Maynard F. Jordan Observatory

Maynard F. Jordan Observatory in Orono serves as the University of Maine’s astronomical observatory under its Department of Physics and Astronomy and stands as Maine’s only public observatory. Its history begins in 1901 with the installation of the university’s first telescope, an eight-inch Alvan Clark instrument that still remains at the site. That telescope was upgraded in 2014 as part of the creation of the Emera Astronomy Center. Now housed beneath a roll-off roof alongside a newer PlaneWave CDK20 in its own dome, the observatory connects the university’s early observing tradition with a modern facility that continues to serve the public.

Orono, Maine · United States