The innovations that have gone into the design, testing, and construction of the new 3.5-meter WIYN telescope make it one of the most powerful telescopes in its class. A comparison of the WIYN telescope, completed in 1994, with the 4-meter Mayall telescope, completed in 1973, demonstrates how innovative technology can be applied to telescope design. The WIYN telescope enclosure is a fraction of the size of the Mayall telescope dome, due both to the short focal length of the primary mirror, which results in a shorter telescope, and to the Alt-Az mount which requires less space. The moving weight of the Mayall telescope is 375 tons, while the WIYN telescope, with a primary mirror only slightly smaller in diameter, weighs only 46 tons.
Modern technology makes it possible to build very compact and very powerful telescopes.
The WIYN Telescope will be more powerful than the 4-meter Mayall Telescope even though the WIYN building is much smaller. The smaller structure reduces the cost of the facility, and modern technology continually improves performance. The mirrors in the WIYN telescope are capable of producing much sharper images than the larger 4-meter Mayall mirror. The WIYN mount, optics supports, thermal controls and enclosure are all designed to minimize degradation of the telescope image quality by the atmosphere. Other innovative features incorporated into the WIYN telescope design are active primary mirror supports, primary mirror thermal controls, and active ventilation of the telescope mount.