The Observatory has four permanently mounted telescopes on site, and a collection of 12 portable telescopes used both on and off site. Open House events make use of the permanently mounted telescopes profiled below.

20" Eichner Bent Cassegrain Reflector

Completed and installed in 1964, this telescope was designed by the late Dr. Uco van Wijk of the Astronomy Department and specially built by L. C. Eichner of New Jersey. The funding for this telescope came from the aid of a grant for instructional scientific equipment from the National Science Foundation. It was designed large and heavy as an instrument development telescope. Many heavy instruments were designed here at the University of Maryland and tested out on this telescope before they were shipped out to be used in places around the world. Company 7 of Laurel refurbished the telescope in 2000-2001 under a grant by Dr. Sylvain Veilleux of the Astronomy Department. Return of the 20" telescope

20inch in warehouse getting refurbished (2001) Diameter of objective lens: 20 inches (508 mm)
Focal Length of objective lens: 300 inches (7620 mm)
Focal ratio: f/15
Magnifications:
40 mm eyepiece: 191 X
25 mm eyepiece: 305 X
*26.6 mm eyepiece: 286 X
18 mm eyepiece: 423 X
12.5 mm eyepiece: 610 X