Star BQ at the Agnes Scott College Bradley Observatory
On Friday evening of ALCon 2013, attendees are invited to tour and have dinner at this beautiful facility only minutes away from both the Emory Conference Center Hotel and the Fernbank Science Center.
Named in honor of William C. and Sarah Hall Bradley, whose philanthropy touched many area companies and institutions, this facility is an astronomical teaching and research facility located on the campus of Agnes Scott College in Decatur, and is where your local hosting club, the Atlanta Astronomy Club, was founded in 1947.
The observatory building contains the 70-seat Delafield Planetarium, a 100-seat capacity lecture hall, a library/seminar room, three faculty offices, a darkroom, a student computer lab and an observing plaza for astronomical viewing.
The large dome atop the observatory building houses the 30-inch Lewis H. Beck telescope. The Beck Telescope is a 30-inch reflector, a 1930 vintage Cassegrain with a Warner & Swasey mounting and optical elements by J.W. Fecker. It was completely refurbished and modified for its installation in 1950 by the Perkin-Elmer Corporation. When it was commissioned on June 3, 1950, it was the largest astronomical instrument in the southeast.
The telescope tracking control system was modernized and upgraded during the summer of 1998, and the mirrors were refinished during the renovations in 2000.
- Hungry attendees have a choice of three pre-ordered scrumptious dishes:
- Pan Roasted Chicken Breast with mushroom ragout, $32
- Tender Beef Brisket with a caramelized onion jus, $37
- Grilled Eggplant Steak with chic peas and feta cheese, $32
- After dinner, we will be treated to a tour of the facilities and a presentation in the Delafield Planetarium.
- Shuttle bus transportation to and from this site and the Emory Conference Center Hotel will be available for those without their own transportation ($20).