Kirkwood Observatory

Infobox Observatory
name = Kirkwood Observatory


caption = Kirkwood Observatory, 2006.
organization = Indiana University
location = Bloomington, Indiana, U.S.A.
coords = coord|39|09|57|N|86|31|34|W|
altitude = 235 meters (770 ft)
weather = See the [http://cleardarksky.com/c/BlmngtnINkey.html?1 Clear Sky Clock]
established = 1901
closed =
website= [http://www.astro.indiana.edu/kirkwood.shtml]
telescope1_name = Warner & Swasey
telescope1_type = 0.3-meter (12-inch) refractor
telescope2_name = Solar telescope
telescope2_type = heliostat, spectrograph, digital hydrogen-alpha imaging

Kirkwood Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Indiana University. It is located in Bloomington, Indiana (USA). It is named for Daniel Kirkwood (1814 - 1895) an astronomer and professor of mathematics at Indiana University who discovered the divisions of the asteroid belt known as the Kirkwood Gaps.

Built in 1900 and dedicated on May 15, 1901, the observatory was thoroughly renovated during the 2001-2002 academic year. Although the facility is no longer used for research, its original refracting telescope, built by Warner & Swasey Company with a 12-inch (0.3m) Brashear objective lens, also received a complete restoration.

Directors
*John A. Miller (1901-1906)
*Wilbur A. Cogshall (1907-1944)
*Frank K. Edmondson (1944-1978)

Kirkwood Observatory also has an instructional solar telescope.

See also

*List of observatories

References

#

External links

* [http://www.topoquest.com/map.asp?z=16&n=4335268&e=540967&datum=nad83 Topographical map from TopoQuest]
* [http://cleardarksky.com/c/BlmngtnINkey.html?1 Bloomington Clear Sky Clock] Forecasts of observing conditions covering Kirkwood Observatory.