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Topic: Yerkes Observatory


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In the News (Wed 19 Nov 08)

  
  National Park Service: Astronomy and Astrophysics (Yerkes Observatory)
Yerkes Observatory is the observing facility of the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics of the University of Chicago and is devoted to research in astronomy and astrophysics, as well as graduate education.
Yerkes represented the wave of the future and established the modern observatory as a research institution where the astronomer, using the disciplines of chemistry and physics, supported by engineering and optics workshops, could apply his talents to the understanding of the wonders of the universe.
Construction of the observatory building was begun in 1895 at Williams Bay, Wisconsin, distant enough from the smoke, haze and dust of Chicago (76 miles) to assure dark skies, and yet close enough to the city to be readily accessible to the faculty and students of the University of Chicago.
www.cr.nps.gov /history/online_books/butowsky5/astro4p.htm   (2554 words)

  
 Yerkes Observatory - HighBeam Encyclopedia   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
Yerkes Observatory astronomical observatory located in Williams Bay, Wis., on the shore of Lake Geneva.
The observatory is administered by the Univ. of Chicago.
Yerkes Observatory to Highlight Active Astronomy for Illinois Schools at March 29 Capitol Showcase in Springfield.
www.encyclopedia.com /doc/1E1-yerkesob.html   (298 words)

  
 Yerkes Observatory: A century of stellar science
Yerkes Observatory owes its beginnings to its wealthy patron, Charles Tyson Yerkes; a visionary University of Chicago president, William Rainey Harper; and an ambitious young astronomer, George Ellery Hale.
Yerkes Observatory built and managed the McDonald Observatory -- and its 82-inch reflector -- for 30 years, until 1962, when the University of Texas astronomy department grew to the point that it could take over the management of the observatory.
Yerkes Observatory, 1892-1950: The Birth, Near Death and Resurrection of a Scientific Research Institution, is published by the University of Chicago Press.
chronicle.uchicago.edu /970320/yerkes.shtml   (1671 words)

  
 Chicago ''L''.org: Historic Figures - Charles Tyson Yerkes
Yerkes set resolutely at work to recoup his shattered fortune, and as early as 1875 became interested in the Continental Passenger Railway Company and saw the stock rise from $15 to $100 a share.
Yerkes often used a great deal of political and corporate maneuvering to gain his franchises and one technique often employed was to obtain the franchise in the name of another company.
Yerkes was accused of handing out over a million dollars in bribes to secure the passage of his franchise and during the City Council meeting a mob surrounded City Hall, demanding that Yerkes be repudiated.
www.chicago-l.org /figures/yerkes   (3705 words)

  
 Open desktop mechanic : Weblog
Yerkes observatory is approximately the same age as Lick observatory, but Yerkes seems to be much more ornate.
Unfortunately, the location for this observatory is now severly affected by light pollution and air pollution from Chicago and other large nearby cities.
If it's true that exburbs, including those adjacent to Yerkes, are approaching the peak of a real-estate bubble, perhaps in 10-15 years a science organization can buy the observatory buildings back for an inflation-adjusted million or less.
blogs.sun.com /bnitz/entry/yerkes_observatory_to_become_spa   (403 words)

  
 Yerkes Observatory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Yerkes Observatory is an astronomical observatory of the University of Chicago in Williams Bay, Wisconsin.
The observatory represented a shift in the thinking of observatories, from mere housing for a telescope and observer, to the modern concept of observation equipment integrated with laboratory space for physics and chemistry.
Yerkes Observatory is the setting for a portion of the 1996 movie Chain Reaction[3] including gunplay, airboat chases across frozen Lake Geneva, and a character who, when first seen, is making naked-eye observations through eyepiece of the forty-inch refractor.
en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Yerkes_Observatory   (572 words)

  
 The Univ. of Chicago Yerkes Observatory 1892-2006
Yerkes Observatory is a facility of the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics of the University of Chicago.
Until the mid-1960's, Yerkes Observatory housed all of the Department's activities.
A substantial fraction of the University's library holdings in astronomy are housed at Yerkes.
astro.uchicago.edu /yerkes   (178 words)

  
 Agreement provides for preservation of historic Yerkes Observatory
The historic observatory and surrounding land would be owned by an exposition district created by the Village of Williams Bay and directed by a board of scientists, the majority of which would be appointed by the University of Chicago.
The funding for the observatory would be generated by proceeds of the sale and taxes on a 100-room Mirbeau Retreat and 72 small homes that would be built on 45 acres of the property.
And because Yerkes is a large and valuable property with substantial maintenance costs, the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics has for several decades been searching for a way to use the observatory that is environmentally sensitive and consistent with its mission of cutting-edge astronomical research.
www-news.uchicago.edu /releases/06/060607.yerkes.shtml   (794 words)

  
 Charles Yerkes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In 1886, Yerkes and his business partners used a complex financial deal to take-over the North Chicago City Railway and then proceeded to follow this with a string of further take-overs until he controlled a majority of the city's street railway systems on the north and west sides.
In the 1890s, Yerkes was involved in a number of Chicago's elevated railways and used a series of proxy companies to obtain permissions to construct the elevated loop of tracks around the downtown area.
Yerkes contributed nearly $300,000 to the University of Chicago to establish Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wisconsin.
en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Charles_Yerkes   (587 words)

  
 Save Yerkes Observatory - Editorial   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
The observatory and other facilities would remain untouched, and also would be used for educational purposes and programs.
Although the Mirbeau plan involves preservation of the observatory structure, the immediate surrounding lawns, and six other structures, construction of these concepts would greatly affect the entire Yerkes property, even if all of the ideas do not happen.
Yerkes Observatory can be described as all of that and much more.
www.grantmaclaren.com /yerkes/lgrn.html   (602 words)

  
 Williams Bay plays the waiting game on Yerkes
WILLIAMS BAY-No matter who owns Yerkes Observatory after the University of Chicago sells the venerable institution, it appears that changes will be made to the century-old grounds.
For more than a century, the observatory building-which is both a historic and architectural gem-has nestled in a setting of tall trees and broad lawns.
The Yerkes building and grounds are an icon of the village, and the observatory dome appears on the village's coat of arms.
www.grantmaclaren.com /yerkes/waiting.html   (1242 words)

  
 The Scoundrel and the Scientist
The Kenwood Observatory and its proprietor had not escaped the notice of William Rainey Harper, president of the new University of Chicago, who sought bright scholars to build a first-rate faculty.
For the project, Hale envisioned interaction between the observatory staff and the leaders and scholars in physics and chemistry, as well as collaboration in their laboratories, where physical and chemical experiments would complement the work of the observatory.
The forty-inch telescope is still the largest refractor in the world, and the Yerkes Observatory is still the primary observatory of the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago.
www.sff.net /people/Hodgson/science.html   (3877 words)

  
 Yerkes Observatory
The University of Chicago’s observatory at Williams Bay, Wisconsin, on the shores of Lake Geneva.
It is home to the world's largest refractor, with an aperture of 40 inches (1.02 meters), opened in 1897, which is still used for research including adaptive optics studies.
The observatory was funded in 1892 by the businessman Charles Tyson Yerkes (1837-1905) and founded in 1897 by George Ellery Hale.
www.daviddarling.info /encyclopedia/Y/Yerkes.html   (151 words)

  
 Save Yerkes Observatory - World's Largest Refracting Telescope
This wonderful and famous observatory and its grounds are in danger of being sold to a developer by the University of Chicago.
Yerkes occupies a place of great significance as a world leader in 20 century astro-physics, a place of reverence and respect, where Einstein visited, where Chandrasekhar did his work on fl holes that led to his Nobel Prize.
Yerkes 21 Corporation is a not-for-profit corporation registered with the State of Wisconsin.
www.saveyerkes.com   (643 words)

  
 Chicago Maroon » NY-based resort company wins Yerkes Observatory bid
Yerkes Observatory, owned and operated by the University since 1897, is home to the world’s largest refracting telescope and sits on 78 acres overlooking Lake Geneva in Williams Bay, Wisconsin.
The process of selling Yerkes began in mid-2005 when Hank Webber, vice president for community and government affairs, sent out a request for proposals for the property to three parties, including Mirbeau; Aurora University, whose George Williams Campus is adjacent to Yerkes; and a third party that later rescinded its proposal.
Yerkes would be supported by about $400,000 in annual funding, generated by room and property taxes from the Mirbeau development.
maroon.uchicago.edu /online_edition/?p=30   (809 words)

  
 Astrotale - How do you talk a reluctant railroad tycoon into building the largest refracting telescope?
Yerkes was a crass and vainglorious businessman trying to buy his way into high society through philanthropy.
Yerkes saw a huge telescope and and impressive dome with his name on it.
George Ellery Hale was very pleased with the excellent work that made the Yerkes Observatory the premier astronomical complex in the early part of the 20th century.
www.wpo.net /astrotales/yerkes.html   (401 words)

  
 Save Yerkes Observatory - World's Largest Refracting Telescope   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
Since its founding over a century ago, Yerkes Observatory has never failed to spark the imaginations of all--whether scientist or tourist, architect or amateur astronomer--who have come here to be a part of its history.
In its most recent past, scientists at Yerkes have produced extraordinary feats of engineering, such as developing instruments which have helped scientists record some of the most remarkable sightings in the history of astrophysics--such as fragments from the Comet Shoemaker-Levy colliding with the planet Jupiter.
The Yerkes 21 Committee, as well as scientists, politicians, students, and citizens from both near and far, believe that this legendary observatory--this historic Mecca--and the land which encompasses it would prove to be a great loss not only for the community of Williams Bay, but the international community of astronomers and astrophysicists...
www.specializedwholesale.com /grantsstuff/atthelake/index.html   (1104 words)

  
 OnMilwaukee.com Movies: Historic Yerkes Observatory offers a look at history, stars
Yerkes Observatory was the pet project of Charles Tyson Yerkes, a Chicago transportation bigwig.
In the southeast transept, on the main floor, is the Quester Museum, which celebrates Yerkes astronomers who have profoundly impacted the scientific world and the local community over the past 100 years.
Yerkes Observatory is located at 373 W. Geneva St., in Williams Bay.
www.onmilwaukee.com /movies/articles/yerkes.html   (673 words)

  
 Donald Osterbrock book on Yerkes:03-17-97
Now, in the observatory's centennial year, the University of Chicago Press has published the compelling story of the first half-century at Yerkes Observatory and the three men who directed it with varying degrees of success and personal turmoil.
Yerkes was left in the considerably less busy hands of Edwin B. Frost, whose lack of vision (both figuratively and literally, as he went blind in 1921) and initiative nearly doomed Yerkes.
Yerkes and the University of Chicago's Astronomy Department were once again at the pinnacle of the field, especially in the years after World War II.
www.ucsc.edu /oncampus/currents/97-03-17/osterbrock.htm   (781 words)

  
 Stargazer Online || Yerkes Observatory
At the time of its construction and for many years afterward, Yerkes was at the pinnacle of astronomical research.
The crown jewel of the observatory is the 40" telescope, which today remains the largest refractor in the world.
They were also responsible for the construction of the telescope mount, 90' diameter dome to house the telescope, and a 73' diameter elevating floor that lifts astronomers to the telescope eyepiece.
www.richardbell.net /yerkes.html   (988 words)

  
 AU - Yerkes Observatory Proposal
Aurora University submitted a proposal in September 2005 to purchase the Yerkes Observatory and surrounding acreage and buildings located in Williams Bay, Wis., owned by the University of Chicago.
The proposal calls for purchasing a 79-acre parcel of land, including the Yerkes Observatory and telescope, as well as supporting structures.
The observatory and 40 acres of land is located adjacent to the George Williams Campus of Aurora University in Williams Bay.
www.aurora.edu /yerkes/index.htm   (136 words)

  
 JS Online:   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
Yerkes Observatory on Geneva Lake in Williams Bay houses the world's largest refracting telescope.
Yerkes was built by George Ellery Hale, a visionary astronomer and son of a wealthy Chicago elevator industrialist.
The Yerkes telescope was the titan of its age, a widely acclaimed engineering wonder that astronomers hoped would revolutionize their science.
www.jsonline.com /alive/news/jan05/297579.asp   (1664 words)

  
 UChiBLOGo: Yerkes sale nears completion
After more than a year of speculation, the University has reached an agreement to sell Yerkes Observatory to New York developer Mirbeau Company, which plans to develop 45 acres of land near the 109-year-old structure, creating homes and a spa.
Mirbeau would pay $400,000 a year to support the observatory as an education and outreach institution, and $8 million to the University, supporting astronomical research.
Yerkes and the surrounding land would be owned by an exposition district created by the village and directed by a board of scientists, most of whom would be appointed by the University.
uchiblogo.uchicago.edu /archives/2006/06/yerkes.html   (229 words)

  
 Yerkes to receive $800,000 grant | The Janesville Gazette | Janesville, Wisconsin, USA   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
WILLIAMS BAY-The Yerkes Observatory has been awarded an $800,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to establish a two-year science education program for southeastern Wisconsin students in grades three through eight.
Vivian Hoette, a member of the Yerkes staff, said the two-year grant is Yerkes' first real step in establishing itself as a center for science education.
But the resources at the observatory, its still-functional telescopes and its setting on Geneva Lake have helped spawn a new career as an educational center for astronomy and the sciences.
www.gazetteextra.com /yerkesgrant092406.asp   (462 words)

  
 CfCP: Education & Outreach - Inner-City K-12 Program, Yerkes
Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, WI Participants: 24 students; 9 instructors; 80 parents, siblings, and younger students
The Yerkes Summer Institute (YSI) is a one-week, immersive, residential science program for inner-city middle and high school students held at the historic Yerkes Observatory.
The students soon realized that the only way for this signal to reach Yerkes Observatory was for it to bounce off the ionosphere and back down to earth.
kicp.uchicago.edu /education/explorers/2002summer-YERKES/index.html   (757 words)

  
 AU - Yerkes Observatory Proposal - FAQ
The Aurora University Proposal to Purchase Yerkes Observatory
AU is one of two organizations that submitted to the University of Chicago a written proposal regarding the future of the Yerkes Observatory site in September.
We look forward to collaborating to envision a future for Yerkes that is consistent with its past and the wishes of the community.
www.aurora.edu /yerkes/faq.htm   (959 words)

  
 The Scientist : Buy your own lab
The observatory, on the shores of Geneva Lake, was named for Charles Tyson Yerkes, the Chicago streetcar baron whose money built the facility in the late 1890s under the guidance of George Ellery Hale.
The Dowers have pledged to preserve the 31-acre observatory site while developing an additional 47 acres surrounding the facility, building about 100 upscale bungalows and a spa to match their nouveau chateau-style resort on Lake Skaneateles.
The private plan has ruffled some friends of the observatory, who claim the facility would be better served by an academic protectorate.
www.the-scientist.com /2005/11/7/56/1   (832 words)

  
 Geneva Lake West | Yerkes Observatory
Built between 1895 and 1897, Yerkes Observatory has been a popular attraction for visitors to the Geneva Lake area for nearly 100 years.
Yerkes houses the world's largest refracting telescope, containing a 40-inch lens.
There are five telescopes at Yerkes Observatory, which is a University of Chicago research facility.
www.genevalakewest.com /yerkes.html   (226 words)

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