Location Decatur, Georgia Established 1950 Address Decatur, GA 30030, USA Phone +1 404-471-6000 Added to NRHP 29 July 1994 | Altitude 315.27 m (1034.37 ft) Website bradley.agnesscott.edu Opened 1950 Organization Agnes Scott College | |
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Beck Telescope 0.76 meter Cassegrain reflector optical Beck Radio Telescope (BrAT) 3.1 meter radio telescope with receivers at K, U and L bands Similar Clyde Shepherd Nature Pr, Fernbank Forest, Fernbank Observatory, Hard Labor Creek Observatory, Capilla Peak Observatory Profiles | ||
Agnes scott college s bradley observatory celebrates its 65th year
The Bradley Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Agnes Scott College. It is located in Decatur, Georgia, 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Atlanta, Georgia, (USA). The observatory's largest telescope, the Beck Telescope, is a vintage 30 inch (750 mm) Cassegrain reflector built in 1930. The telescope was owned and operated by an amateur astronomer, Mr. Gibson. He offered the telescope for sale, seeking to upgrade his own telescope. Agnes Scott purchased it in 1947 for about $15,000. For many years, the Beck telescope was the largest in the Southeast United States, until the Fernbank Observatory opened in 1972 with its 36-inch (910 mm) telescope.
The observatory was built in order to house the Beck telescope and was dedicated in 1950. It also houses faculty offices and a planetarium. The observatory is a contributing structure within the National Register South Candler Street-Agnes Scott College Historic District. Dr. Chris DePree is the current director of the Bradley Observatory.