The Portage Lake Observatory (PLO) was an

astronomical Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galaxies ...

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 ...

owned and operated by the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

(UM). It was located near the village of

Dexter, Michigan Dexter is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,067 at the 2010 census. Dexter Township is located to the northwest and does not border the city, and the two are administered autonomously. The townshi ...

(USA), about northwest of

Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), ...

. Construction at the site began in 1948, and the facility was closed in 1975. Other observatories that UM has operated include the

Detroit Observatory The Detroit Observatory is located on the corner of Observatory and Ann streets in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was built in 1854, and was the first scientific research facility at the University of Michigan and one of the oldest observatories of its ty ...

(Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1854), the

Angell Hall Observatory Angell Hall Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by University of Michigan. It is located on the UM Central Campus on top of Angell Hall in Ann Arbor, Michigan (US). It has a computer-controlled 0.4-m Cassegrain telesco ...

(Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1927), the

Lamont–Hussey Observatory The Lamont–Hussey Observatory (LHO) was an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the University of Michigan (UM). It was located in the city of Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa. Construction at the site began in 1927, and the f ...

(

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, 1928), the

McMath–Hulbert Observatory The McMath-Hulbert Solar Observatory is a solar observatory in Lake Angelus, Michigan, USA. It was established in 1929 as a private observatory by father and son Francis Charles McMath and Robert Raynolds McMath and their friend, Judge Henry Hu ...

(

Lake Angelus, Michigan Lake Angelus is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is an affluent suburb of Detroit, with one of the highest per capita incomes of any community in the state. History In the early 1900s, a small community formed around t ...

, 1930), and the

Peach Mountain Observatory The Peach Mountain Observatory (PMO) is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the University of Michigan (UM). It is located near the village of Dexter, Michigan (USA), about northwest of Ann Arbor. It was opened in 1955, and is used ...

(Dexter, Michigan, 1955).

Telescopes

* A

reflecting telescope A reflecting telescope (also called a reflector) is a telescope that uses a single or a combination of curved mirrors that reflect light and form an image. The reflecting telescope was invented in the 17th century by Isaac Newton as an alternati ...

was built by

Tinsley Laboratories Tinsley may refer to: People *Tinsley (surname) *Tinsley Mortimer (born 1976), American socialite *Tinsley Ellis (born 1957), American rock and blues musician Places United Kingdom *Tinsley, South Yorkshire, a suburb of Sheffield, England **Tin ...

in 1969 and installed at PLO the same year. In 1975 it was moved to

Kitt Peak National Observatory The Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) is a United States astronomy, astronomical observatory located on Kitt Peak of the Quinlan Mountains in the Arizona-Sonoran Desert on the Tohono Oʼodham Nation, west-southwest of Tucson, Arizona. With ...

near

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

, where it is now known as the McGraw-Hill Telescope. * The Heber Doust Curtis Telescope is a

Schmidt camera A Schmidt camera, also referred to as the Schmidt telescope, is a catadioptric astrophotographic telescope designed to provide wide fields of view with limited aberrations. The design was invented by Bernhard Schmidt in 1930. Some notable exa ...

that began operating at PLO in 1950. It was moved to the

Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory The Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) is an astronomical observatory located on Cerro Tololo in the Coquimbo Region of northern Chile, with additional facilities located on Cerro Pachón about to the southeast. It is approximately ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

in 1967, where it is referred to as the Curtis Schmidt Telescope.

References

External links

University Lowbrow Astronomers homepage

Department of Astronomy
at the University of Michigan {{Portal bar, Michigan, Astronomy, Stars, Spaceflight, Outer space, Solar System, Education, Science

Astronomical observatories in Michigan {{GeoGroup Michi Michi may refer to: People ;Given name * Michi (born 1996), Japanese J-pop singer * MiChi (born 1985), British singer * Michi Atkins, former WNBA basketball player *Michi Beck (born 1967), DJ and MC of the German hip hop group '' ...

University of Michigan Buildings and structures in Washtenaw County, Michigan Defunct astronomical observatories 1948 establishments in Michigan

Telescopes

See also

References

External links