Kirkwood Observatory

Kirkwood Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Indiana University. It is located in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is named for Daniel Kirkwood (1814–1895) an astronomer and professor of mathematics at Indiana University who discovered the divisions of the asteroid belt known as the Kirkwood Gaps.

Kirkwood Observatory
Kirkwood Observatory, 2006.
OrganizationIndiana University
LocationIndiana
Coordinates39°09′57″N 86°31′34″W
Altitude235 meters (770 ft)
WeatherSee the Clear Sky Clock
Established1901
Websitewww.astro.indiana.edu
Telescopes
Warner & Swasey0.3-meter (12-inch) refractor
Solar telescopeheliostat, spectrograph, digital hydrogen-alpha imaging
Location of Kirkwood Observatory
Related media on Wikimedia Commons

Description

Built in 1900 and dedicated on May 15, 1901, the observatory was thoroughly renovated during the 2001–02 academic year. Although the facility is no longer used for research, its original refracting telescope, built by Warner & Swasey Company with a 12-inch (0.3-meter) Brashear objective lens, also received a complete restoration. The telescope is now used regularly for outreach events and undergraduate-level classes. Kirkwood Observatory also has an instructional solar telescope.


Directors

See also

References
  1. Lauren J. Bryant. "Farseeing and Abiding at IU". Indiana University. Retrieved 6 September 2017.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.