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| Location | Vermilion County, Illinois, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°03′35″N 87°33′47″W / 40.05961°N 87.56310°W |
| Established | 1959 |
The Vermilion River Observatory was constructed Danville, Illinois by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Department of Astronomy and the Department of ECE.
The first radio telescope was a 400-foot by 600-foot parabolic cylinder operating at 610 megahertz. The telescope was unusual since it was cut into ravine. The surface was sealed with an asphalt liner and then covered in a galvanized wire mesh that served as the reflector. Feed elements were located along the center line underneath a truss supported by four 153-foot towers. The design was very economical using the earth's rotation to move objects across the meridian. Construction began in 1959 and remained active until 1970. Discoveries included a prototype of a class of active galactic nuclei, two previously unknown supernova remnants, and ionized hydrogen regions within the galaxy.
Next was the 120-foot steerable dish. Original plans called for three dishes working as an interferometer, but an NSF budget cut resulted in only one telescope being constructed. Operated from 1974 until 1981.
The site is still owned by the university and managed by the U of I Committee on Natural Areas being used for ecological research.
References
edit- "MLO 40-inch telescope". San Diego State Department of Astronomy, Mount Laguna Observatory. Retrieved 2015-04-26.
Hutchinson, J. The Vermilion River Observatory: Two decades of radio astronomy in ECE
McVittie, G.C. 1962. Illinois' Vermilion River Observatory. Sky and Telescope, vol. 24, page 322.
Category:Astronomical observatories in Illinois
Category:Buildings and structures of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign