Lake Afton Public Observatory (LAPO) is an
astronomical observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...
located southwest of
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...
in a rural area of
Sedgwick County on the north side of
Lake Afton
Lake Afton is a man-made recreational lake in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States, and within the Lake Afton Park. It is located east of the intersection of Viola Rd (263rd St W) and MacArthur Rd (39th St S), between the communities of God ...
. At the heart of the observatory is a F/13
Ritchey–Chrétien telescope
A Ritchey–Chrétien telescope (RCT or simply RC) is a specialized variant of the Cassegrain telescope that has a hyperbolic primary mirror and a hyperbolic secondary mirror designed to eliminate off-axis optical errors (coma). The RCT has a wi ...
along with a piggyback mounted 6-inch (150 mm) F/8 apochromatic refractor. The facility also features an exhibit room filled with educational material on stargazing, the physics of light, and the history of Astronomy. There is also an observing area to the North of the building for local astronomers to set up their own telescopes. The observatory offers programs for the public every weekend throughout the year along with various private, and school programs throughout the week.
History
It was established in 1979 through the cooperation and support of Sedgwick County, the City of Wichita, and Wichita State University's Fairmount Center for Science and Mathematics Education. The Observatory was operated by Wichita State University's Fairmount Center with additional funds from Sedgwick County for facilities.
In June 2015 Wichita State University announced they were closing the Observatory on August 22, 2015, as the school could no longer justify its expense.
Local astronomers began working with city officials and Wichita State University in order to reopen the observatory as a non-profit group. On June 29, the Wichita Eagle reported that an agreement between the City, Wichita State, and the Kansas Astronomical Observers had been reached and that the observatory would reopen over Labor Day weekend of 2016.
The observatory reopened to the public on September 2, 2016.
Location
The observatory is located at 25000 West 39th St. South (a.k.a. MacArthur Road), southwest of
Goddard, Kansas. It is a rural area on the north side of
Lake Afton
Lake Afton is a man-made recreational lake in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States, and within the Lake Afton Park. It is located east of the intersection of Viola Rd (263rd St W) and MacArthur Rd (39th St S), between the communities of God ...
.
Lake Afton Public Observatory Map
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Driving directions from the interchange at I-235 and US-54/ US-400 (a.k.a. Kellogg): 13 miles west on US-54/US-400, then 3 miles south on 263rd St. W, then 0.8 miles east on 39th St. S (a.k.a. MacArthur), observatory is located on the north side of the road.
See also
*List of observatories
This is a list of astronomical observatories ordered by name, along with initial dates of operation (where an accurate date is available) and location. The list also includes a final year of operation for many observatories that are no longer in ...
* Wichita State University
References
External links
*
* Sedgwick County Maps
CurrentHistoric
KDOT
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Astronomical observatories in Kansas
Public observatories
Buildings and structures in Sedgwick County, Kansas
Education in Sedgwick County, Kansas
Tourist attractions in Sedgwick County, Kansas