Braeside Observatory is a privately owned
astronomical
Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest include ...
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 ...
previously owned and operated by
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...
. It is located five miles west of
Flagstaff,
Arizona
Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
(US), near the U.S. Naval observatory. The observatory is made up of two buildings, the telescope building and the control building. The telescope building is where the observatory's 16" Cassegrain Reflector telescope is housed. The telescope is controlled from either the control building or from the university through computer controls.
History
The observatory was founded in 1976 by Robert Fried, a retired
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, operating nine hubs, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being its ...
captain, after a chance meeting with Sir
Patrick Moore
Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore (; 4 March 1923 – 9 December 2012) was an English amateur astronomer who attained prominence in that field as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter.
Moore's early interest in astro ...
inspired him to turn his astronomical hobby into something more concrete. The observatory was set up as a private operating foundation. After Mr. Fried's death in 2003, the university committed itself to keeping the observatory open as an educational and research facility.
In Spring 2010, the Braeside Observatory dome and telescope were sold to an out-of-state buyer, who removed the observatory from its Flagstaff home. Braeside Observatory thus no longer exists.
See also
*
List of observatories
This is a partial list of astronomical observatories ordered by name, along with initial dates of operation (where an accurate date is available) and location. The list also includes a final year of operation for many observatories that are no lon ...
References
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External links
Flagstaff Clear Sky ClockForecasts of observing conditions covering Braeside Observatory.
Astronomical observatories in Arizona
Buildings and structures in Flagstaff, Arizona
Defunct astronomical observatories
1976 establishments in Arizona
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