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The Prairie Observatory was constructed near Oakland, Illinois by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Department of Astronomy. The site was adjacent to Walnut Point State Park and provided an accessible but dark sky site only 35 miles from campus. The telescope went into operation in January 1969 and closed on April 1, 1981.[1]
The observatory's principle telescope was a 40-inch (1.0 meter) Cassegrain reflector by Astro Mechanics Inc. The telescope itself cost about $244,000, most of that money coming from a National Science Foundation grant. The dome was 40-foot in diameter and connected to a main building that housed an apartment for astronomers. The telescope had an off-axis equatorial mount and was equipped for direct photography, spectroscopy, and photoelectric photometry. Most of the 80 research papers produced over the 11-years life of the observatory used a multicolor single-channel photometer.[2] The photographic glass slides produced by the camera and the spectrograph are now stored in the university archives (series number 15/3/13).
In addition to the 40-inch telescope, a smaller dome housed a 4-inch Ross-Fecker camera. The camera was purchased in 1938 and was originally located in an observatory in Urbana. It remained in use until the telescope was vandalized in the 1980s. The photographic plates produced using that camera are now stored at Yerkes Observatory.[3] The 15-foot dome for that telescope was returned to Champaign in 1986 where it is used by the local Champaign-Urbana Astronomical Society.[4]
The 40-inch telescope was moved to San Diego State University’s Mount Laguna Observatory in April 1981 where it is still in active use.[5] The building in Walnut Point State Park is abandoned.
^Smarr, L.L. (1982) University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Astronomy, Report Bulletin of the Astronomical Society, vol. 14, p. 209-222.
^Olson, E.C. (1984) "Photoelectric Photometry in the Flat Midwest", International Amateur-Professional Photoelectric Photometry Communication, No. 15, p.5.
^Leake, Dave Champaign Urbana Astronomical Society Observatory Accessed" May 20, 2016
^MLO 40-inch telescope Archived 2010-06-25 at the Wayback Machine San Diego State University Department of Astronomy, Mount Laguna Observatory. Accessed: May 20, 2016
and 26 Related for: Prairie Observatory information
The PrairieObservatory was constructed near Oakland, Illinois by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Department of Astronomy. The site was...
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with a campground. The Southern Unit extends from just west of North Prairie. It is southwest of Whitewater Lake, and south of Whitewater. Other nearby...
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is located in the town of Kansasville, in Racine County. This managed prairie contains 8.3 miles (13 km) of mountain bike trails. Other recreational...
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England, UK South Shields, England, UK. Thompson, Manitoba, Canada Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada The 55th parallel serves as the southern boundary of Nunavik...
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Dane County southeast of Madison, Wisconsin. The park consists of forest, prairie, and wetlands. Known for its campground, beach, and approximately 5 miles...
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acres (1,210 ha). The Wildlife Area falls within the bounds of the Western Prairie region of Wisconsin. Adjacent to the Cylon Wildlife area, the Cylon State...
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Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers in the village Bagley, just south of Prairie du Chien. Wyalusing means "home of the warrior" in the Lenape language...
Nourse Sugarbush Oakfield Ledge Oakfield Railroad PrairieObservatory Hill Ohmart Wetlands Oliver Prairie Olson Oak Woods One Stone Lake Hemlocks Orion Mussel...
Nourse Sugarbush Oakfield Ledge Oakfield Railroad PrairieObservatory Hill Ohmart Wetlands Oliver Prairie Olson Oak Woods One Stone Lake Hemlocks Orion Mussel...
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