Goodsell Observatory

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Goodsell Observatory

Goodsell Observatory from the south
Organization	Carleton College
Observatory code	741
Location	Northfield, Minnesota, US
Coordinates	44°27′43″N 93°09′09″W / 44.46194°N 93.15250°W / 44.46194; -93.15250
Altitude	290 meters
Weather	See the Clear Sky Clock
Established	1887
Website	www.carleton.edu/goodsell/
Telescopes
John Brashear 16.5-inch aperture refractor Alvan Clark 8.25-inch aperture refractor Goodsell Observatory--Carleton College U.S. National Register of Historic Places Area Less than one acre Built 1887 Architect Harvey Ellis Architectural style Romanesque Revival NRHP reference No. 75001025[1] Designated  May 12, 1975
Location of Goodsell Observatory
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[edit on Wikidata]

Goodsell Observatory is an observatory at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, United States. It was constructed in 1887 and was, at the time, the largest observatory in the state of Minnesota, the 6th largest in the U.S., and the 12th largest in the world. ^[2] The Goodsell Observatory and its predecessor, a smaller observatory that opened in 1878, served as a widely consulted timekeeping station, bringing national prominence to Carleton College in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.^[3]

Goodsell Observatory was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 for its national significance in the themes of architecture, communications, education, engineering, literature, and science.^[4] It was nominated for being one of the nation's few intact 19th-century observatories (complete with a large collection of vintage scientific equipment); and for its critical timekeeping service, its association with scientific literature (founder William W. Payne also founded the journal Popular Astronomy), its fine Romanesque Revival architecture, and continuous use as a teaching facility.^[5] Currently, both telescopes in the Observatory are used in astronomy classes as well as for monthly open house events to allow the public to observe. The building also houses a computer imaging lab used by astronomy students, an astronomy library, a historic 5" meridian circle, and other equipment used in the late 1800s and early 1900s for timekeeping purposes. The building also has space for more offices, a classroom, and has become home to Carleton's Sustainability Office.