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Behlen Observatory
Observatory in Mead, Nebraska, U.S. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Behlen Observatory is a research facility and astronomical observatory in Mead, Nebraska. It is owned and operated by the astronomy department of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
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In 1971, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln acquired an approximately 17,000-acre site near Mead, Nebraska formerly used by the Nebraska Ordnance Plant to manufacture munitions during World War II.[1] Most of the site was converted for agricultural research, but one building was repurposed as an astronomical observatory.[1] Its location nearly forty miles northeast of Lincoln was considered favorable for its lack of light pollution while still providing quick access to campus and nearby Omaha.[2]
When it opened in 1972, the observatory featured a 30-inch Cassegrain reflector manufactured by Boller and Chivens, acquired at a discounted price as the University of Washington purchased an identical telescope at the same time.[3] The three-story facility included a bomb shelter on the first floor, a holdover from the building's original design, with its computer systems and a newly built dome room above.[1]
The observatory was dedicated in 1993 after a donation from local businessman and longtime patron Walter Behlen.[2] It is now used infrequently as the university has deemphasized its astronomy program, though its original telescope is still occasionally used for variable star research.[4] The Behlen Observatory opens to the public several nights per year and features lectures from NU scientists.[5]
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