The story of Yerkes Observatory began on a household rooftop in the Kenwood neighborhood of Chicago in 1882. George Ellery Hale, a 14-year-old boy with an insatiable curiosity about science, installed his first telescope there. A decade later Hale and his father constructed a proper observatory with a 12-inch telescope next to their home.

Yerkes Observatory is a building constructed between 1895 and 1897. We are working every day to make this historic landmark accessible for all to enjoy. As part of our extensive renovations, an accessible lift taking guests up to our central floor has been completed. We have also finished construction on our wheelchair-friendly washrooms.

The 41" reflector actually has a 40" primary, but is referred to as the "41 inch" to avoid confusion with the Great Refractor. This telescope was constructed by Warner and Swasey in 1967. The mount design is an English or cross-axis type and the scope is situated in the southeast dome at Yerkes Observatory.

Yerkes Observatory, housing not only a telescope but also laboratories, workshops, and libraries, first opened its dome to the night sky in 1897, and soon attracted the brightest lights of astronomical science. For nearly a century, a virtual who’s who of astronomy surveyed outer space through the Yerkes Great Refractor. Sherburne W. Burnham ...

Dec 10, 2024 · We’re thrilled to announce the 2025 undergraduate summer internship at Yerkes Observatory! We encourage all eligible students to apply after reading the information below. By participating in this internship, students will: Applications are now open and will close on Monday, February 10, 2025 at 5pm CT. Applicants should expect to hear back from us by...

May 27, 2022 · We have 125 years of history from which we can draw, but there’s also the stories never told, the stories of Yerkes almost becoming a subdivision or resort, the stories of our preservation experts, the stories of our new staff, and the stories of the heroes who made sure Yerkes Observatory would come alive again.

Jul 22, 2024 · With only 12 tickets available for each tour, this exclusive evening illuminates the inner-workings of Yerkes Observatory after dark. Curated by our Astronomy Team, each tour features a viewing of the cosmos with the largest refracting telescope in the world if skies are clear. If skies are not clear, we’ll delve into Yerkes vaults with ...

Solemnly growing near the northwest corner of Yerkes Observatory’s fifty-acre campus, a particular White Oak stands strong. Born in 1773, this White Oak predates the Declaration of Independence by three years and the statehood of Wisconsin by seventy-five. On this parcel of paradise in 1895, ground was broken to build Yerkes Observatory which ...

Mar 11, 2024 · With only 12 tickets available for each tour, this exclusive evening illuminates the inner-workings of Yerkes Observatory after dark. Curated by our Telescope Team, each tour features a viewing of the cosmos with the largest refracting telescope in the world if skies are clear. If skies are not clear, we’ll delve into Yerkes vaults with ...

Join us at Yerkes Observatory on March 1 from 6pm - 8pm to hear from Dr. Sahar Alameh, Assistant Professor of STEM Education at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Alameh's research focuses on the construction and evaluation of meaningful scientific explanations within K-12 science classrooms and the investigation into the teaching and learning of ...