Orchard Hill Observatory
Encyclopedia
The Orchard Hill Observatory is an astronomical observatory
located at the highest point on the University of Massachusetts Amherst
campus. Constructed in 1965, the observatory is a modest brick building with a 16 inch Cassegrain reflector
optical telescope
. It is maintained and operated by the UMass Astronomy Department, is used for several community events and is regularly open for public viewing on Thursday nights.
Observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
located at the highest point on the University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
campus. Constructed in 1965, the observatory is a modest brick building with a 16 inch Cassegrain reflector
Cassegrain reflector
The Cassegrain reflector is a combination of a primary concave mirror and a secondary convex mirror, often used in optical telescopes and radio antennas....
optical telescope
Optical telescope
An optical telescope is a telescope which is used to gather and focus light mainly from the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum for directly viewing a magnified image for making a photograph, or collecting data through electronic image sensors....
. It is maintained and operated by the UMass Astronomy Department, is used for several community events and is regularly open for public viewing on Thursday nights.