Yerkes Observatory

[Peter De Smidt]

We took the terrific tour here. The work for a number of Nobel Prizes was done here.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2fb3pn524o3dyck/Rotunda.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/atdxp5i3wtnbgbk/Rotunda_2.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/h1q4vwnsqb2ghsb/hall.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a3d4lr5xrq31w34/Library.jpg?raw=1

[Peter De Smidt]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/53kpov68ogr5nbc/LIbrary_camera.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5zq5ceb4how7r4o/Library_Group.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nnod264j9oyc1q7/books.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hnt3drh6cyc985y/Einstein.jpg?raw=1

[Peter De Smidt]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/56cm2np28b3c188/tele_1.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/khsxvybunnf1uk1/Tele_2.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/eyyrir1lphrp62q/Tele_3.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/lp02yv0t2ao14ef/tele_4.jpg?raw=1

[Peter De Smidt]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/94mach9slncqdcw/colored_skylights.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/cazpiwt1nkcyo0q/Glass_Plates.jpg?raw=1

The plate-changing room....the wall behind is blurry, because the whole platform around the telescope in an elevator, and it's going down!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8d16txysovdduqf/plate_change.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/o3sm6ll9skxsr8o/enlarger.jpg?raw=1

[Peter De Smidt]

Carl Sagan made the following sphere. He projected images of the moon onto it. NASA took notice, and this is how his relationship with then began.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/auroepps5m5g8us/sagan_sphere.jpg?raw=1

[nolindan]

Thanks very much for the tour. I didn't realize it was located in southern Wisconsin - I would have said somewhere on a peak behind LA.

[Peter De Smidt]

Thanks. I think you're thinking of Mount
Wilson.

[Bernice Loui]

Thanks much for sharing Peter...

Ideas to ponder..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUWDJh8Vgt4&list=PLQvzVjHW5eHimPA48giAFevZgKCEe_-P1&index=10


Bernice

[Peter De Smidt]

You're welcome, Bernice. I show a version of Sagan's Pale Blue Dot at the start of every semester.

[diversey]

Thanks for sharing. I have been in Lake Geneva/Wisconsin several times and have never noticed this observatory prior to 2017.

[Peter De Smidt]

Thanks for sharing. I have been in Lake Geneva/Wisconsin several times and have never noticed this observatory prior to 2017.

I didn't know about it until recently, either. Up until 2020, it was owned and run by the University of Chicago. I doubt they did tours.

[Mark Sampson]

If I'm right, that is the largest refracting telescope ever made, with a 40" diameter lens. And still in use!

[Peter De Smidt]

If I'm right, that is the largest refracting telescope ever made, with a 40" diameter lens. And still in use!

Yes. That's what they told us. It's moved roughly by hand via that round hand grip. There's a hole in the wood floor because Carl Sagan wasn't paying attention when he quickly raised the platform.....smack into the telescope. That makes me feel a little better when I do something like forget to pull the darkslide....:)

I may go back and take some pictures with LF film.....if they're amendable....they seemed interested.

There's a much more extensive tour run once a week. It includes the darkroom. In spring, Janice and I will take that one, as well.

[Tin Can]

I used to ride right by it for decades

Escape from Chicago

I always take the slowest and least traffic route when in WI

[djdister]

That's a cool building, even if it wasn't an observatory. If they will let you take LF shots, it would be criminal to not follow up.



Yes. That's what they told us. It's moved roughly by hand via that round hand grip. There's a hole in the wood floor because Carl Sagan wasn't paying attention when he quickly raised the platform.....smack into the telescope. That makes me feel a little better when I do something like forget to pull the darkslide....:)

I may go back and take some pictures with LF film.....if they're amendable....they seemed interested.

There's a much more extensive tour run once a week. It includes the darkroom. In spring, Janice and I will take that one, as well.

[Tin Can]

Glass Plates!


That's a cool building, even if it wasn't an observatory. If they will let you take LF shots, it would be criminal to not follow up.

[Peter De Smidt]

Glass Plates!

Nope. I don't have any plateholders, and I have no experience developing them.

[Corran]

Awesome! Love the views of the telescope. Hope you can do the LF photos! Maybe through the telescope even ;).

[Tin Can]

Astronomers used glass plates up until recently

The tour will have some





Nope. I don't have any plateholders, and I have no experience developing them.

[Peter De Smidt]

Yes, they still use glass plates.

[Tin Can]

Evidently the many historical star prints are very valuable for advanced expert show and tell

i read

[r_a_feldman]

One of their best resourses is a very long sequence (in decades) of solar images. They provide great historical records of solar activity.

The observatory did offer tours when it was run by U of C, but that stopped around 2018. Went there with my family about 20 years ago.

The facility was almost sold off for a vacation home development in 2006. It is now owned by a private foundation.

The history of C. T. Yerkes in interesting in itself. He was one of the main reasons the Chicago L got built, but not without a fair amount of false companies, bribery, and blackmail on his part.