The Bradley Observatory is an

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observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysics, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. Th ...

owned and operated by

Agnes Scott College Agnes Scott College is a Private university, private Women's Colleges in the Southern United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Decatur, Georgia. The college enrolls approximately 1,000 undergra ...

. It is located in Decatur, Georgia, east of

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, (USA). The observatory's largest telescope, the Beck Telescope, is a vintage 30 inch (750 mm)

Cassegrain reflector The Cassegrain reflector is a combination of a primary concave mirror and a secondary convex mirror, often used in optical telescopes and Antenna (radio), radio antennas, the main characteristic being that the optical path folds back onto itself, ...

built in 1930. The mount was built by Warner & Swasey, and the optics were built by Fecker. The telescope was originally owned and operated by an amateur astronomer, Mr. Henry Gibson. He offered the telescope for sale in Popular Astronomy magazine in 1947, seeking to upgrade his own telescope. Agnes Scott purchased it in 1947 for about $15,000 after an offer from the

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was declined for reasons related to the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

. For many years, the Beck telescope was the largest in the Southeast United States, only superseded when the Fernbank Observatory opened in 1972 with its telescope. The observatory was originally built in order to house the Beck telescope and was dedicated in 1950. It also houses classrooms, an observing plaza, faculty offices, and a 70-seat planetarium. The observatory is a contributing structure within the National Register South Candler Street-Agnes Scott College Historic District. Dr. Chris DePree served as Director of Bradley Observatory from 1997-2021. The current observatory director is Dr. Alexandra Yep.

References

External links

Official website

Forecasts of observing conditions covering Bradley Observatory. {{Portal bar, Georgia (U.S. state), Astronomy, Stars, Spaceflight, Outer space, Solar System, Education, Science Infrastructure completed in 1950 Astronomical observatories in Georgia (U.S. state) Buildings and structures in DeKalb County, Georgia Historic district contributing properties in Georgia (U.S. state) National Register of Historic Places in DeKalb County, Georgia Educational buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state) University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state) University and college buildings completed in 1950 1950 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)

See also

References

External links