PSU Greenbush Observatory

PSU Greenbush Observatory sits in Girard, Kansas, a joint project of Pittsburgh State University and the Greenbush education service center. It houses a 24-inch reflecting telescope with a pedigree few community observatories can match.

About PSU Greenbush Observatory

The observatory has been jointly operated by Pittsburgh State University and Greenbush since August 1996, offering free public astronomy programs in southeast Kansas. It was built by a consortium that included the Craw-Kan Telephone Cooperative, Pittsburgh State University, Greenbush, and thirty area school districts, making it a genuinely community-funded facility.

History

The observatory's centerpiece telescope has an unusual history. It was originally installed in 1967 at the Blue Mesa Station of the New Mexico State University Observatory, and was designed by Clyde Tombaugh, the astronomer famous for discovering Pluto. Pittsburgh State University acquired the telescope in 1993 after the New Mexico facility closed, before it found its permanent home in Girard.

Telescopes & research

The main instrument is a Cassegrain telescope with a 61-centimetre (24-inch) primary mirror and a focal ratio of f/15, housed in a 24-foot diameter steel dome atop a two-story building.

Location & getting there

The observatory is located in Girard, in southeast Kansas, part of the North America region on Star Register's map. The surrounding countryside gives reasonably dark skies away from larger city lights.

Visiting PSU Greenbush Observatory

PSU Greenbush Observatory is handicap accessible and offers free community programs, though it is worth checking the current schedule with Pittsburgh State University's physics department before you travel.

See your named star from here

Because any point in the sky can be located by its coordinates, staff or volunteers at an observatory like this one can aim a telescope at the exact right ascension and declination of a star named through Star Register. Name a star for someone special, or browse the catalogue of stars already named to see how it works.