The Wheaton College Department of Physics and Astronomy maintains a astronomical observatory located on the roof of the Mars Center for Science and Technology. It currently consist of a number of telescopes including
- Three 12″ Meade LX600 Schmidt-Cassegrain reflector telescopes (SCT),
- Three 14″ Celestron Edge HD SCTs,
- Seven Celestron CPC-1100 SCTs,
- A 20″ Dobsonian, and
- Ten Orion StarBlast 4.5″ Newtonian reflectors.Many of our telescopes are equipped with CCD cameras and are remotely controlled from computer terminals within the department.
Here is a list of the transmission curves of all the filters we have.
Observatory Open Nights
The Department of Physics and Astronomy hosts viewing nights on most Friday evenings at the observatory which are open to both the public and students on campus. Activities include an astronomical slideshow and lecture, a visit to our Starlab Planetarium and rooftop viewing on clear nights through a number of our large aperture telescopes.
More details on specific Open Nights and updated weather conditions can found at Observatory Open Nights.
Please contact Tony Houser at phone 508-286-3979 for further information and to make arrangements for your group to attend.