OPTRONICS S-3000 SPECSCAN

An OPTRONICS S-3000 SPECSCAN measuring machine installed at the ESO Sky Atlas Laboratory. It was the first of its kind in Europe, capable of measuring positions (to 1fim) and densities (to 0.02 D) on astronomical plates up to 36 x 36 cm2 . The machine was used for measuring plates from the ESO 1 m Schmidt telescope. Many new and extremely interesting objects (like distorted galaxies) had been found on these plates and formed an exciting basis for the coming research with the new large telescopes.