The Willard L. Eccles Observatory (WEO) 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 on Frisco Peak in the
San Francisco Mountains of
Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
(USA), about northwest of
Milford, Utah
Milford is a city in Beaver County, Utah, Beaver County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,431 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, up from the 2010 figure of 1,409.
History
Although settlers had established ranches in the ar ...
. The observatory is owned and operated by the
University of Utah
The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...
, and opened in 2010. The observatory features a
Ritchey-Chretien telescope built by
DFM Engineering
DFM Engineering is an American telescope and optics manufacturer founded in 1979 by Frank Melsheimer in Longmont, Colorado, following the successful construction of a then-novel 36-inch telescope for the Monterey Institute for Research in Astron ...
on an
equatorial mount
An equatorial mount is a mount for instruments that compensates for Earth's rotation by having one rotational axis, called ''polar axis'', parallel to the Earth's axis of rotation. This type of mount is used for astronomical telescope mount, tel ...
.
The construction of the observatory was funded by donations from the Willard L. Eccles Foundation and the E.R. & E.W. Dumke Foundation.
See also
*
West Mountain Observatory
West Mountain Observatory (WMO) is an astronomical observatory located on West Mountain near the community of West Mountain, Utah United States, about southwest of Provo. The observatory is owned and operated by Brigham Young University (BYU), ...
*
List of astronomical 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
External links
Department of Physics & Astronomyat the University of Utah
Forecasts of observing conditions.
Astronomical observatories in Utah
University of Utah buildings and structures
Buildings and structures in Beaver County, Utah
2009 establishments in Utah
University and college buildings completed in 2009
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