Lizard Hollow Observatory
Tucson, AZ USA

Thomas L. Gandet, Director

Theodore W. Fusby, Engineering Consultant

LHO's telescope is the 0.28-m Beardsley Memorial SCT.  From 2001 until 2009,
an SBIG ST7-E CCD camera was used for UBVR_CI_C photometry of variable stars.

In late 2009, the camera was decommissioned, and the telescope itself was temporarily decommissioned.
In 2010, the telescope was equipped with a Lyot interferometric micrometer
for observational work on close visual binary stars.  This is an exciting addition to our research activities.
Future photometric observations will be made off-site.

Engineering modifications to the telescope mirror cells and focusing mechanism
will be done during the usual summer down-time.  These mods will improve the telescope
performance so that it will match the capabilities offered by the interferometer.

Research interests at LHO are in early-type spectroscopic and eclipsing binary stars, visual multiple stars,
poorly-studied variable stars, and Be and Be-like stars.
LHO is also a participant in the Spectral Classification Project at PARI  (Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute).


Collaborative projects have been ongoing, since 2006, with astronomers at the
Tien-Shan Observatory in Kazakhstan and at the US Naval Observatory/Flagstaff Station.
LHO research programs have made use of  the 0.9-m coudé feed spectrograph
 at the Kitt Peak National Observatory,
the 0.81-m RCT telescope at Tenagra Observatories, and the
0.32-m telescope at the Sonoita Research Observatory .

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