place Location

latitude 31° 16' 55.128'' S
Longitude 149° 4' 56.4276'' E

Springbrook Observatory is a privately-funded astronomical observatory located at Springbrook, in the Gold Coast hinterland, 45 minutes from the Gold Coast.

To find the Springbrook Research Observatory you Need to go via Nerang on the Nerang-Murwillumbah Road.17.9km Then turn off on the left on Pine Creek Road 7.2km turn right onto Springbrook 4.8km to the Springbrook Observatorytowards springbrook


devices Instruments

0.7m CDK700 Telescope System

  • Pinpoint stars out to a 70mm image circle
  • Dual Nasmyth focus, allowing simultaneous mounting of two instruments or easy switching between visual and imaging use
  • Direct-drive motors on each axis for smooth, fast, and virtually silent movement of the telescope
  • High resolution encoders on each axis for precise positioning
  • Zero backlash
  • Zero periodic error
  • PointXP mount modeling software
  • Field de-rotator / rotational field framing
Optical Design Corrected Dall-Kirkham (CDK)
Aperture 700 mm (27.56 inch)
Focal Length 4540 mm
Focal ratio 6.5
Central Obstruction 47% of the Primary Mirror Diameter
Back Focus 305 mm (12 inch) from Mounting Surface
Weight 1,200 lbs
Optical Tube Dual truss structure with Nasmyth focus
Optical Performance 1.8 micron RMS spots [25mm on-axis] (400 to 900nm) 4.4 micron RMS spots [21mm off-axis] (400 to 900nm) 6.8 micron RMS spots [35mm off-axis] (400 to 900nm) Spot Diagram  
Dimensions 93.73" H x 43.25" W x 39" D    
Optimal Field of View 70 mm (0.86 degrees) / 51.6 arcminute
Focus Position Nasmyth Focus
Fully Baffled Field 60 mm
Image Scale 22 microns per arcsecond

CCD Camera

PlaneWave is an authorized dealer for Finger Lake Instruments Cameras and can provide all the most popular cameras including the ProLine Series.

ProLine sets the standards in key performance areas that include: Download Speeds, Cooling, Low Noise Operation, Anti-Ghosting Technology, Image Quality, and Linearity. ProLine download speeds are fast while maintaining low-noise frame quality. ProLine achieves outstanding cooling without water assist. Simply set the ProLine cooling where you want it and the camera will do the rest – quickly and without worries. ProLine frame quality is second to none thanks to careful design, implementation and setup. All cameras are assembled in our clean room under exacting conditions and must pass a battery of tests before being shipped.


Camera 1 Andor’s iKon-M 934 BV CCD Camera


iKon-M 934 Specifications
Sensor CCD42-40
Array Size 1024 x 1024
Pixel Size 13 μm
Typical Maximum Cooling -100º C Below Ambient
Typical Download Speeds @ 16-bit 5, 3, 1, 0.05 MHz
Typical System Noise 2.9 e- RMS @ 500 kHz
Nonlinearity <1%
Operating Environment -30º C - 45º C | 10% - 90% Relative Humidity
Sensor Manufacturer NIR broadband
CCD Type Back Illuminated
Mega Pixels 1.0
Sensor Diagonal 27.6 mm
Linear Full Well 100,000 e-
Typical Dark Current 0.2 e-/pixel/sec.
Blooming Protection None
Available Shutters 65 mm
Shutter MTBF 1,000,000
Power 12v
Interface USB 2.0
Dimensions 6.2 x 6.2 x 3.8 (157.48 x 157.48 x 96.52)
Filter Wheel FLI-CFW-3-10

CFW3-10 (10 positions for 50mm square)

Filter Available : V,B,Rc,Ic,Ha, SII, OIII