Smith Observatory

Smith Observatory was a historic astronomical facility at Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin, that served the campus for around seven decades before it was ultimately torn down.

History

Completed in 1882, the observatory was funded by Janette S. Herrick and named in memory of her brother, John F. Smith. It served Beloit College from 1882 until the 1950s, after which it was repurposed as a coffee house in 1967. The building was demolished in 1969 and its function was taken over by the replacement Thompson Observatory.

Location & getting there

The former observatory stood on the Beloit College campus in Beloit, Wisconsin. Use the map and directions on this page to see the site's location.

Visiting the Smith Observatory site

As the original building no longer stands, there is no observatory to tour at this location; visitors interested in the campus's astronomy programme today can look to the Thompson Observatory that replaced it.

See your named star from here

Beloit College's astronomy tradition continues today, where a telescope can be pointed at the precise coordinates of any star - including one named through Star Register. Find a named star's coordinates in the star catalogue.