Goethe Link Observatory

Goethe Link Observatory in southern Indiana near Brooklyn began as the privately funded project of Dr. Goethe Link, an Indianapolis surgeon and amateur astronomer. Construction started in 1937, and the telescope first operated in 1939. After Link donated the observatory to Indiana University in 1948, it became the site of the Indiana Asteroid Program from 1949 to 1966. Using a 10-inch Cooke triplet astrograph, that program discovered 119 asteroids credited to the university, including 1602 Indiana and 1728 Goethe Link. As light pollution reduced its usefulness in the 1960s, Indiana University shifted to newer facilities, while the original observatory continued in use through the Indiana Astronomical Society.

Bethany, Indiana · United States