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The University of Chicago has, once again after 13 years, decided to close famed Yerkes Observatory, the birthplace of American astrophysics and still home to the world’s largest operating lens type telescope. The University’s previous effort to shut down Yerkes began in 2005, when the college announced they planned to sell Yerkes to Mirbeau, an eastern resort company, for $10 million, to build a spa/resort on the lakefront Yerkes property and homes around the observatory main complex. The fate of the observatory structure and its contents were left up in the air.
The Lake Geneva community rose up at the prospective desecration of this beloved historical cradle of American astronomy, that includes the last 550 feet of undeveloped shoreland on the 26-mile circumference, spring-fed Lake Geneva, as well as acres of adjacent heavily wooded, steep land that had remained untouched for 120 years, since the university acquired it.
The uproar from the lakes community, university alumni, the news media and astronomy fans across the globe was so strong that by 2007 UC withdrew from their contract with Mirbeau, and agreed to continue to operate and invest in Yerkes as an astro-science education facility. Then just a few weeks ago, the university issued a news release saying that it once again plans to permanently close the doors at Yerkes, on October 1, 2018. Their subsequent plans for the observatory and its full 77-acre site are yet unknown. They have indicated they are open to proposals, though no potential terms have yet been announced. The local community is gathering forces and planning what steps to take to preserve this legendary stairway to the stars.
Yerkes Observatory opened the world’s eyes to the wonders of the universe, and the long lenses still playing across the night skies continue to have the capacity to open the minds of young people everywhere to new possibilities. Hopefully, the great university and the community that has been home to Yerkes for 120 years will use that long perspective to pave the way to an even brighter future for Yerkes, the great stargazer.
Yesterday, the University of Chicago, in a terse, surprise announcement, said that it intends to permanently cease operations and close historic Yerkes Observatory, which it has owned and operated since 1897. The closure is planned for October this year. It is where black holes were discovered and is one of the world’s original astrophysical laboratories, and home to what is still the world’s largest refracting telescope, the great 40-incher.
The complete news release from the University of Chicago is below.
This news apparently came as a total surprise to the staff and faculty at the observatory, located near Lake Geneva’s north shore in Williams Bay. About 10 years ago, the university sold the observatory and its approximately 80-acre lakeside site to a resort developer. The lake community, which prides itself on the conservation of natural lands and water through the region, and for which the observatory is virtually its trademark to both residents and tourists, rose up, and with the influence of university alumni and the news media, convinced the university to cancel that sale and continue operations, reinvesting in the facility and evolving from a focus on astronomical research to education.
What will become of the famed facility and its staff and faculty? No one yet knows.
Is it possible the university might donate or sell the observatory and its valuable site, which includes that last 550 feet of undeveloped shoreline on Lake Geneva, to some not-for-profit organization to operate as a museum, research or education center? Such candidates might include the observatory’s next door neighbor on the lake, George Williams College (an operation of Aurora University in Illinois), or the University of Wisconsin, or the Wisconsin Historical Society (which owns and operates the Black Point estate across the lake), or the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, or the Village of Williams Bay, or the Geneva Lake Museum?
Whatever course evolves, this grand architectural and scientific institution, which has been maintained in excellent condition for more than a century deserves resurrection and a place in the Lake Geneva area’s future, not just its past. What is needed is big thinking, that is as grand as the observatory and the universe it was built to explore. If developing that vision needs a hand, perhaps the world’s largest refracting telescope can help.
News Release from the University of Chicago:
The University of Chicago has announced plans to wind down its activities at Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wis., over the next six months and to formally cease on-site operations by Oct. 1, 2018.
The upcoming summer season will therefore be the final season of University activities at Yerkes. The University is announcing the plans well in advance in order to engage with Yerkes staff and nearby communities, including the village of Williams Bay, in considering long-term plans for the property.
Despite its important history, the Yerkes facility and its instrumentation no longer contribute directly to the research mission of the University of Chicago, which has made major investments in the Magellan and Giant Magellan telescopes in Chile. Yerkes has continued to make important contributions through its education and outreach programs, and that work, which remains important to the University, will now relocate to the Hyde Park campus.
“Science at Yerkes in the 20th century led to key discoveries and advances in the field of astronomy, when the observatory helped build the foundation for modern astrophysics,” said Edward (Rocky) Kolb, dean of the Division of the Physical Sciences and a professor in the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics. “It is an important part of the history of the University, and we hope it will become, in some form, a valuable resource to the surrounding community and visitors to the Lake Geneva area.”
Since the observatory was established by the University in 1897, it has been the home of groundbreaking work by scientists such as George Ellery Hale, Edwin Hubble and Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. The facility was the home of UChicago’s Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics from the time it opened until it began relocating to Hyde Park in the 1960s. In recent decades, the University’s research in observational astronomy has shifted to using facilities located all over the globe and in space.
The University and staff at Yerkes will honor existing commitments for events at the facility scheduled before Oct. 1, and will accept new bookings on a case-by-case basis.
“Unfortunately, operating Yerkes no longer makes sense for the University from a programmatic or cost standpoint. Drawing to a close our operations there is the first step in a collaborative process to determine the ultimate disposition of the buildings and property,” said David Fithian, executive vice president of the University. “We currently have no specific plans nor have we approached any potential buyers.”
Derek Douglas, vice president for civic engagement and external affairs, will represent the University in discussing options with the leadership of Williams Bay and its residents starting this month.
Fresh from the director of Yerkes Observatory at Williams Bay, Wisconsin…
DECEMBER ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS
…….you can watch without a telescope.
First, the Geminid meteor shower will peak on Monday night and Tuesday morning December 13-14, though there should be a reasonable number of meteors visible for a few nights before and after that. Meteors, often called shooting stars, are seen as streaks of light moving rapidly across the sky. They are actually small particles burning up as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere. Earth encounters streams of these particles at specific times each year, resulting in predictable meteor showers. The August Perseid meteor shower is probably best known, but the December Geminids are often equally good (though December weather is more often cloudy and temperatures are less pleasant for spending night hours outdoors). To watch these meteors, dress very warmly, find a reasonably dark location, and look up. You should see at least several meteors in a half hour of watching, depending on how clear and dark the sky is. Geminids will appear to streak away from the constellation of Gemini, north of the well-known figure of Orion, but can be seen in any part of the sky, so watch the darkest part of your sky. Gemini will have risen in the eastern sky by 8 pm, though the best meteor viewing will be when it is much higher around and after midnight. The Moon will brighten the western sky somewhat during the first half of the night on Dec. 13-14.
The second event is a total eclipse of the Moon on Monday night and Tuesday morning December 20-21. Lunar eclipses occur when the Moon passes through Earth’s shadow. The partial phase of this eclipse will begin at 12:33 am, though there should be some shadowing visible for perhaps half an hour before that. The Moon will be totally eclipsed from 1:41 to 2:17 am, with another partial phase following totality. The Moon will move from very high in the southeast to moderately high in the west during these hours. During totality the Moon is sometimes so dim as to be almost invisible, but more often is easily visible with a reddish color. Unlike a meteor shower, where one should plan to spend quite awhile outdoors in a reasonably dark location, a lunar eclipse can be viewed by simply going outdoors a few minutes at a time anywhere, and even with a partly cloudy sky. The next total lunar eclipse visible from here will occur in mid-April 2014, an unusually long gap between such eclipses, so try to catch this one if weather permits.
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