONSTRUCTION: The footing was poured in conjunction with the ITEK footing on December 1 (pictures HERE). Once the forms are stripped, the SRT assembly can begin.  The dish, mount, and related electronics were moved to UACNJ on November 4th, 2008. The forms and framework for the footing were constructed this past summer.

FUNCTIONING:  The magnetometer has been functioning without problems since June of 2008, and collects data every 2 seconds, 24-hours a day. A Plexiglas cover was installed over the instrumentation and the cable to the magnetometer head have been buried underground. Display posters explaining the project were created and posted at UACNJ.

FUNCTIONING: The GPS and antenna were installed on November 6th, 2008. A data feed to the Internet was successfully initiated December 2nd, 2008 after Leica reconfigured the GPS head. The GPS is now powered up and functioning for the duration, recording new readings at 2 second intervals. The antenna is located at 40 deg 54' 26.57715" N and 74 deg 55' 31.24197'' W as reported by the instrument (plug these coordinates into Google Earth)