Prairie Observatory Log Books, 1969-1980 | University of Illinois Archives

Instruction in astronomy commenced in 1892 as an offering of the Mathematics Department.¹ In August 1921, the Board of Trustees authorized that the Division of Astronomy in the Department of Mathematics be organized as a separate Department of Astronomy.² In 1957, the Department began a program of cooperative investigation with the United States Office of Naval Research³ and, in 1962, the radio telescope site at Vermilion River Observatory was completed.⁴ The courses offered range from descriptive astronomy to aeronomy,⁵ with B.S.,⁶ M.S. and Ph.D. degrees offered.⁷

1. Catalogs and Registers, 1892-93, p. 57.

2. Board of Trustees Transactions, 34th Report, August 1, 1921, p. 17.

3. Board of Trustees Transactions, 49th Report, April 15, 1957, p. 372.

4. Board of Trustees Transactions, 52nd Report, November 9, 1962, p. 261.

5. Undergraduate Course Catalog, 1972/74, pp. 61-62.

6. Undergraduate Study Catalog, 1971/72, p. 365.

7. Graduate College Catalog, 1971/72, p. 99.