Bradley Observatory

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bradley Observatory
Bradley Observatory entrance and dome.
Organization	Agnes Scott College
Location	Decatur, Georgia
Coordinates	33°45′54.84″N, 84°17′38.98″W[1]
Altitude	315.27 m (1034.37 ft)[2]
Established	1950
Website bradley.agnesscott.edu
Telescopes Beck Telescope 0.76 meter Cassegrain reflector optical

The Bradley Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Agnes Scott College. It is located in Decatur, Georgia, 5 miles east of Atlanta, Georgia, (USA). The observatory's largest telescope, the Beck Telescope, is a vintage 30 inch (750 mm) Cassegrain reflector built in 1930. The telescope was owned and operated by an amateur astronomer, Mr. Gibson. He offered the telescope for sale, seeking to upgrade his own telescope. Agnes Scott purchased it in 1947 for about $15,000. For many years, the Beck telescope was the larges in the Southeast United States, until the Fernbank Observatory opened in 1972 with its 36 inch telescope. ^[3]

The observatory was built in order to house the Beck telescope and was dedicated in 1950.^[4] It also houses faculty offices and a planetarium. The observatory is a contributing structure within the National Register South Candler Street-Agnes Scott College Historic District.

[edit] See also

• List of observatories

[edit] References

1. ^ Department of Physics and Astronomy, Agnes Scott College. Bradley Observatory - Facilities. Retrieved on October 16, 2007.
2. ^ U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey traverse station at Bradley. Retrieved October 16, 2007.
3. ^ Lecture by Chris De Pree, "Sixty Years of Amateur Astronomy," November 9, 2007
4. ^ Bradley Observatory. Bradley Observatory homepage. Retrieved on December 16, 2005.

[edit] External links

• Altanta Clear Sky Clock Forecasts of observing conditions covering Bradley Observatory.