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The famous UA observatory built its first dome on an ostrich farm.

By Lori Stiles, University Communications
April 16, 2008

The University of Arizona's Steward Observatory will mark the 85th anniversary of its April 1923 dedication with a special public evening lecture titled "Steward Observatory, Past Present and Future."

The lecture will be held at 7:30 p.m. April 28 in Steward Observatory Room N210 and is free and open to the public.

Steward Observatory associate astronomer Thomas Fleming will show historical images and tell the story of the observatory's founding, growth and scientific highlights. Associate professor of astronomy Philip Pinto will talk about projects including the Giant Magellan Telescope and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope that will ensure the observatory remains a leading world-class teaching and research facility in the future.

Following the lecture, the public is invited to the Steward Observatory lobby for birthday cake and punch and to the historic campus observatory dome to view the heavens through the 21-inch Raymond E. White Jr. Reflector.

Fleming organized a photo exhibit titled "85 Years of Steward Observatory" in the Parker Library, Steward Observatory Room N304. It will be on display April 16-May 30.

Oracle, Ariz., resident and amateur astronomer Lavinia Steward gave the University a $60,000 gift that established the observatory in 1916.

Steward Observatory Director A.E. Douglass wanted to build the astronomical facility far from campus and city lights, at a Tanque Verde site east of town. UA President Rufus von Kleinsmid wanted to build the observatory on the west end of campus for high visibility and public access. Douglass and von Kleinschmid finally compromised and agreed to build the observatory on a slight rise just east of campus, which was at the time an ostrich farm.

Construction was delayed by the U.S.' entry into World War I until 1919 and completed in the summer of 1922. Steward's single dome north of the tennis courts housed a 36-inch telescope, called the "All-American Telescope" because it was the first professional telescope to have all of its components manufactured in the United States. The telescope is now part of the UA Spacewatch program on Kitt Peak.

Today, the UA astronomy department runs the largest astronomy undergraduate majors program and the largest astronomy graduate program in the nation. It is widely recognized as the leading center for astronomy education for teachers and internationally known for its Astronomy Camps.

Steward Observatory leads development of telescope facilities and technologies that are the best in modern astronomy.

The Steward Observatory Mirror Lab has provided large, high quality optics for the Multiple Mirror Telescope on Mount Hopkins, the Magellan Telescopes in Chile, and the Large Binocular Telescope on Mount Graham, which is the world's most powerful telescope.

The Mirror Lab is developing the world's largest spin-cast mirrors for the next generation of large telescopes, including the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope and the Giant Magellan Telescope.

Steward astronomers are key members of infrared teams for NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, and future James Webb Space Telescope.

Steward Observatory laid the foundations for Arizona's optical sciences and the establishment of the first national observatory for optical and infrared astronomy on Kitt Peak in the 1960s.

A recent study by the UA's Eller College of Management found that UA astronomy, planetary and space sciences generated more than $120 million and nearly 1,900 jobs in the 2006 fiscal year. The UA accounts for 57 percent of all the industry jobs and 48 percent of the financial impact of the state's total astronomy, planetary and space sciences enterprise, the report said.