Custer Observatory

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Custer Observatory
Custer Observatory Dome
Organization	Custer Institute
Location	Main Bayview Road, Southold, New York
Coordinates	41°3′6.75″N, 72°26′4.25″W

Custer Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Custer Institute. Located in Southold, New York (USA), facing Peconic Bay and Shelter Island, Custer boasts "The Darkest Skies of any Observatory on Long Island".(See article) \ Long Island's Oldest Public Observatory, Custer Institute was founded in 1927 by Charles Wesley Elmer (co-founder of the Perkin-Elmer Optical Company), along with a group of fellow amateur-astronomers. The name was adopted to honor the hospitality of Mrs. Elmer, the Grand Niece of General George Armstrong Custer. In 1942, the Custer Institute was incorporated as a non-profit educational corporation in the State of New York.

In 1938, the group purchased the land the institute presently occupies and initial construction was completed in the spring of 1939. The 100-seat lecture hall was added in 1945. In 1947, through donations by Charles Elmer and Mr. Polk, the 3-story tower/library and observatory dome were built. In 1954, Charles Elmer died; that same year, the Institute added the shed, which houses three sliding roof observatories. Over the years, Custer has acquired a large collection of telescopes of all sizes and descriptions, including the 25-inch F4 Mirror, which is now the premier telescope in the newly-rebuilt dome.(See article)

Search for Extrasolar Planets:
Recently, the Custer Institute and Observatory began a new research project to search for new extra-solar planets using data collected by amateur astronomers, with sophisticated mathematical algorithms to remove variations in sensitivity, noise level, and other important variables. Very promising preliminary results have already been obtained, but more volunteers are needed, with CCD cameras attached to 8-inch (or better) telescopes, located anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere. (The task is to allow their equipment to take multi-hour, high-quality images of specified areas of the sky.) Further information can be found at Custer Institute searches for extrasolar planets .

The Custer Library:
On the first floor of the dome tower building is located the Custer Library. It contains a wealth of Astronomy and Science books dating from the 1800s to the present. It also houses the Institutes's videotape collection and 35mm astronomical slide collection. It contains National Geographic, Sky & Telescope, Astronomy, and Scientific American magazines dating back numerous decades. Use of the Library is one of the benefits of Custer membership.

The Custer Museum:
On the second floor of the dome tower is located the Custer Museum. Among the items in the collection, open to viewing by the visiting public, can be found:

• Henry Fitz, early Custer member and famous telescope mirror maker's Grinding Table. (Similar to the one on display at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC.)
• James Short's circa 1750 Gregorian Telescope variation designed to read the separation of Binary Stars. One of only three known to exist.
• Various other 1700s and 1800s vintage spectrometers and sextants, along with other astronomical devices.
• The Custer Rock Collection including Geodes and numerous Fossilized Rocks.
• The Custer Meteorite Collection, which includes a Shergottite from Mars.
• Numerous astronomical, sunspot, and aurora pictures taken by past and present members.

• A broken 1750s roadside Mile Marker, recovered by Custer members that was originally ordered by Ben Franklin when he was the head of the Colonial Mail system. (Today, most of the other markers, still undamaged, mark the distance along the Main Road between Orient Point and the Old Riverhead Court House.)
• The Custer Civil War Bullet Collection.
• A piece of a tree that was originally planted at Bronx College by Albert Einstein (who often summered in Southold).

Custer's Telescopes
Custer has a large collection of telescopes of all sizes and description. Among them are:

• 6" Alvan Clark Refractor circa 1900 on a Northwestern University equatorial mount circa 1895 in the dome.
• A 12-1/2" Newtonian Reflector is piggy backed to the Clark.
• 12" Springfield designed by Russell Porter.
• 12-1/2" Newtonian.
• 13" Newtonian Dobsonian.
• 8" Schmidt Newtonian.
• 8" Classic Cassegrain.
• 7" F20 Refractor.
• 5" Alvan Clark Student Model Refractor.
• 4" Unitron. [This telescope has been missing for several years.]
• 7x21 Ross Camera, F7 with a 3" lens, accepting 8x10 and 4x5 inch plate film.
• 10-1/2" Newtonian Reflector that is being outfitted for CCD camera and remote viewing.
• 10" Astro Binoculars, designed and built by on of the members, Rico Verticchio, and on loan to Custer.
• Celestron CGE-1400 14” Go-To Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope with German Equatorial Mount.
• The donation of a Meade 16” LX200GPS-SMT has been placed on order.
• Custer members are presently grinding a 25” F4 Mirror, which will become Custer’s premier telescope in the dome.

Public access to Custer Institute:
Every Saturday evening, from dusk until midnight, Custer Observatory welcomes the general public to guided tours of the heavens -- weather permitting, of course: (Consult the clear-sky-chart for current & predicted conditions.) The Custer Institute also allows its lecture hall to be used for lectures, in-service courses for educators, concerts, theatrical performances, and other events.Custer's current schedule of upcoming events

[edit] See also

• List of observatories

[edit] References

1. Custer Observatory Homepage. Custer Index. Retrieved on August 19, 2007.
2. Montauk Observatory Project. Custer Index. Retrieved on August 19, 2007.

[edit] External links

• Custer Institute Clear Sky Clock Forecasts of observing conditions.
• Custer Institute searches for extrasolar planets