MCCORMICK OBSERVATORY ET FAN MOUNTAIN OBSERVATORY

When Thomas Jefferson created the University of Virginia in 1819, he wanted to include an observatory and a centre for astronomical studies. Although he did not see his great project come true during his lifetime, it was Leander J. McCormick who put everything on track in 1877, when he donated a 660 mm diameter telescope to the university. In 1881, a study committee was charged with choosing a site for the observatory that would receive the telescope. It is the summit of (small) Mount Jefferson that is finally selected, a few kilometres west of the town of Charlottesville. Although the construction of the observatory has not yet been completed, the first official observation was made in December 1882. The dome is built by the Warner & Swasey Company of Cleveland, Ohio. This one is very atypical with its three openings of 1.8 m in length and its system of circular rails allowing its easy rotation (a curiosity to see absolutely!). The objective of the large telescope that took place in this building in 1884 came from Alvan Clark & Sons, Cambridge. Once completed, the observatory logically bears the name of its original benefactor: McCormick. Other smaller telescopes will complement the main instrument, in particular to carry out in-depth work on astrometry (measurements of the position of stars). In more than a century of operation, the McCormick Observatory has made countless observations and made a significant contribution to the progress of astronomy.

Public evenings allow visitors to admire celestial objects in the large 66 cm diameter telescope! A pure delight and a great moment of emotion for the connoisseur as well as for the philistine. In addition to these observations, visits are also offered, supervised by professors and graduate students of the university. Note that about twenty kilometres south of Charlottesville, another observatory is accessible: the Fan Mountain Observatory (along the Monacan Trail Road, exit Fan Mountain Road, a small private road that is not easy to find! Open to the public only twice a year, it offers pleasant evenings that are a great success (reservations must be made well in advance: see the modalities on the observatory's website).