The Theodor Jacobsen Observatory is the on-campus
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 ...
of the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...
. Built in 1895, it is the second oldest building on campus and was constructed using the remaining
Tenino sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
blocks from
Denny Hall
Denny Hall is a building on the main campus of the University of Washington, in Seattle, Washington, United States. Built between 1894 and 1895, it is named after Arthur A. Denny.
Design
Denny Hall was designed by Charles Saunders and construct ...
, the oldest and first building on campus. The
refracting telescope
A refracting telescope (also called a refractor) is a type of optical telescope that uses a lens (optics), lens as its objective (optics), objective to form an image (also referred to a dioptrics, dioptric telescope). The refracting telescope d ...
, enclosed within the dome, has a 6-inch
Brashear objective lens
In optical engineering, the objective is the optical element that gathers light from the object being observed and Focus (optics), focuses the ray (optics), light rays to produce a real image. Objectives can be a single Lens (optics), lens or mirr ...
on a Warner & Swasey
equatorial mount
An equatorial mount is a mount for instruments that compensates for Earth's rotation by having one rotational axis, the polar axis, parallel to the Earth's axis of rotation. This type of mount is used for astronomical telescopes and cameras. The ...
. The observatory also includes a
transit
Transit may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Transit'' (1979 film), a 1979 Israeli film
* ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countries in the world
* ''Transit'' (2006 film), a 2006 ...
room on the west side and a 45-seat classroom, which was built later, on the south side.
Today, the observatory is primarily used for public outreach and is run jointly by the UW Department of
Astronomy
Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...
and the Seattle Astronomical Society. Every first and third Wednesday between April and September the observatory is open to the public.
The observatory is listed on the
State Register of Historical Buildings.
Information on the original design and building of the observatory by Prof. Joseph Marion Taylor may be found on the University of Washington Astronomy Department website and other sources.
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 ...
References
External links
Official Website (updated 2019-Apr-25)Seattle Astronomical Society Website
Astronomical observatories in Washington (state)
Public observatories
University of Washington campus
1895 establishments in Washington (state)
Buildings and structures completed in 1895
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