Timeline History of Yerkes Observatory

Yerkes in 1897


By chance the new Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Chicago, George Hale, discovers that two optically perfect disks are available. These 42-inch "blanks" could be ground to create a 40-inch refracting telescope, the largest in the world. He and the dynamic president of the university set off to find a donor willing to purchase these disks; build the telescope; and pay for a "suitable observatory" to house the World's Largest Telescope. For more in depth history, visit the links on the left hand side of the page.