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Kenwood Astrophysical Observatory

Astronomical observatories in IllinoisDefunct astronomical observatoriesDouble telescopesUniversity of Chicago
Kenwood Astrophysical Observatory 1892
Kenwood Astrophysical Observatory 1892

The Kenwood Astrophysical Observatory was the personal observatory of George Ellery Hale, constructed by his father, William E. Hale, in 1890 at the family home in the Kenwood section of Chicago. It was here that the spectroheliograph, which Hale had invented while attending MIT, was first put to practical use; and it was here that Hale established the Astrophysical Journal. Kenwood's principal instrument was a twelve-inch refractor, which was used in conjunction with a Rowland grating as part of the spectroheliograph. Hale hired Ferdinand Ellerman as an assistant; years later, the two would work together again at the Mount Wilson Observatory. Hale's work attracted the attention of many in the astronomical community, and when he was hired at the University of Chicago as a professor of astronomy, more advanced astronomy students initially used the Kenwood Observatory. When Yerkes Observatory was established in 1897, the Kenwood instruments were donated to the University of Chicago and moved to the Yerkes facility in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. The 12-inch telescope was one of the instruments besides the large 40-inch aperture refractor for the start of Yerkes observatory in the 1890s. The observatory was also called Kenwood Observatory. The 12-inch refractor is noted as being moved to the north dome of the Yerkes observatory, but was eventually replaced by a 24-inch reflector telescope.The 12 inch refractor was a double telescope with one for visual observation and another objective for astrophotography,

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Kenwood Astrophysical Observatory
South Drexel Boulevard, Chicago Kenwood

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N 41.8117 ° E -87.6031 °
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South Drexel Boulevard 4545
60615 Chicago, Kenwood
Illinois, United States
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Kenwood Astrophysical Observatory 1892
Kenwood Astrophysical Observatory 1892
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South Side, Chicago
South Side, Chicago

The South Side is the area of Chicago, Illinois, U.S. It lies south of the city's Loop area in the downtown. Geographically, it is the largest of the three Sides of the city that radiate from downtown-the other Sides of the city being the North Side and the West Side. Much of the South Side came from the city's annexation of townships such as Hyde Park. The city's Sides have historically been divided by the Chicago River and its branches. The South Side of Chicago was originally defined as all of the city south of the main branch of the Chicago River, but it now excludes the Loop. The South Side has a varied ethnic composition and a great variety of income levels and other demographic measures. It has a reputation of crime, although most crime is contained within certain neighborhoods, not throughout the South Side itself and residents range from affluent to middle class to poor. South Side neighborhoods such as Armour Square, Back of the Yards, Bridgeport, and Pullman host more blue collar and middle-class residents, while Hyde Park, the Jackson Park Highlands District, Kenwood, Beverly, Mount Greenwood, and west Morgan Park feature affluent and upper-middle class residents.The South Side boasts a broad array of cultural and social offerings, such as professional sports teams, landmark buildings, museums, educational institutions, medical institutions, beaches, and major parts of Chicago's parks system. The South Side has numerous bus routes and 'L' train lines via the Chicago Transit Authority, it hosts Midway Airport, and includes several Metra rail commuter lines. There are portions of the U.S. Interstate Highway System and also national highways such as Lake Shore Drive.