Custer Institute and Observatory

I have been a member of Custer Institute since 1989 when members of my astronomy club said it was the best place for dark skies for observing.  Usually I drive out on a weekday night and set up my telescope in the side yard and observe.  Once in a while there might be others with telescopes, but not usually.  Saturday nights at Custer is when they allow the public to come up to the dome where the volunteers show them sights in the night sky.  It is usually mobbed!

Custer began as an astronomy club back when Charles W. Elmer, one of the founders of Perkin-Elmer Optical Company would get together with like minded friends, at his home.  They bought the land where the buildings are located now and built the main building in 1938.  Custer Institute was incorporated in 1942, the year I was born!  In 1945 the second building was built, which housed this room which can hold 100 people and the facility began holding both astronomy and cultural presentations for the public.  

The three story tower and observatory was built in 1947, which resulted in three round rooms inside the tower.  This is the ground floor room with displays of astronomical telescopes and equipment, and the portrait is that of Charles W. Elmer.

And this is one of the pieces of equipment on display in a case on the first floor - it is a nautical sextant from 1850, used by ship's navigators in order to navigate by the stars while at sea.

The second floor round room is where a very cozy library is located and the room is stuffed with both books and astronomy magazines going way back.  It looks like such a cozy place to choose a book and sit down to read.

This is the third floor, where a modern refracting telescope is located, and where visitors get to see so many of the wonderful things in the night sky, from the Moon, to planets, to star clusters and galaxies and gaseous nebulae.  Custer Institute is an amazing place with such a wonderful history!