Hartung–Boothroyd Observatory

The Hartung–Boothroyd Observatory (HBO) is located atop Mount Pleasant near the Cornell University in Ithaca, New York (US). It is used mainly as a teaching facility for upper-level undergraduate astronomy classes. The observatory is named to recognize funding from M. John Hartung, a 1908 Cornell graduate and later chemical industrialist, and to honor Samuel L. Boothroyd, the founder of Cornell's Department of Astronomy. The facility was designed and directed from 1974-2012 by James R. Houck.

Hartung–Boothroyd Observatory
OrganizationCornell University
Observatory codeH81
LocationNew York
Coordinates42°27′29.61″N 76°23′4.59″W
Altitude530 m
Established1974
Websitehbo.sirtf.com
Telescopes
James R. Houck Telescope60 cm (25") Fork-mounted Cassegrain reflector
Location of Hartung–Boothroyd Observatory

The primary 0.6m mirror was constructed from a Pyrex 1/8-scale test pouring as part of technology development for the Palomar Observatory 200-inch telescope. The mirror was polished and mounted in a lightweight tube in the late 1930s under Boothroyd's direction, but World War II deferred its planned use in a high-altitude observatory. This facility, together with an equatorial fork mount to hold the previously completed telescope, was completed in 1974.

Nearby observatories

See also


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