By December of 1905 the University had purchased a telescope
for $1,000 but there were no accommodations for its mounting. It was recommended to the Board of Trustees that
to build a suitable observatory building and to cover the cost for proper care
of the telescope would cost around $2,000.
A request was made to the Board of Trustees that an appropriation in
that amount be named. This first campus
observatory was located on the northeast corner of what is now McVey Hall.
By 1928 the University campus had grown. The Board of Trustees
minutes reflect the need to move the observatory because it was in the way of
the new recitation building that was then being built. It was stated that although it was convenient
to have the observatory building close to the university center so that
students could reach it during the intervals between classes that it was almost
useless because there was now insufficient elevation all the way around, and
the reflected lights from the city interfered with viewing.
In 1929 President McVey presented to the Board the matter of
the observatory which had by then been removed from central campus. He recommended that the observatory be
reconstructed at the head of Woodland Avenue on the University farm, indicating
that this location was quiet, out of reach of the city, and would be fairly
suitable for observation purposes at that point. The motion was made, seconded, and carried. In 1930, bids were put out for construction
and it was completed in 1931.
The
observatory contained two refractor telescopes, one equatorially mounted 8-inch
and one, 2/12-inch. A 20-inch reflector
telescope was purchased soon after.
Through the telescopes, one could see craters and mountains on the moon,
various planets, comets, and stars. A
photographic attachment was added to the telescope for making pictures of
astronomical observations. The
observatory was ultimately constructed on the experiment station farm at the
intersection of Woodland and Hilltop Avenues.
By 1959, Cooperstown had been constructed and lights were
once again interfering with viewing so a new observatory location was once
again under consideration. At this
point, the observatory was open to the public every Thursday evening from
7:30-8:30. However by 1963, the
observatory was considered surplus to the needs of the University and
dismantled in 1965. The telescope and
dome were given to Eastern Kentucky University.
In 2008, the third campus observatory officially began
operations. The MacAdam Observatory was
built after a $250,000 gift from Keith and Phyllis MacAdam initiated the
project and was matched by the Research Challenge Trust fund.
The MacAdam Student Observatory is a University of Kentucky building located
on top of parking garage structure #2 that is used by faculty
and students for research and learning.
The MacAdam Student Observatory staff are pleased to welcome
the public to the facility and present a program of public outreach on every
second Thursday of the month.
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