Stephens Observatory

The Stephens Observatory atop the Carnegie Science Building.

The Stephens Observatory is located atop the Carnegie Science Building at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. It houses a 12 in (30 cm) Newtonian reflecting telescope, built by Roscoe G. Stephens of Kennebunk, Maine, and donated to the College in 1929. It is used mainly as a teaching facility for upper-level astronomy classes. The observatory has a modern tracking system and electronic drive mechanism.

History

Bates' observatory was initially going to be built on top of nearby Mount David in Lewiston. In the 1860s, Bates Catalogues first mentioned plans to build an observatory on the outcropping. The land encompassing Mount David was given by Senator William Frye in the 1860s to be used specially for an observatory. Bates Student articles from the 1870s–1910s and Catalogues continuously refer to plans to build an observatory at Bates. Many of these articles featured pictures of the future observatory. Due to financial constraints, it was not until 1929 that the Stephens Observatory was actually completed on Carnegie Science Building. Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie donated the initial funds for the building.

References

Alfred Williams Anthony, Bates College and Its Background (Philadelphia: Judson Press, 1936).

External links

"Astronomy Facilities". Department of Physics and Astronomy, Bates College. Retrieved 2009-02-25.

Bates College

Campus	Campus of Bates College Bates College Museum of Art Stephens Observatory Frye Street Hathorn Hall Bates-Morse Mountain Historic Quad

History	History of Bates College Benjamin Bates Oren Burbank Cheney Ivy Day Little Ivies Hidden Ivies Noted alumni and faculty Lane Hall

Athletics	New England Small College Athletic Conference Garcelon Field Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Consortium Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Chase Regatta

Student life	The Bates Student Bates Dance Festival WRBC Newman Day President Clayton Spencer Bates College's academic scarf

Coordinates: 44°06′18″N 70°12′16″W / 44.10498°N 70.20434°W / 44.10498; -70.20434

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 6/7/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.