Fitting protective covers

The black box at the base of the centre section is the baffle that will protect the primary mirror. At the top of the centre section, the black bar holds the roll out blind/cover to stop dust from getting on to the primary mirror from above.

Engineers at Telescope Technologies Ltd. (TTL) are currently fitting covers to the telescope that will protect the primary mirror while the telescope is not being used during the day.

The light baffle is used to prevent ambient light entering from the side of the instrument. Without the baffle the images would have a brighter background making it difficult to see the dimmer stars.

This effect is similar to that experienced in the centre of a city where the sky glows slightly at night due to the effect of street lighting. This makes it difficult to see as many stars as can be seen away from cities.