An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. Historically, observatories were as simple as containing an astronomical sextant or Stonehenge.
The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) is an American scientific and educational organization, founded in San Francisco on February 7, 1889. Its name derives from its origins on the Pacific Coast, but today it has members all over the country and the world. It has the legal status of a nonprofit organization.
Behlen Observatory is a research facility and astronomical observatory owned and operated by the astronomy department of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It is located in Mead, Nebraska about 38 miles (61 km) northeast of Lincoln, Nebraska and was founded in 1972.
Grant O. Gale Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Grinnell College Department of Physics. The observatory is located in Grinnell, Iowa (USA). Constructed in 1984, it is named after Grant O. Gale, a distinguished teacher and curator of the Grinnell Physics Historical Museum. Designed by Woodburn and O'Neil of Des Moines, the building is a 38-foot by 55-foot structure rising 26 feet to the top of the dome. It houses a 24-inch Cassegrain reflecting telescope built by DFM Engineering of Longmont, Colorado. The observatory houses two computer systems: the first controls the telescope and the second accommodates data acquisition and analysis and can be used to store television images. In addition to its primary function as an instructional and research tool, the observatory is also a facility for public viewing of astronomical phenomena under staff supervision.
Texas A&M Astronomical Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Texas A&M University's Department of Physics. It is located in College Station, Texas, USA.
Kennon Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the University of Mississippi. Built in 1939 and located on the university's campus in Oxford, Mississippi (USA), it was named after Dr. William Lee Kennon, a long-serving chair of the department of Physics and Astronomy.
Haggart Observatory is an astronomical observatory found at the John Inskeep Environmental Learning Center of Clackamas Community College. It is located in Oregon City, Oregon, United States.
Las Brisas Observatory is an astronomical observatory located 11 miles west of Pikes Peak, Colorado (USA) on Las Brisas ranch. It was built in 1979 and is owned by Paul Signorelli.
Maynard F. Jordan Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by University of Maine. Its first telescope was installed at the university in 1901, and was upgraded during the creation of the Emera Astronomy Center in 2014. It is located in Orono, Maine, USA. It is the only public observatory in the state of Maine. Operated by the department of Physics and Astronomy, the eight-inch Alvan Clark telescope is housed under a roll-off roof, next to the more modern PlaneWave CDK20 in its own dome.
Judson B. Coit Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Boston University on the roof of the College of Arts & Sciences at 725 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The observatory is used in undergraduate and graduate courses of the Boston University Department of Astronomy, and for observing projects of the Boston University Astronomical Society.
Hopkins Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts (USA). Constructed in 1838 by Albert Hopkins, the college claims that it is the oldest observatory in the United States.
Mount Cuba Astronomical Observatory is an astronomical observatory is located at 1610 Hillside Mill Road, Greenville, Delaware, United States. This observatory is home to a 0.6-meter telescope used by the Delaware Astronomical Society, the University of Delaware, and the Whole Earth Telescope. Associated with the Observatory is the Mt. Cuba Astronomy Group (MCAG). The MCAG is composed of interested amateurs and engages in astronomy education and public outreach. Meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month at the Mt. Cuba Astronomical Observatory.
Foothill Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Peninsula Astronomical Society (PAS) and Foothill College. It is located on the college's campus in Los Altos Hills, California (US). The observatory is used by students enrolled in the introductory astronomy lab on campus, which is part of the college's thriving astronomy for non-scientists program, serving over 800 students per year. A 16-inch (410 mm) Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope was donated to the observatory and went into operation in 2007.
The Bradley Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Agnes Scott College. It is located in Decatur, Georgia, 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Atlanta, Georgia, (USA). The observatory's largest telescope, the Beck Telescope, is a vintage 30 inch (750 mm) Cassegrain reflector built in 1930. The mount was built by Warner & Swasey, and the optics were built by Fecker. The telescope was originally owned and operated by an amateur astronomer, Mr. Henry Gibson. He offered the telescope for sale in Popular Astronomy magazine in 1947, seeking to upgrade his own telescope. Agnes Scott purchased it in 1947 for about $15,000 after an offer from the Soviet Union was declined for reasons related to the Cold War. For many years, the Beck telescope was the largest in the Southeast United States, only superseded when the Fernbank Observatory opened in 1972 with its 36-inch (910 mm) telescope.
Oil Region Astronomical Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Oil Region Astronomical Society. The Oil Region Astronomical Society was founded in 1993. It is located in Venango County, Pennsylvania (USA).
Cordell–Lorenz Observatory (850) is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Sewanee:The University of the South. It is located in Sewanee, Tennessee, United States.
The Quasar Equatorial Survey Team (QUEST) is a joint venture between Yale University, Indiana University, and Centro de Investigaciones de Astronomia (CIDA) to photographically survey the sky using a digital camera, an array of 112 charge-coupled devices. Since 2009, it has used the 1 m ESO Schmidt Telescope in Chile. From 2003–2007, it used the 48 inch (1.22 m) Samuel Oschin telescope at the Palomar Observatory. Before that, it had used the 1.0-metre Schmidt telescope at the Llano del Hato National Astronomical Observatory in Venezuela.
Olin Observatory is an astronomical observatory in New London, Connecticut (USA), owned and operated by Connecticut College. It is part of the F.W. Olin Science Center. The observatory hosts public stargazing events, and is also used for undergraduate instruction.
The Eileen M. Collins Observatory is a small astronomical observatory operated by Corning Community College in Corning, New York, USA. It is named for astronaut Eileen Collins. The observatory is primarily used to teach astronomy classes, but the college also provides monthly viewing sessions for the public.
The John Payson Williston Observatory is an astronomical observatory located at the highest point on the Mount Holyoke College campus. Constructed in 1881, the observatory is a modest building with a 24-inch Ritchey-Chretien reflector optical telescope. It is maintained and operated by the Mount Holyoke College Astronomy Department.
