As usual, things are looking up at the University of Illinois Observatory. The same goes for the mood as the historic, 117-year-old telescope that lies at the roots of the astronomy program has been renovated for the first time in almost 60 years.
Bryan Dunne, assistant chair and professor in the Department of Astronomy, says the 12-inch Brashear refracting telescope is star-gazing again after last summer’s roughly $50,000 restoration was completed by Ray Museum Studios of Swarthmore, Penn. Visitors can get a glimpse of the telescope (and its crystal clear views, weather permitting) at an open house on Friday, Oct. 25, during Homecoming weekend.
The renovation made news last spring as parts of the telescope were lifted through the dome by crane before being shipped for the renovation. The work included rehabilitating the telescope tube, repairing the gears and motors, renovating the mount and pier, and reestablishing the telescope’s historic appearance.
The telescope, installed at the top of a winding flight of stairs when the Observatory opened in 1896, was used by Joel Stebbins in the early 20th century during his groundbreaking research on the brightness of stars. His work was so important that in 1989 the Observatory was named a National Historic Landmark.
The Observatory is no longer used for research, but each year thousands of students and visitors still use the telescope for classes or public open houses. The building is one of the oldest on campus, and it once sat alone on the very southern edge of campus before others sprung up around it.
The telescope renovation was paid for by a combination of funding from the Friends of the University of Illinois Observatory, formed in 2011 by alumni to support the preservation of the building, and the Chancellor’s Fund, a campus gift fund supported by alumni and friends of the University.
“This is a nice first step,” says David Leake (BA ’83, physics), a member of the Friends of the University of Illinois Observatory who now serves as director of the planetarium at nearby Parkland College. “Hopefully we can also get the building back to its [original] structural integrity.”
The open house on October 25 will take place from 8-10 p.m., but those who want to see the renovated telescope with the lights on can stop by as early as 7 p.m. At 8 p.m. the lights will be turned off for observing the sky.
