SOMMERS-BAUSCH OBSERVATORY

The Sommers-Bausch Observatory is located on the campus of the University of Boulder and is managed by the Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences. General astronomy courses had always been taught at this university, but it was not until 1946 that it decided to equip itself with a telescope dedicated to students. In that year, the famous company Bausch & Lomb (which still distributes many optical materials today) made available to him a 267 mm diameter astronomical telescope, owned by Carl L. Bausch himself. The observatory as such was not built until the early 1950s thanks to the legacy of ^Mrs Mayme Sommers, in memory of her late husband. The architectural style chosen for the building is Italian. It is first directed by Dr. Walter Orr Roberts, who is giving it priority for public outreach. During the 1960s, astronomy developed considerably within the university and it became necessary to create additional facilities to train graduate students, so that they could then more easily integrate the major professional observatories. In 1971, the university received a major grant ($164,000) for the purchase of a new 600 mm diameter telescope, which was installed in 1973 in place of the very first telescope (enthusiasts can still admire it in the lobby of the Fiske planetarium, located next to the observatory). Over the following decades, multiple grants allowed the purchase of new instruments and the development of new infrastructure. In 1997, the observatory was partially renovated in order to adapt it to new digital technologies.

Public observation evenings in this atypical site are to be missed under no circumstances! They are free, can last up to 3 hours depending on the weather, the quality of the sky... and the enthusiasm of the participants! Moreover, the animators of these evenings, graduate students of the Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, do not hesitate to stay as long as they wish, to give advice, give explanations, and to point out the celestial objects according to the desires of the moment. Among the equipment made available, let us mention a pair of giant binoculars installed on a tripod. Depending on the number of animators on site, it is not uncommon either to be able to visit the 600 mm telescope under the dome, or even to be able to observe inside. All in a relaxed, American-style atmosphere.