Theodor Jacobsen Observatory

The Theodor Jacobsen Observatory sits on the University of Washington campus in Seattle, one of the oldest buildings there and still an active site for public stargazing.

About Theodor Jacobsen Observatory

Built in 1895, it is the second oldest building on the university's campus, constructed using the remaining Tenino sandstone blocks left over from Denny Hall, the campus's oldest building. It was designed by Charles Willard Saunders.

History

The observatory traces back to Professor Joseph Taylor, who secured a $3,000 grant - $2,000 for a telescope and $1,000 for an original observatory on Fourth Avenue - and taught the university's first astronomy class in 1891-92. The current building was later named after Theodor Jacobsen (1901-2003), whose astronomy research at the university began in the 1920s. It is listed on the State Register of Historical Buildings.

Telescopes & research

The observatory's refracting telescope has a six-inch Brashear objective lens on a Warner & Swasey equatorial mount, and famously rotates on Civil War-era cannonballs. A transit room sits on the west side, and a 45-seat classroom was added on the south side in 1912.

Location & getting there

The observatory is located on the University of Washington campus in Seattle, Washington, in the northwestern United States.

Visiting Theodor Jacobsen Observatory

The observatory is open to the public every first and third Tuesday between April and September, run jointly by the UW Department of Astronomy and the Seattle Astronomical Society; check current dates before visiting.

See your named star from here

A telescope that has tracked the sky since 1895, still open to the public today, is a fitting place to look for a star by its coordinates. If you've named a star, its RA/Dec can be found here - see the catalogue for details.