Wilder Observatory
Encyclopedia
Wilder Observatory is an astronomical
observatory
owned and operated by Amherst College
. It is located in a 5300 square feet (492.4 m²) building off Snell Street in Amherst
, Massachusetts
(USA).
When the Wilder Observatory was built in 1903 it was one of the largest telescope
s in the world at 18 inches, and it remains one of the largest refractors
. Built by Alvan Clark & Sons, the instrument was shipped to Chile in the summer of 1907 to observe the planet Mars. This was due to Mars being at opposition, which occurs approximately every twenty six months. Earth catches up to Mars, periodically "lapping" it in much the same way a faster runner will overtake a slower one on an oval track. Because the Mars opposition of 1907 placed the planet low over the southern horizon from North America, it was deemed advantageous to ship a large instrument down below the equator, where Mars would appear directly overhead ( given the more southerly latitude ). Because of the extremely dry climate of the Atacama desert, the telescope remained set up for the three-week period encompassing the opposition window in the open, without a shelter such as the dome under which it was normally housed. Following the opposition ( allowing for some then state-of-the-art pictures of the red planet ), the telescope was then returned to its observatory.
The observatory building itself is unheated.
Building designed by McKim, Mead, and White.
The objective glass blank was made by Mantois and was figured over 18 months by Carl Lundin of Alvan Clark and Sons. The dome was built by W.N. Kratzer Structural Steel of Pittsburgh, Pa. The Pier and German equatorial mount was constructed by Warner and Swasey of Cleveland Ohio. Cost of the telescope was $12,000 and of that the objective itself was $5,000.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Image:Wilder.jpg Photograph of telescope.
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
observatory
Observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
owned and operated by Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
. It is located in a 5300 square feet (492.4 m²) building off Snell Street in Amherst
Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,819, making it the largest community in Hampshire County . The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
(USA).
When the Wilder Observatory was built in 1903 it was one of the largest telescope
Telescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
s in the world at 18 inches, and it remains one of the largest refractors
Refracting telescope
A refracting or refractor telescope is a type of optical telescope that uses a lens as its objective to form an image . The refracting telescope design was originally used in spy glasses and astronomical telescopes but is also used for long focus camera lenses...
. Built by Alvan Clark & Sons, the instrument was shipped to Chile in the summer of 1907 to observe the planet Mars. This was due to Mars being at opposition, which occurs approximately every twenty six months. Earth catches up to Mars, periodically "lapping" it in much the same way a faster runner will overtake a slower one on an oval track. Because the Mars opposition of 1907 placed the planet low over the southern horizon from North America, it was deemed advantageous to ship a large instrument down below the equator, where Mars would appear directly overhead ( given the more southerly latitude ). Because of the extremely dry climate of the Atacama desert, the telescope remained set up for the three-week period encompassing the opposition window in the open, without a shelter such as the dome under which it was normally housed. Following the opposition ( allowing for some then state-of-the-art pictures of the red planet ), the telescope was then returned to its observatory.
The observatory building itself is unheated.
Building designed by McKim, Mead, and White.
The objective glass blank was made by Mantois and was figured over 18 months by Carl Lundin of Alvan Clark and Sons. The dome was built by W.N. Kratzer Structural Steel of Pittsburgh, Pa. The Pier and German equatorial mount was constructed by Warner and Swasey of Cleveland Ohio. Cost of the telescope was $12,000 and of that the objective itself was $5,000.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Image:Wilder.jpg Photograph of telescope.
