The Perkins Observatory
The Perkins Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Delaware, Ohio. It is owned and operated by Ohio Wesleyan University.
History
The observatory is named for Hiram Perkins, who funded its construction with money he earned running a hog farm that fed Union troops during the US Civil War. Hiram was also a professor of Mathematics and Astronomy at Ohio Wesleyan University. He died during the construction of the observatory.
When the observatory was built in 1931, it housed a 69-inch telescope, which was at the time the third largest in the world. This telescope was moved in 1961 to Lowell Observatory in Arizona, where there exist much better weather conditions for observation. The Perkins dome now houses a 32-inch telescope.