Ford Observatory
SCIENCETECH · OBSERVATORY
Ford Observatory
Science & Tech
The Clinton B. Ford Observatory stands on the south end of the Ithaca College campus in Ithaca, New York, in a wooded area, and serves both teaching and research through the college’s Department of Physics and Astronomy. Built in 1998 with support from the National Science Foundation, Ithaca College, and a bequest from Clinton B. Ford, it began operating when its telescope saw first light in September 1998. Its main instrument is a DFM Engineering CCT-16, a 16-inch f/8 Cassegrain telescope. Despite repairs to rodent-damaged electronics between 2018 and 2022, it continues to support hands-on observation and campus-based astronomy research.
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Ithaca, New York
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