Oak Ridge Observatory

The Oak Ridge Observatory (ORO, code: 801), also known as the George R. Agassiz Station, is located at 42 Pinnacle Road, Harvard, Massachusetts. It was operated by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics as a facility of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) from 1933 until August 19, 2005.[2]

"Agassiz station" redirects here. For the railroad station in British Columbia, see Agassiz station (British Columbia).
Oak Ridge Observatory
Alternative namesGeorge R. Agassiz Station
Observatory code 801 
LocationHarvard, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°30′18″N 71°33′29″W
Established1933 
Websitetdc-www.harvard.edu/oakridge/oakridge/
TelescopesProject BETA Telescope
Wyeth 61-inch reflector 
Location of Oak Ridge Observatory
Related media on Wikimedia Commons
Minor planets discovered: 38 [1]
see § List of discovered minor planets

Description

The observatory was established in 1933. Through its first 40 years, its primary research focus was on tracking minor planets and asteroids in the Solar System. Starting in the 1980s, astronomers began to use the facility to measure stars over long periods of time, which led to hunts for extrasolar planets, i.e., planets outside the Solar System. Surveys at Oak Ridge found many such distant planets.

The largest telescope east of Texas in the United States is the 61-inch reflector (see Hobby-Eberly Telescope). However, most of its projects were discontinued in 2005. Harvard University's Optical SETI program continues at the site.

It also housed an 84-foot (26 m) steerable radio telescope once used in Project BETA, a search for extraterrestrial intelligence. A 41-cm (16-inch) Boller and Chivens Cassegrain reflector originally housed at Oak Ridge is available for public use at the National Air and Space Museum's Public Observatory Project on the National Mall in Washington, DC.[3]

The inner main-belt asteroid 4733 ORO, discovered at Oak Ridge in 1982, was named in honor of the observatory.[4]

List of discovered minor planets

In addition to the discoveries below, the Minor Planet Center inconsistently credits some asteroids such as 4760 Jia-xiang directly to the Harvard College Observatory although they have been discovered at Oak Ridge.

2674 Pandarus27 January 1982list
2872 Gentelec5 September 1981list
3076 Garber13 September 1982list
3342 Fivesparks27 January 1982list
3773 Smithsonian23 December 1984list
3797 Ching-Sung Yu22 December 1987list
4372 Quincy3 October 1984list
4733 ORO19 April 1982list
5976 Kalatajean25 September 1992list
6696 Eubanks1 September 1986list
6949 Zissell11 September 1982list
7276 Maymie4 September 1983list
7383 Lassovszky30 September 1981list
7386 Paulpellas25 November 1981list
7461 Kachmokiam3 October 1984list
7639 Offutt21 February 1985list
7738 Heyman24 November 1981list
7940 Erichmeyer13 March 1991list
8161 Newman19 August 1990list
8357 O'Connor25 September 1989list
8496 Jandlsmith16 August 1990list
9179 Satchmo13 March 1991list
9291 Alanburdick17 August 1982list
9929 McConnell24 February 1982list
10289 Geoffperry24 August 1984list
10290 Kettering17 September 1985list
12223 Hoskin8 October 1983list
12224 Jimcornell19 October 1984list
(12319) 1992 PC2 August 1992list
(13635) 1995 WA4222 November 1995list
(14416) 1991 RU78 September 1991list
(14830) 1986 XR55 December 1986list
(15731) 1990 UW216 October 1990list
(16437) 1988 XX17 December 1988list
(17400) 1985 PL113 August 1985list
(26809) 1984 QU24 August 1984list
(43755) 1983 RJ15 September 1983list
(168315) 1982 RA113 September 1982list

See also

References
  1. "Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. 12 January 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  2. "Oak Ridge Observatory". Archived from the original on 2008-05-10. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
  3. NASM AirSpace Blog, March 29, 2009. Archived July 31, 2009, at the Wayback Machine and NASM Public Observatory Project Archived 2010-02-22 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(4733) Oro". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (4733) ORO. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 408. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_4643. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.


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