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bank behind Coffman Memorial Union. Francis P. Leavenworth, a pro- fessor of astronomy, was named the rst director of the observatory and served until 1927.
Leavenworth used the telescope extensively to study double or variable stars (which include Polaris and the North Star), research that was import- ant for the insight it provided into the mass of stars and basic questions of astrophysics.
“Making these observations were important, if for no other reason than they were recordings of phenomena that were not greatly understood at the time,” Jones said.
By the late 1920s, an alternative location was needed to house the telescope because of increasing light pollution from downtown Minneapolis.
The University Board of Regents applied for a Public Works Adminis- tration (PWA) grant in January 1937 to construct an Astronomical Obser- vatory on top of the Tate Lab of Physics, which was completed in 1926. The cost was estimated at $14,273 and was designed by C. H. Johnston, who designed a number
of University of Minnesota buildings.
In June 1938, the University accepted a PWA grant of $6,422, completed the observatory, and moved the telescope to its current location on top of Tate at the end of 1938.
Friday night lights
Friday night viewings at Tate have been ongoing since the 1960s, and have grown in popularity over recent
years. “According to some reports, crowds as large as 100 people were in attendance last year,” said Melanie Beck, public outreach coordinator and astrophysics graduate student.
With responsibility for MIfA’s general outreach programs, Beck says that they have coordinated activities for about 70 groups over the past three academic years.
“The majority have been elementary and middle schools, followed by Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, Rotary clubs, Lions clubs, and astronomy hobby clubs,” Beck said. “We also par- ticipate in the College of Science and Engineering’s booth at the Minnesota State Fair.”
In addition to hosting a series of public lectures throughout the year, the MIfA offers Universe in the Park, an outreach program funded by the National Science Foundation. The presentations, which are held in Min- nesota area state and local parks on summer weekends, cover a variety of topics, followed by telescope viewings.
“Promoting science is awesome and making a complicated topic under- standable for younger generations is a great way to engage students and hopefully encourage them to pursue a STEM eld themselves,” Beck said. “I love when people see Saturn’s rings for the rst time. There’s not much more awe-inspiring than that.”
Although Friday night viewings at
the Tate observatory are discontinued until renovations on Tate are complete in 2017, the MIfA has teamed up
with the University’s Bell Museum. Stargazers can hear presentations
s Physics students in the 1980s.
on astronomical topics followed by outdoor telescope observing on the rst Wednesday of each month. Visit the Bell Museum After Hours program at z.umn.edu/stargazers to learn more.
Join us. Support us.
In addition to bringing exciting astrophysical research to the community through its outreach programs, the Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics hosts public lectures each semester. Join us on April
21, 2016, when Adam Riess, Johns Hopkins University astrophysicist and recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics, will be the featured lecturer as part of the Karlis Kaufmanis Lecture Series. Visit z.umn.edu/kaufmanis
If you are interested in supporting our outreach missions, contributions may be directed to: MIfA General Fund #3773 and Kaufmanis Lectureship Fund #3800.
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