Van Vleck Observatory (VVO, IAU code 298) 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 ...

owned and operated by

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...

. It was built in 1914 and named after the former head of the Department of Mathematics and Astronomy at the university, Prof. John M. Van Vleck. It is located in Middletown,

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

(USA). This has a surviving

Great refractor Great refractor refers to a large telescope with a lens, usually the largest refractor at an observatory with an equatorial mount. The preeminence and success of this style in observational astronomy defines an era in modern telescopy in the 19t ...

, a long telescope with lens popular in the late 1800s, as well as some other telescopes.

Telescopes

The University owns three

telescope A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, Absorption (electromagnetic radiation), absorption, or Reflection (physics), reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally, it was an optical instrument using len ...

s. A and a are both used for weekly public observing nights, open to the Wesleyan community and the general public. The third telescope, the Perkins Telescope, is used primarily for research, including for senior and graduate student thesis projects, as well as for departmental research programs.Wesleyan University (university, Middletown, Connecticut, United States) – Britannica Online Encyclopedia
Britannica.com. Retrieved on 17 October 2011. The Perkins scope is one of the largest telescopes in New England. Wesleyan participates in a consortium of universities that operate the WIYN .9-meter telescope at the

Kitt Peak National Observatory The Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) is a United States astronomy, astronomical observatory located on Kitt Peak of the Quinlan Mountains in the Arizona-Sonoran Desert on the Tohono Oʼodham Nation, west-southwest of Tucson, Arizona. With ...

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 ...

. Students (undergraduate and graduate) and faculty have the opportunity to spend time in Arizona doing research with the telescope. Wesleyan also is a member of the Keck Northeast Astronomy Consortium (KNAC).Keck Northeast Astronomy Consortium
Swarthmore University. Retrieved 18 February 2011. A 6 inch aperture refractor was acquired by Wesleyan University in 1836, and this was the largest telescope in the United States until at least 1840. The telescope was moved into the collection of the Van Vleck observatory in the 20th century.

Directors

* Frederick Slocum, 1915–44 * Carl Leo Stearns, 1944–60 * Thornton Leigh Page, 1960–71 * Arthur R. Upgren, 1973–93 * William Herbst, 1993–99 * John Salzer, 1999–2004 * William Herbst, 2004–

References

External links

Van Vleck Observatory homepageThe Error Bar: The official blog of Van Vleck Observatory
{{Authority control Astronomical observatories in Connecticut Wesleyan University Buildings and structures in Middletown, Connecticut Tourist attractions in Middlesex County, Connecticut

Telescopes

Directors

See also

References

External links