Stephens Observatory

The Stephens Observatory is located atop the Carnegie Science Building at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. It houses a .32 meter Newtonian reflecting telescope, built by Roscoe G. Stephens of Kennebunk, Maine, and donated to the College in 1929. It is used mainly as a teaching facility for upper-level astronomy classes. The observatory has a modern tracking system and electronic drive mechanism.

History

Bates' observatory was initially going to be built on top of nearby Mount David in Lewiston. In the 1860s, "Bates Catalogues" first mentioned plans to build an observatory on the outcropping. The land encompassing Mount David was given by Senator William Frye in the 1860s to be used specially for an observatory. "Bates Student" articles from the 1870s-1910s and "Catalogues" continuously refer to plans to build an observatory at Bates. Many of these articles featured pictures of the future observatory. Due to financial constraints, it was not until 1929 that the Stephens Observatory was actually completed on Carnegie Science Building. Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie donated the initial funds for the building.

ee also

*Bates College
* List of observatories

References

*Alfred Williams Anthony, "Bates College and Its Background" (Philadelphia: Judson Press, 1936).

External links

* [http://abacus.bates.edu/Faculty/Physics/facility.html Bates College Physics and Astronomy Facilities Official Website]