Leander McCormick Observatory

The McCormick Observatory is open for Public Nights on the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month. The hours vary by season: in the winter we are open from 7-9pm EST, and in the summer we are open from 9-11pm EDT. In addition to the historic McCormick refracting telescope, there are exhibits and several smaller telescopes. Weather permitting, you will be able to view through the telescopes. There will also be a presentation by a member of the Astronomy Department. All of the faculty, postdocs and graduate students participate in the Public Night program on a rotating schedule throughout the year. Admission is free, but donations are very much appreciated.

The McCormick Observatory is one of the astronomical observatories operated by the Department of Astronomy of the University of Virginia and is situated just outside of Charlottesville, Virginia (USA) in Albemarle County on the summit of Mount Jefferson (also known as Observatory Hill). It is named for Leander J. McCormick (1819–1900), who provided the funds for the telescope and observatory. Leander was the son of Robert McCormick (1780–1846), the inventor of a mechanical reaper, and brother of Cyrus H. McCormick, who patented it, and undertook the large scale manufacture and marketing of the invention. The McCormick family's homestead of Walnut Grove was located near Raphine, Virginia, although they moved to Chicago to manufacture of the reaper on a large scale in 1848. In Chicago Cyrus, Leander and their brother William founded what became the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company and eventually International Harvester. In 1870 Leander decided to donate the largest telescope in the world to his home state of Virginia. However, the financial impact of the American Civil War on Virginia as well as the impact of the Great Chicago Fire on his own finances, delayed his efforts, and the telescope was the second largest refractor in the world when completed.

We have a Friends of McCormick Observatory program. If you are interested in supporting our efforts (and receiving membership benefits), please visit http://giving.virginia.edu/mccormickmembership for more information.