Location
The University of Florida Astronomy Teaching Observatory is located on the UF campus, south of the Reitz Union parking lot, and west of the Aerospace Engineering building, off of Museum Road.
Facilities
The mission of the Teaching Observatory is to support the instruction of undergraduate astronomy laboratory courses and to accommodate the Astronomy Department’s Public Open Houses. To fulfill this mission, the Teaching Observatory is now equipped with a variety of telescopes and accessories.
Telescopes
- Clark 8-inch Refractor by Alvan Clark & Sons – 203 mm / 2920 mm = f/14
An historic 8-inch Clark refractor that delivers exquisite views of the Moon and the planets. - 14-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain LX200 GPS by Meade Instruments – 356 mm / 3556 mm = f/10
- 12-inch Schmidt- Cassegrain LX200 GPS by Meade Instruments – 305 mm / 3048 mm = f/10
On movable tripod; computer controlled. - 11-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain NextStar GPS – 279mm/2800mm = f/10
- 11-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain CPCDeluxe HD GPS by Celestron – 280mm/2800mm f/10
- 8-inch Schmidt- Cassegrain by Meade Instruments – 200 mm / 2000 mm = f/10
Six telescopes that can be mounted on permanent piers outside the observatory building. - 5-inch Schmidt- Cassegrain by Celestron International – 127 mm / 1200 mm = f/10
Four telescopes that can be mounted on permanent piers outside the observatory building.
All the telescopes (except the 5-inch Schmidt-Cassegrains) are equipped with drive correctors and hand-held slow-motion control panels. The 12-inch Cassegrain and the 8-inch Clark are permanently mounted inside the observatory building, which is equipped with a sliding roof. The Schmidt-Cassegrains are mounted on six permanent piers in front of the observatory building.
Four astronomical CCD cameras (SBIG ST-402) are available that produce images to complement visual observations during the instruction of the undergraduate laboratory courses and the public night events
Accessories
- Three pairs of binoculars
- Solar and lunar filters, color and polarization filters for planetary observations, and light pollution filters for deep-sky observations
- A variety of quality eyepieces for visual observations
- A computer with astronomical and multimedia presentation software, to support both the teaching and public night activities
- Astronomical maps, atlases, calendars, reference books and other observing aids
Brief History
Established in 1956 to house an historic 8-inch Alvan Clark refracting telescope donated by a wealthy Chicago architect, Richard Schmidt, the University of Florida Astronomy Teaching Observatory was originally located on a small hill south of the University Police Station overlooking what is now the Medical Center. By the late 1960’s the university decided to build a Centrex telephone system building on this side. Consequently, the Observatory was moved to its present location south of the Reitz Union about 1970.
