DDO home	David Dunlap Observatory (DDO) DDO Photos September 2000

The photographs of this collection were taken by Don Fernie during two days, September 22 and 24, 2000. The collection shows - by design - the status of the Observatory at one epoch, slightly over 65 years after the Observatory opened. Don brought his digital camera and we walked together in the nice Ontario fall weather. Later, I checked and edited slightly the photographs, usually by bringing up the shadows, especially in the photographs in the dome. Slavek Rucinski, October 31, 2000

Before you start of the photo tour, have a look at aerial photos of the DDO grounds. A black & white scanned aerial photograph was taken some 50 years ago. The access roads and parking areas are very different now, as can be appreciated in the high resolutionaerial photograph taken on January 4, 2005 and kindly made available to us by Professor Michael De Robertis of the York University. This excellent picture gains a lot if you copy it to your computer and look in magnification using an imaging program. Two new nice images have been provided by Peter Ceravolo on April 21, 2005 ([1] and [2]).

Slavek Rucinski, April 29, 2005

• The Western side of the administration building is probably the most characteristic and best known view of the Observatory.
• The Eastern side is perhaps less well known. This view also shows the 1.88m telescope dome.
• The dome of the 1.88m is the most prominent structure when one approaches the entrance to the administration building from the South.
• The dome is rather elegant, especially on a sunny, crisp day.
• The view from the catwalk of the 1.88m telescope dome to the South. Note the oval representing Kepler's Second Law in front of the administration building.
• The 1.88m telescope is not easy to photograph. This view shows the upper end of the 1.88m telescope.
• This view of the upper end also shows the currently unused Newtonian platform (to the upper left, in the shadow cast by the telescope)..
• The lower end of the 1.88m telescope from the internal galery.
• The counterweights of the 1.88m telescope impress by their size.
• The telescope pier of a typical English mount.
• The telescope was indeed made in England and this is documented by the Grubb and Parsons plaque .
• The telescope has two spectrographs. This photograph shows the more frequently used, Cassegrain-focus spectrograph as seen from the West side.
• The Cassegrain spectrograph as seen from the East side.
• The Cassegrain spectrograph as seen from the South side.
• The Echelle spectrograph is shown here as seen from the West side. It is mounted at the side of the main mirror cell. The light beam is directed to it using a flat 45deg mirror which can be positioned in front of the main Cassegrain focus.
• This view includes both spectrographs.
• The visit to the dome ends in the "warm room" , here visible from the entrance.
• The same "warm room" from inside , with a view of the working area of the astronomer.
• The first view inside the administration building, in the hall facing the entrance, is the plaque commemorating David Dunlap.
• The impressive staircase leads to the second floor.
• The auditorium is now used mainly for public lectures and tours. This view is to the North. The portrait on the wall is of Jessie Donalda Dunlap, who donated the funds to build the observatory in the name of her husband, David Dunlap.
• This is a view of the auditorium toward the blackboard and the projection screen.
• One must admit that the library was built with style. The portrait above the fireplace is of David Dunlap.
• This photograph of the library shows the other side of the room.
• The following four photographs show the director's house. This one was taken from the South. The house was built by the family of Alexander Marsh in about 1860 - 1862. The land and the house were purchased in the early 1930's to build the David Dunlap Observatory.
• The director's house from South East.
• The director's house from North East.
• The director's house from North West.