Hi everyone,
Two weeks ago, my wife and I went on vacation from Arizona, back to our "homeland" of Wisconsin. I was born and raised in the valley south of Green Bay,but this time we stayed in a small town on Geneva Lake (those of you history buffs know where I'm going!). At Williams Bay is a observatory not like any you may have seen. A dome housing the largest refrator in the world. Built in 1895! With an OTA over 60 ft. long! Built and maintained by the University of Chicago and named after a wealthy but somewhat questionable guy buy the name of Charles Yerkes (pronounced Yerk-ES).
I had the opportunity to have a tour of the facility along with two friends, on a cloudy, rainy Thursday afternoon. Our tour guide was an extremely knowlagable fellow by the name of Rich Dreiser. As we walked up to the large 3" thick wooden doors of the frony entry, and rang the bell, Rich came to meet us and after the customary introductions, our tour started.
OK, so it sounds like the start of a Hitchcock movie, but it was INCREDABLE!
To listen and learn of the begining of the observatory sponsered by the University of Chicago in the late 1800's, and the would be astronomers of the time, who became part of our everyday venacular. From Kuiper and his "belt", to Ritchey and his lenses, to Barnard and "what was missing" in his early photography. And most of all the early years of Spectrographs with G.E.Hale and Sherburne Burnham. Oh, Ya a guy named Eienstien also hung out there too.
Any of you within one light year of this facility, and loves astronomy............
you gotta see this! I promise you, you'll go home, and first night out next to your scope, you'll look up,think back,and have a new appreciation for how far that "liitle" hunk of glass you just went to your local store and bought, has come.
gary
P.S. Yerkes operates on donations and it's main focus today is on outreach and education to schools. Help their stuardship and keep the 40" alive.
P.S.S. I have no connection with the observatory, other than my one visit.
Two weeks ago, my wife and I went on vacation from Arizona, back to our "homeland" of Wisconsin. I was born and raised in the valley south of Green Bay,but this time we stayed in a small town on Geneva Lake (those of you history buffs know where I'm going!). At Williams Bay is a observatory not like any you may have seen. A dome housing the largest refrator in the world. Built in 1895! With an OTA over 60 ft. long! Built and maintained by the University of Chicago and named after a wealthy but somewhat questionable guy buy the name of Charles Yerkes (pronounced Yerk-ES).
I had the opportunity to have a tour of the facility along with two friends, on a cloudy, rainy Thursday afternoon. Our tour guide was an extremely knowlagable fellow by the name of Rich Dreiser. As we walked up to the large 3" thick wooden doors of the frony entry, and rang the bell, Rich came to meet us and after the customary introductions, our tour started.
OK, so it sounds like the start of a Hitchcock movie, but it was INCREDABLE!
To listen and learn of the begining of the observatory sponsered by the University of Chicago in the late 1800's, and the would be astronomers of the time, who became part of our everyday venacular. From Kuiper and his "belt", to Ritchey and his lenses, to Barnard and "what was missing" in his early photography. And most of all the early years of Spectrographs with G.E.Hale and Sherburne Burnham. Oh, Ya a guy named Eienstien also hung out there too.
Any of you within one light year of this facility, and loves astronomy............
you gotta see this! I promise you, you'll go home, and first night out next to your scope, you'll look up,think back,and have a new appreciation for how far that "liitle" hunk of glass you just went to your local store and bought, has come.
gary
P.S. Yerkes operates on donations and it's main focus today is on outreach and education to schools. Help their stuardship and keep the 40" alive.
P.S.S. I have no connection with the observatory, other than my one visit.
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