“Living St. Louis,” a show on KETC (Channel 9) that showcases the colorful culture of our region, will include a segment on Washington University’s Crow observatory tonight at 7 p.m. The segment will also air at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 15, and by Wednesday, April 11, it will be streamed on KETC’s Web site at www.ketc.org.
The observatory’s telescope is the oldest instrument still in use by the Department of Physics in Arts & Sciences. At the inaugural ceremonies of Washington University in 1857, William Greenleaf Eliot, the University’s co-founder, announced that the local philanthropist James Yeatman had donated $1,500 for the making of a superior telescope.
Its construction was completed in 1860. The lenses for the 6-inch refractor, made by Henry Fitz & Co., and refigured in 1882 by Alvan Clark & Sons, are still in use today.
The Smithsonian Institution has expressed an interest in the Yeatman refractor because of the importance of Fitz and Clark — two of the most noted American telescope makers of the 19th century. However, no plans exist to retire the present instrument.
During the late 19th century, the observatory was located at 18th and St. Charles streets in downtown St. Louis and served as a source of standard time for the region.
In 1905, as the University moved west to the Danforth Campus, the observatory moved to a site where Louderman Hall now stands. In 1954, a new dome was constructed and the observatory moved to its present location atop Crow Hall.
The observatory is open to the Washington University community on reasonably clear Monday through Friday evenings, usually from 7 or 8 to 10 p.m. during the academic year, depending on sky conditions. Visitors should call 314-935-OBSV (314-935-6278) during viewing hours to make sure that the observatory is open.
For more information on the observatory and its telescope, visit http://wuphys.wustl.edu/Resources/CrowObservatory/index.php.