The William G. and Retha Stone Baker Observatory was established in 1977. The Observatory is used for Basic Astronomy and Astronomical Techniques laboratories, and by faculty and students engaged in astronomical research.
Telescopes
There are three permanently mounted telescopes:
- 0.4-meter (16") diameter Cassegrain reflector
- 0.36-meter (14") diameter Schmidt-Cassegrain hybrid
- 0.28-meter (11") diameter Schmidt-Cassegrain hybrid
The 0.4-meter reflector was one of the first telescopes used at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, and later at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. It was obtained by Missouri State University from AURA in 1983.
CCD Detectors
There are a number of CCD detectors used on telescopes:
- A Princeton Instruments 1340x1300 pixel nitrogen-cooled camera on the 0.4-m reflector
- An Apogee Instruments, Inc. 512x512 pixel thermoelectrically-cooled camera on the 0.36-m Schmidt-Cassegrain hybrid
- SBIG ST-6, 7, and 9 CCD detectors are used on student telescopes