Although Mr. Peridier received several electrical engineering degrees, his life-long passion was astronomy. Before World War I, Mr. Peridier contributed to the Variable Star Sections of both the British and French Astronomical Associations. The Peridier Telescope is a twelve-inch reflector with Calver optics. At its current location the telescope has a limiting visual magnitude of 9 and it has a field of view between 10min. This makes it a great instrument for observing Messier objects and objects within the Solar System.
Mounts exist for doing camera and CCD work.
Currently the telescope is housed 10 miles West of the University of Texas campus. Originally installed as a tool for graduate students, the telescope is now exclusively used for undergraduate familiarization of the sky. Star Parties are held at the Bee Caves facility monthly during the fall and spring sessions of the University of Texas by the Astronomy Students Association. The telescope is also used by the Austin Astronomical Society and by non-science majors for AST 103L projects. A Liberal Arts undergrad looking at heavenly bodies Our telescope's home at night This page is maintained by F. Scott Turner.