Browse Items (71 total)

The original medals were donated by Robert Stebbins, grandson of Joel Stebbins, to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Replicas were produced in 2015 for the University of Illinois Observatory.

Draper Medal awarded by the National Academy of…

Wood, metal, glass

Purchased by the Astronomy Club in 1985 at an estate sale, the clock was missing the dial and door but still retained the wooden case, paper instructions, wires, hands, pendulum, and clock mechanism. In 2011, Dr. Bruce Hannon…

Metal, glass

Also Foucault siderostat. Marked “Societe Genevoise, pour la construction, D’instruments de physcique, Geneve.” Wind up drive does not work. Spirit level on black metal base with 3 leveling screws.

Siderostats are used with a…

There are three Astro Compass Mark II, in green wooden boxes with canvas handles. It can be pointed at a known star, including the sun, and used to indicate true north. Manual included.

Looking south toward the north entrance of the Observatory. The transit telescope is visible in the window of the western most transit room. This transit telescope had an objective of 2-inch diameter and was made by Newton & Company of London,…

Metal, brass, glass, wood

Donated by Mrs. Ruth Scott of Chrisman Illinois in 1971. Equipped with solar filter, diagonal, slow motion, 60 mm guide telescope, 25 and 50 mm finders, equatorial mount on heavy movable wooden tripod. Valued at $1,500 in…

Wood, metal, glass

Stored in 2 large wooden boxes (22 ¼ x 12 ½ x 14 ¼ and 22 x 22 ½ x 17 inches). Transit consists of base with three leveling screws, telescope, striding level, 3 eyepieces, several lens caps for the eye pieces and an objective…

The University of Illinois Observatory is historically significant for the development of selenium and photoelectric cell photometry that revolutionized the measurement of celestial magnitudes. The determination of stellar magnitudes is one of the…

Wooden box (9 ½ x 7 x 7) with hinge lid, three 2-sided film holders. It takes 2 ¼-inch by 3 ¼-inch glass plates or sheets of film. An air-operated shutter types speeds of 1/10 to 1/90 second in addition to bulb and time. Comes with ground-glass…

Wood, metal

Base is 8-inch in diameter and it is 19 ½ inches long.

Design of the array element was done by Professor John D. Dyson. Installed on the Vermilion River Radio Observatory's 400 x 600 foot cylindrical radio observatory, in operation…