The H.S. Mendenhall Observatory
Oklahoma State University's observatory is situated under dark skies southwest of Stillwater, Oklahoma, 1110 feet above sea level. It is the home of Oklahoma's largest and most modern research telescope, which was installed in 2007. Pictured at left are the dome (the first of two planned buildings), the telescope, and its first test image, which shows the spiral galaxy Messier 81, about 11 million light-years away.
Fundraising continues for the Control Center (the second planned building), the rectangular building in the bottom illustration (copyright 2002 by Toby Wilson). It is urgently needed to make the observatory fully useful by providing heated and cooled shelter for observers, students, visitors, computers, and auxiliary equipment.
Private individuals have contributed over $57,000 to date toward the $230,000 goal for the Control Center. Naming opportunities are available. Unfortunately, the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), US Air Force (USAF) and other federal entitites do not fund the construction of buildings—only equipment and research operations. For more information, please download the 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.
Public viewings at the observatory will be scheduled during pleasant weather seasons and announced here.
In April 2009, a crew from the British Broadcasting Corporation visited the observatory for two days. They videotaped segments for a series entitled Seven Wonders of the Solar System that will air internationally in 2010. Click here to see photos of the BBC film crew.
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, because it houses the main telescope, is neither heated nor cooled. Visit the Construction Photo Archive to see the observatory being built.
The observatory's smaller, first telescope was in service until May 2006. Visit the Telescope Gallery to view images and videos showing the first telescope, the students who used it, and the objects they observed.
Stillwater Clear Sky Chart
Use the Stillwater Clear Sky Chart below to view a map of expected weather conditions for the Mendenhall Observatory. First click on the chart below. In the window that then opens, 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 January 4, 2010 2:40 PM 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.
