Brief History and Future
There has been an observatory of some type for over 50 years at the University of Utah. Older visitors in the ages of 60's and 70's visiting the observatory tell
of when they were just 10 years in age, going to the U's observatory with their family to see Jupiter and Saturn. The observatory was built on
the roof of the South Phyics building in 1976 and housed a 16 inch Cassegrain telescope which now resides at the Stansbury Park Observatory Complex. After the university was required to install an elevator,
the observatory went through another change and was relocated to a different location on the roof. In 2001, The Willard L. Eccles Foundation
donated funds to purchase new telescopes, cameras, a spectrograph, and other items for the observatory which is now on the roof of the South
Physics building. New mounts and housings were installed for the telescopes and we have the observatory as we see it today.
The observatory is currently used to host our star parties, scout tours, and a classroom for the U's Observational Astronomy course (phys 2060/4060, astr 2060/4060).
The Observational Astronomy course provides instruction on telescope use, astrophotography, basic and advanced astronomy research techniques. Class sizes range from
10 to 30 students per semester and is growing in popularity each year. Currently, the U offers a minor in astronomy and within the next few years
(projected 2009), the U hopes to have a undergraduate major and graduate program in astronomy and astrophysics. For more information on the current
minor offered by the U physics department, click here
.
Once again, the Willard L. Eccles Foundation and the E.R. & E.W. Dumke foundation has donated funds for a new observatory for the University of Utah to be installed somewhere in southern Utah.
It will be a robotic telescope remotely operated from the University for use by students and researchers at the U. At this time (Aug. 2008),
a site has been located and efforts to receive land use permits and construction estimates are under way. The telescope purchased from DFM Engineering is an open truss Cassegrain design, fork mounted, 32 inch telescope.
Projections of completion of the observatory are for August 2009. The type of research will include infared observations (if above 9300 ft. or 3000 meters),
extra terrestrial planet searching, gamma ray bursts, and other research.
For more information, visit the Southern Utah Observatory website.
