Browse Map

Explore away

Explore Map Collection

Check out our basemaps

Print a Map Plus

Generate a high-quality PDF

Field Guide

Discover local flora, fauna, geology, and more

Local Flora & Fauna

Learn the ecology of your area

Local Geology

Learn the geologic formation at your feet

Get Started or Sign In

Welcome

Continue with Apple

Already have an account? Sign In

MAP

Topo

Measure

Topo

Ecoregions

Public Lands

...

BASEMAPS

Default Weather

Temperature

Smoke

...

WEATHER

Prairie Observatory

Observatory on Prairie Observatory Trail in Walnut Point State Park near Oakland, IL

Print Map

Generate High-Quality PDF

Get Driving Directions

Navigate Here

Historic

Yes

On the Web

On Wikipedia

The Prairie Observatory was constructed near Oakland, Illinois by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Department of Astronomy. The site was adjacent to Walnut Point State Park and provided an accessible but dark sky site only 35 miles from campus. The telescope went into operation in January 1969 and closed on April 1, 1981.The observatory's principle telescope was a 40-inch (1.0 meter) Cassegrain reflector by Astro Mechanics Inc. The telescope itself cost about $244,000, most of that money coming from a National Science Foundation grant. The dome was 40-foot in diameter and connected to a main building that housed an apartment for astronomers. The telescope had an off-axis equatorial mount and was equipped for direct photography, spectroscopy, and photoelectric photometry.…

Classified As

Observatory