Lake Afton Public Observatory (LAPO) is an

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 ...

located southwest of

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...

in a rural area of Sedgwick County on the north side of

Lake Afton Lake Afton is a man-made recreational lake in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States, and within the Lake Afton Park. It is located east of the intersection of Viola Rd (263rd St W) and MacArthur Rd (39th St S), between the communities of G ...

. At the heart of the observatory is a F/13

Ritchey–Chrétien telescope A Ritchey–Chrétien telescope (RCT or simply RC) is a specialized variant of the Cassegrain telescope that has a hyperboloid, hyperbolic primary mirror and a hyperbolic secondary mirror designed to eliminate off-axis optical errors (Coma (optic ...

along with a piggyback mounted 6-inch (150 mm) F/8 apochromatic refractor. The facility also features an exhibit room filled with educational material on stargazing, the physics of light, and the history of Astronomy. There is also an observing area to the North of the building for local astronomers to set up their own telescopes. The observatory offers programs for the public every weekend throughout the year along with various private, and school programs throughout the week.

History

It was established in 1979 through the cooperation and support of Sedgwick County, the City of Wichita, and Wichita State University's Fairmount Center for Science and Mathematics Education. The Observatory was operated by Wichita State University's Fairmount Center with additional funds from Sedgwick County for facilities. In June 2015 Wichita State University announced they were closing the Observatory on August 22, 2015, as the school could no longer justify its expense. Local astronomers began working with city officials and Wichita State University in order to reopen the observatory as a non-profit group. On June 29, the Wichita Eagle reported that an agreement between the City, Wichita State, and the Kansas Astronomical Observers had been reached and that the observatory would reopen over Labor Day weekend of 2016. The observatory reopened to the public on September 2, 2016.

Location

The observatory is located at 25000 West 39th St. South (a.k.a. MacArthur Road), southwest of

Goddard, Kansas Goddard is a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States, and a western suburb of Wichita. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 5,084. History In 1883, Ezekiel Wilder purchased farmland on the planned railway of the A ...

. It is a rural area on the north side of

.Lake Afton Public Observatory Map
/ref> Driving directions from the interchange at I-235 and US-54/ US-400 (a.k.a. Kellogg): 13 miles west on US-54/US-400, then 3 miles south on 263rd St. W, then 0.8 miles east on 39th St. S (a.k.a. MacArthur), observatory is located on the north side of the road.

References

External links

* * Sedgwick County Maps
Current

Historic
, KDOT {{Portal bar, Astronomy, Stars, Spaceflight, Outer space, Solar System, Education, Science Astronomical observatories in Kansas Public observatories Buildings and structures in Sedgwick County, Kansas Education in Sedgwick County, Kansas Tourist attractions in Sedgwick County, Kansas

History

Location

See also

References

External links