The Yerkes Observatory is located in Williams Bay, Wisconsin near Lake Geneva and is close to where one of our daughters lives, so, of course, we made a visit to this historic observatory. Being familiar with the Lick Observatory, we immediately noticed that the floor plan of the Yerkes is almost identical to the Lick. That, however, is where the similarity ends.
The Yerkes was built in 1892, shortly after the completion of Lick observatory, and their goal was to “lick the Lick”. The Yerkes did lick the Lick in all ways except for its location. Although the floor plan was almost identical to Lick, everything about it was more grandiose. The exterior of the edifice is covered with sculptures, and the extensive landscaping that surrounds the observatory was designed by the same firm that designed Central Park in New York. At 40 inches the telescope is 4 inches larger than the James Lick and became the largest in the world when it was completed.
Yerkes, often called “the birthplace of modern astrophysics”, was operated by the University of Chicago until 2020 when it was deemed to no longer be useful for research. Yerkes was a center for astronomical research for over 100 years with labs for both physics and chemistry analysis. Ownership of the observatory was transferred to a private, non-profit organization in 2020.
The Yerkes was built in 1892, shortly after the completion of Lick observatory, and their goal was to “lick the Lick”. The Yerkes did lick the Lick in all ways except for its location. Although the floor plan was almost identical to Lick, everything about it was more grandiose. The exterior of the edifice is covered with sculptures, and the extensive landscaping that surrounds the observatory was designed by the same firm that designed Central Park in New York. At 40 inches the telescope is 4 inches larger than the James Lick and became the largest in the world when it was completed.
Yerkes, often called “the birthplace of modern astrophysics”, was operated by the University of Chicago until 2020 when it was deemed to no longer be useful for research. Yerkes was a center for astronomical research for over 100 years with labs for both physics and chemistry analysis. Ownership of the observatory was transferred to a private, non-profit organization in 2020.