The Telescopes

(Click on pictures below for closer views)

The observatory complex originally started out as an idea in the minds of the members of the Southeastern Iowa Astronomy Club in 1984 in order to house a single telescope.  The main telescope in the John H. Witte Observatory is a 12-inch aperture refractor manufactured in 1937 by the noted firm of Alvan Clark & Sons, who also figured the objective of the 40-inch Yerkes refractor.  It is a doublet achromate design, about f/15 set in a beautiful brass tube, which in turn rests on top of a very substantial German Equatorial mount.  The telescope and mount together were state of the art at the time of their manufacture, and the telescope is believed to be the largest refractor in Iowa.  They were a gift to the Burlington public schools in 1937 by John H. Witte, Jr., a local businessman with a lifelong interest in astronomy. 

Construction of the main dome and attached classroom started in 1985 with the completion and dedication in the spring of 1987.  The observatory project was funded by a grant from the John H. Witte Foundation and was constructed almost entirely by members of the club.  Since its dedication, thousands of interested residents of Iowa and the surrounding states have observed the heavens through the 12 inch Alvan Clark and Sons refractor.

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As the reputation of the Southeastern Iowa Astronomy Club and the John H. Witte Observatory grew, so did the demand for its services.  In the mid 1990's, a second building was added to help with the increased demand.  It is a 16 X 24 foot roll-off roof observatory that houses Mr. Witte's personal telescope: an 8-inch refractor with triplet objective manufactured in 1931 by John W. Fecker; as well as other telescopes including some of various club members.  The Prugh-Carver Observatory is named after one of SIAC's members, Burton Prugh - a Burlington businessman who was very active in the club; and Roy Carver, whose foundation funded its construction.

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A third observatory has recently been moved from the Burlington High School to the observatory complex site in order to once again provide dark skies for its 16 inch classic Cassegrain that was purchased by the John H. Witte Foundation in the 1970's for the Burlington School system.  That building has been named The Stone-Kelly Observatory after Burlington High School Alumni Dr. Edward Stone, retired director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and local Shuttle astronaut James Kelly.

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The observatory complex is located north of Burlington at 18832  152nd Avenue in the Big Hollow Recreation Area, a park owned by the Des Moines County Conservation Board.  The Southeastern Iowa Astronomy Club operates the telescopes under an agreement with the DCCB.