Bradley Observatory

The Bradley Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Agnes Scott College. It is located in Decatur, Georgia, 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Atlanta, Georgia, (USA). The observatory's largest telescope, the Beck Telescope, is a vintage 30 inch (750 mm) Cassegrain reflector built in 1930. The mount was built by Warner & Swasey, and the optics were built by Fecker. The telescope was originally owned and operated by an amateur astronomer, Mr. Henry Gibson. He offered the telescope for sale in Popular Astronomy magazine in 1947, seeking to upgrade his own telescope. Agnes Scott purchased it in 1947 for about $15,000 after an offer from the Soviet Union was declined for reasons related to the Cold War. For many years, the Beck telescope was the largest in the Southeast United States, only superseded when the Fernbank Observatory opened in 1972 with its 36-inch (910 mm) telescope.[4]

Bradley Observatory
Bradley Observatory entrance and dome.
OrganizationAgnes Scott College
LocationDecatur, Georgia
Coordinates33°45′54.84″N 84°17′38.98″W[1]
Altitude315.27 m (1034.37 ft)[2]
Established1950
Websitebradley.agnesscott.edu
Telescopes
Beck Telescope0.76 meter Cassegrain reflector optical
Beck Radio Telescope (BrAT)3.1 meter radio telescope with receivers at K, U and L bands
Bradley Observatory
Bradley Observatory is located in Metro Atlanta
Bradley Observatory
Bradley Observatory is located in Georgia
Bradley Observatory
Bradley Observatory is located in the United States
Bradley Observatory
LocationRoughly bounded by E. College, S. McDonough, S. Candler, E. Hill and E. Davis Sts., Decatur, Georgia
Part ofSouth Candler Street-Agnes Scott College Historic District (ID94000787[3])
Added to NRHPJuly 29, 1994
Bradley Observatory is located in the United States
Bradley Observatory
Location of Bradley Observatory
  Related media on Commons
Beck Telescope
Atlanta Constitution article about the proposed new Observatory at Agnes Scott College.

The observatory was originally built in order to house the Beck telescope and was dedicated in 1950.[5] It also houses classrooms, an observing plaza, faculty offices, and a 70-seat planetarium. The observatory is a contributing structure within the National Register South Candler Street-Agnes Scott College Historic District. Dr. Chris DePree is the current Director of the Bradley Observatory.

See also

References
  1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Agnes Scott College. "Bradley Observatory - Facilities". Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved October 16, 2007.
  2. U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey traverse station at Bradley Archived February 21, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 16, 2007.
  3. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  4. Lecture by Chris De Pree, "Sixty Years of Amateur Astronomy," November 9, 2007
  5. Bradley Observatory. "Bradley Observatory homepage". Archived from the original on November 26, 2005. Retrieved December 16, 2005.
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