Exclusive Tour of a Once World-Class Observatory

GMAC members inspect the coelostat, during the tour of Tower 2

Join us for an exclusive tour of the McMath–Hulbert Observatory, located in Lake Angelus, Michigan.  Jim Shedlowsky, of the Warren Astronomical Society, will lead a small group through the historic building, sharing inside knowledge and stories along the way.  The tour begins at 10 AM, and will be completed by noon.  Space on the tour is limited, so if you are interested in attending, please email Jim Goodall to reserve your spot.

The McMath–Hulbert Observatory, was founded in 1930 by three amateur astronomers, Francis McMath, his son Robert McMath, and Henry Hulbert, with the goal of enhancing their clever development of time lapse astrophotography for outreach purposes. It soon garnered the interests of the University of Michigan and evolved into a world-class solar observatory, operated by the U of M through 1979. It is now in private ownership, nonfunctional, but largely intact.

Tour Details

THIS TOUR IS FULL

Club membership is required for this tour, and may be purchased through our Online Store.   For safety and accessibility reasons, this tour is not recommmended for  children under the age of 8 or persons with reduced mobility.

For a detailed review of last year’s tour, be sure to visit the  McMath-Hulbert Observatory Debriefing page.

Directions (Please Read)

The observatory is located at 895 N. Lake Angelus Rd.  in Lake Angelus, Michigan.  The entrance road can be confusing, so it is recommended to approach the observatory from Baldwin Rd and look for the small sign on the left hand side.  There is a second entrance road that Google prefers (with no sign), but it is not recommended to take this route.