The University of Alabama Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The new domed observatory was built atop Gallalee Hall, completed in 1949. It replaced the Old Observatory, which had been in use from 1849 until the 1890s.[1] Initially equipped with a 10-inch (0.25 m) refracting telescope, this was the university's primary telescope from 1950 until 2004. The old telescope was removed and then sold to an antique telescope collector to make way for the new instrument. A new 16-inch (0.41 m) Ritchey-Chrétien reflector, manufactured by DFM Engineering, was installed in 2005.[2][3]
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| Organization | University of Alabama | ||||
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| Location | Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States | ||||
| Coordinates | 33°12′35″N 87°32′38″W / 33.209682°N 87.543886°W | ||||
| Established | 1950 | ||||
| Website | University of Alabama Astronomy Program | ||||
| Telescopes | |||||
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  Location of University of Alabama Observatory | |||||
 Related media on Commons | |||||
The observatory and its instruments are made available for free public viewing one night per month, weather permitting. The schedule for public viewing is available on the observatory's official website and is updated on a semesterly basis.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Mellown, Robert Oliver (1988). The University of Alabama: a guide to the campus. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press.
- ^ "University of Alabama Observatory - 16" Telescope". Department of Physics and Astronomy. University of Alabama. May 2006. Retrieved 2009-12-01.
- ^ "See the Stars Through UA's New Telescope". University of Alabama News. University of Alabama: Office of University Relations. 2005-02-01. Archived from the original on 2005-03-15. Retrieved 2009-12-01.
External links
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