Laowai

Over the weekend we took a field trip to a fascinating place called the Yerkes Observatory. 

The observatory houses the world's largest refracting telescope. It was build in 1895 and it became a super influential place full of a who's who of the world of astronomy. I didn't recognize most of the famous scientists names (other than Hubble and Carl Sagan) but these people were the first to photograph space and they discovered so many amazing things that I really don't understand (ha). It's even described as the birthplace of astrophysics and Albert Einstein visited on his first trip to the US. It's all housed in an amazingly ornate building and it's situated a couple hours north of Chicago. 

Until just a few years ago the whole place was closed to the public. It was handed from The University of Chicago to a non-profit organization. Apparently if you want to study space today you actually go to space or you go to a tall mountain with lots of clear skies. So the organization been working hard to restore the building as well as the telescope and to reinvent it as a place for the public. 

They have some nice old windows too.

Here's the telescope – the whole floor goes up and down so you can get close to where you look through the telescope.

Here's a science desk (rather Wes Anderson looking)

Old artifacts and books and equipment on display.

The scientists lived in dorm areas in the observatory as well as cottages that surround it. The tour guide pointed out that the dorms were located where the little porthole windows are on he upper level of the the building. Since the work was often done at night the scientist would sleep in the daytime and the little windows could be closed off to block the sun.

I'm so glad we visited this beautiful place!