Introduction
The 3-m Telescope was completed in 1959 and named for Donald Shane,
Lick Observatory Director during its design and construction. The Shane
Telescope is the largest telescope on Mount Hamilton and was the second
largest in the world at the time of its construction.
There are three foci at which to place instruments: Prime, Cassegrain and Coude. Facility instruments are available at each focus. Observers wishing to place their own instrument at one of the foci should contact a support astronomer to assess feasibility.
Telescope operators (TOs) are provided by Lick Observatory to assist observers at the Shane Telescope. TOs primary duties are to (1) protect the telescope, and (2) help the observer acquire as much data as possible. The TO does have the authority (as well as the responsibility) to terminate observing at any time in order to protect the telescope or equipment.
The Shane Telescope is available to the University of
California astronomical community by subscription.
Call for Shane Proposals All new users must be checked out by a resident astronomer on their first night. Please request support on your time application. Please direct questions to a Mount Hamilton support astronomer, sa@ucolick.org. |
![]() |
![]()
Shane 3-m Telescope |
For historical reference or those working with older data sets, decommissioned instruments are listed below.
Focus | f/ratio | Decommissioned Facility Instruments |
---|---|---|
Prime | 5.5 | Prime Focus Camera - Wide Field Optical Imager |
Cassegrain | 17 |
Adaptive Optics feeding
IRCAL -
High Resolution Near IR Imager, Polarimeter, and Spectrometer Gemini - Dual Channel Near IR Imager and Spectrometer |
Coude | 36 |
|
Last modified: Tue Jun 22 14:06:39 PDT 2021