 Michigan State University Observatory | |||
| Organization | Michigan State University | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Observatory code | 766  | ||
| Location | East Lansing,Michigan,United States | ||
| Coordinates | 42°42′23″N84°28′56″W / 42.70639°N 84.48222°W /42.70639; -84.48222 | ||
| Altitude | 264 m (866 ft) | ||
| Website | http://www.pa.msu.edu/astro/observ/ | ||
| Telescopes | |||
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  Location of Michigan State University Observatory | |||
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 Related media on Commons | |||
Michigan State University Observatory is anastronomicalobservatory owned and operated byMichigan State University. It is located south of the Michigan State University campus inEast Lansing,Michigan (USA), near the corner of Forest Rd and College Rd. It has aCassegrain telescope in its single dome. Built byBoller and Chivens, the Michigan State University telescope was commissioned in 1969 and entered regular operation in 1970. In 1974, what was at the time a state-of-the-artRaytheon Microcomputer was installed to function as a data gathering and control system.[1] Originally, single channelphotoelectricphotometry andphotography using plates or film were the means of acquiring data. The observatory was closed from 1981 until 1986, at a time when the university was having financial difficulties. It was reopened in the spring of 1986 on the occasion of the return ofComet Halley and has been in regular operation ever since. Since the 1980s, aCCD camera has been employed as the main instrument and the Raytheon computer has been retired. TheInternational Astronomical Union has assigned the MSU Observatory identification code766.[2]
This present campus observatory is not the first to have been built on the MSU campus. In 1880, ProfessorRolla C. Carpenter built an observatory for the (then) State Agricultural College to house anAlvan Clark & Sonsrefracting telescope of 5.5 inches aperture. The observatory was located behind his residence at Faculty Row No.2, near where Sarah Langdon Williams Hall stands today.[3] The original telescope is on exhibit at theAbrams Planetarium.[1]
Approximately one pair of evenings per month, if the sky is sufficiently clear, the MSU observatory opens its doors for public observing. The MSU 0.6 meter telescope will be set up for viewing on selected astronomical objects throughout the evening. Also, smaller telescopes are set up in the observatory parking lot, with both local area and MSU astronomers on hand to answer questions.
