For something that has a storied past and a lot of sentimental value, the Landolt Observatory is unknown to many University students. Besides occasional class visits and monthly public viewings, the observatory remains undisturbed.
At the top of Nicholson Hall, winding stairs lead up to the observatory. The only signage is a piece of paper, written on with black Sharpie. Inside, the walls are bright blue. The only desk is wooden, and looks like it’s been in place for years, with a little stuffed spaceship toy on top of a map labeled as a chart of the heavens. In the center of the rounded room, there’s a mammoth refracting telescope.
The telescope has been there since the observatory was built in 1939. It was made by Alvan Clark and Sons. Clark was considered to be the world’s best refracting telescope maker, and the telescope is considered an antique.
Geoffrey Clayton, professor in the LSU Department of Physics and Astronomy and observatory caretaker, said the telescope was fun to work with despite its age. Clayton said that operating it manually lead to a more immersive experience.
“I think there’s a certain quaintness to it,” Clayton said. “We have to actually pull it around and point it by hand. I can actually do that because I’ve been looking at stars for a long time.”
But from the early 1990s to 2005, the telescope was unusable. After the observatory maintainers moved away, the space was abandoned until a group from the Physics and Astronomy Department cleaned and refurbished everything.
“Before that, it was so bad that the telescope was actually resting on the floor, not active,” Clayton said.
After this, the observatory was reopened and named after professor emeritus of physics and astronomy Arlo Landolt to honor his work and contributions to the field of astronomy. Despite being retired for the last 10 years, Landolt can still be found in Nicholson Hall every day.
In the observatory, monthly viewings are available to the public on Public Night, which will be on Oct. 14. Clayton said he is excited for the next viewing, as Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars, along with the moon, will all be visible. Clayton said that these viewings are important, as most aren’t really familiar with astronomy.
“Most people grow up now in a big city, and they don’t even know the stars are there because nobody looks up,” Clayton said. “And if they do look up, because of the city lights, it’s hard to see the stars. It’s good to actually look in a telescope.”
Besides, its importance as a teaching tool, Clayton says the Landolt Observatory should be valued for its history.
“In Louisiana of course, everything is about the history, and some of it’s good and some of it’s bad,” Clayton said. “I think that it’s one of the oldest things on campus, and it deserves to be preserved.”
