Ibis Nights: To the Frank P. Brackett Observatory

The Cross Town Loop takes me right past a cluster of buildings known as the Frank Parkhurst Brackett Observatory. The observatory, which includes two larger domes, nicknamed Whitney and Brackett, and a third smaller dome called Robodome. Whitney Dome sits atop a stone building, and is the one seen in these photos. I can't seem to find a name for the tin-sided structure on rails, let alone whether it is capable of movement anymore. The observatory complex is managed (if that is indeed the right word) by the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Pomona College and dates back to 1908. While the observatory fills a clearly academic need, they are also periodically open for public events, as well as an annual open house. Click for more information.

And if you were wondering, yes Frank Parkhurst Brackett is the same person for whom nearby Brackett Field (adjacent to Bonelli Park) is named after. He was one of the earliest of Pomona Colleges' faculty.