Yerkes observatory

The observatory Yerkes is a astronomical Observatoire pertaining to the Université of Chicago to Williams Bay in the Wisconsin.

Yerkes is created in 1897 by George Ellery Hale and is financed by Charles T. Yerkes. The observatory integrates as of its beginnings a laboratory of Physique and Chimie. It is equipped with a Telescope with 102 cm built by Alvan Clark, it is the largest telescope before the construction of the Observatoire of the Mount Wilson, it is frequently mentioned like the largest telescope ever built but glasses of 125 cm were built for the World Fair of 1900 to Paris but which never functioned correctly.

A of the same telescope diameter is also built, the lenses for the glasses and the telescope is provided by a Parisian optician, Mantois, for the price of 20.000 $ of the time. The complete observatory totals 349.000 $.

Current research includes studies on the interstellar Milieu, the formation of the globular Amas S and the objects géocroiseurs. The observatory comprises also a section of engineering dedicated to the maintenance of the instruments.

In March 2005 the Université of Chicago announced the sale of the observatory and of his grounds, the purchaser, a property developer wants to build houses of luxuries there. Several organizations are opposed to this sale and plead for the safeguard of the site.

Part of the film Poursuite occurs near the observatory, including a sight of a character who during his first appearance is making observations with the naked eye in the Telescope of 102 cm.

See too

List of the largest glasses

External bonds

Official site
Description and history of the National Park Service.
a site dedicated to the safeguard of the observatory

Random links: