Washburn Observatory

Washburn Observatory at the University of Wisconsin–Madison was completed in 1881 after a state initiative and a gift from former governor Cadwallader C. Washburn, who funded a refracting telescope larger than Harvard’s. Set above Lake Mendota, it became one of the nation’s leading observatories, with a 15.6-inch refractor that ranked third largest in the United States at the time. Under directors including James C. Watson, George C. Comstock, Joel Stebbins, and Albert Whitford, it supported major astronomical research, especially in photoelectric photometry. After Pine Bluff Observatory opened in 1958, it shifted from research toward instruction, public viewing, and honors-program use.

Madison, Wisconsin · United States