The H. S. Mendenhall Observatory
Introduction
Oklahoma State University's observatory is situated under dark skies southwest of Stillwater, Oklahoma, atop a ridge 1110 feet above sea level. It is the home of Oklahoma's largest and most modern research telescope, which was installed in February 2007.
The telescope's science instruments were installed in April 2008. The first, brief, test image, shown at left, shows the spiral galaxy Messier 81, about 11 million light-years away.
In April 2009, a crew from the British Broadcasting Corporation visited the observatory for two days. They videotaped segments for a series on the Solar System that will air internationally in 2010. Click here to see photos of the BBC film crew.
Public viewings will be scheduled during pleasant weather seasons and announced here.
The observatory's present structures were completed in 2002. The circular fence, 103 feet across, encloses the dome and a central observing pad for portable telescopes. There is ample space for outdoor stargazing and future expansion. The dome, 16.5 feet in diameter, houses the main telescope and instruments. It is neither heated nor cooled because the sharpest images result when it, the telescope, and the outside air are at the same temperature.
The observatory's smaller, first telescope was in service until May 2006. Visit the Gallery to view images and videos showing this telescope, the students who used it, and the objects they observed. Visit the Construction Photo Archive for a pictorial history of the observatory.
We continue to raise funds for the observatory's Control Center, which is the rectangular building in the illustration at left (copyright 2002 by Toby Wilson). This building is urgently needed to realize the telescope's full potential. Contributors will be helping to build the finest observatory in Oklahoma — a phenomenal facility, especially for the state's students. Our fundraising goal is approximately $215,000, and naming opportunities are available. Please click here to download an illustrated, five-page description of the Control Center project in PDF format. If you are interested in contributing, please contact Dr. Peter Shull and the OSU Foundation.
Predicted Weather
Use the Stillwater Clear Sky Clock below to view a map of expected weather conditions for the Mendenhall Observatory and eastern United States. For example, clicking one of the little squares in the top row will display a map of predicted cloud cover for the corresponding date and local time.
Dr. H. S. Mendenhall
The observatory is named for Harrison Shepler Mendenhall, Oklahoma State University's first astronomer.
Dr. Mendenhall earned his Ph.D. in astrophysics at the University of California at Berkeley, and served on OSU's faculty as a professor of mathematics and astronomy from 1937 until his retirement in 1968. During World War II, he taught navigation to countless air cadets as a lieutenant and captain in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Dr. Mendenhall died on March 20, 2000, at the age of 97.
This photograph shows Dr. Mendenhall's personal telescope, a 4-inch refractor built in the early 1890s, set up on the central observing pad.