Rosemary Hill Observatory telescope

The dome of the University of Florida’s 30-inch telescope at the University of Florida’s Rosemary Hill Observatory in Bronson. UF astronomers used the 41-year-old telescope on June 4, 2009, to observe a planet outside our solar system eclipse its sun. The observation helped provide key evidence for a theory that the planet’s odd orbit was the result of the gravitational pull from its sun’s companion star. UF astronomers often use much larger, more modern, mountaintop-based telescopes for research, but the observation showed that small telescopes at sea level can still make important contributions.

(Photo by: Rosemary Hill Observatory director Francisco Reyes)
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