Dyer Observatory

Location1000 Oman Dr., Nashville, TennesseeCoordinates36°03′08″N86°48′18″W / 36.05222°N 86.80500°W / 36.05222; -86.80500Area9 acres (36,000 m)Built1953NRHP reference No.09000114Added to NRHPMarch 6, 2009

The Dyer Observatory, also known as the Arthur J. Dyer Observatory, is an astronomicalobservatory owned and operated by Vanderbilt University. Built in 1953, it is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and is the only university facility not located on the main campus in Nashville. The observatory is named after Arthur J. Dyer, who paid for the observatory's 24-foot (7.3 m)-wide dome, and houses a 24-inch (610 mm) reflecting telescope named for astronomer Carl Seyfert. Today, the observatory primarily serves as a teaching tool; its mission is to interest the public in the fields of astronomy, science and engineering. The observatory was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 6, 2009.