School District U-46’s Planetarium and Observatory has been named a member of the Alliance of Historic Observatories.
“The AHO designation highlights the unique historic and scientific legacy of the structure, which traces its roots to an observatory built in 1910 by the Elgin National Watch Co.,” a U-46 news release said.
The observatory was built by the Elgin-based watch company as part of its marketing efforts — their watches and clocks were “timed to the stars.”
Ken Launie, center, an antique telescope expert, inspects the telescope at the School District U-46 Planetarium and Observatory in Elgin with U-46 planetarium teacher Joe Kellenberger, right. Watching them are Sara Schechner, curator emerita of the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments at Harvard University, and planetarium volunteer Bob Peterson. (School District U-46)
When the company went out of business, the observatory was deeded to District U-46, which added the planetarium to the structure in 1963. Both are used as a way of “sparking interest in astronomy among students and members of the community,” the release said.
These days, it draws about 14,000 visitors a year, many of them students but also members of the public who attend the sky shows offered four or five times a year. The next one is to be held Feb. 9 and will focus on Mayan archaeoastronomy. On May 14, the show will highlight the building’s history.
Among its most recent visitors were two telescope experts from the Boston area: Sara Schechner, curator emerita of the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments at Harvard University, and her husband Ken Launie, an antique telescope aficionado. They checked out the facility and equipment on Jan. 23-24.
“They took a hard look at our telescope and gave us tips to preserve it,” planetarium teacher Joseph Kellenberger said. “They told us our telescope is in really good condition and that we have something really special here.”
Kellenberger said the volunteers who help keep the telescope in working condition were relieved because they feared that what they were doing, such as waxing the equipment to protect it, might not be sufficient.
A 1924 ad for the Elgin National Watch Co. includes an illustration of the observatory it built in 1910, which was deeded to School District U-46 when the company went out of business in the 1960s. (The Courier-News)
Schnechner and Launie offered pointers for what they would need to do if the district ever had to dismantle the telescope, which dates to 1909, for restoration or repair work, he said. They also looked over timekeeping instruments and what Kellenberger calls the “bits and bobs” to help sort and separate spares and other parts that could be used for future work.
“We have also been trying to make sense of the documents, notes and scratch work from determining the observatory’s longitude in 1909 as well as the later measurements of time,” Kellenberger said. “Sara and Ken were helpful in making sense of the processes the astronomers went through. They also provided ideas and resources for protecting the historic documents in the future as well as the equipment.”
The couple told him they were impressed that the planetarium was still being used as a working observatory. Kellenberger said the roof opens on a north-south axis for stargazing, but only during summer in warm weather.
Ken Launie, center, an antique telescope expert, examines the telescope at the School District U-46 Planetarium and Observatory in Elgin. He was joined by his wife, Sara Schechner, curator emerita of the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments at Harvard University, and planetarium volunteer Bob Peterson. (School District U-46)
In addition to meeting with him, Schnechner and Launie also met with volunteer Bob Peterson and Peggy Hernandez, the district’s former planetarium teacher.
U-46 communications specialist Alec Barlow recorded a podcast with the two experts and Hernandez, and students from the Beacon Academy of Digital & Media Arts at South Elgin High School recorded a video, Kellenberger said.
Hernandez was responsible for arranging the visit, a process that began about 10 years ago when she initially contacted Schechner to lay the groundwork for a trip to Elgin, he said.
“We felt this was a great time to bring them out,” Kellenberger said.
The timing of the experts’ visit was coincidental to the planetarium/observatory being accepted into the Alliance of Historic Observatories, which was announced by the district last week but confirmed in the fall at the organization’s meeting in Flagstaff, Arizona, Kellenberger said.
Rafael Guerrero/The Courier-News
In this photo from Aug. 21, 2017, people use their protective glasses to watch a solar eclipse while standing outside the School District U46 Planetarium and Observatory. (The Courier-News)
Hernandez, who served as planetarium teacher for 15 years until her retirement in 2024, traveled there to talk about Elgin’s operation and to formally accept the recognition.
“The U-46 Planetarium and Observatory is a special treasure for us, but now we know others across the globe recognize its importance as well,” Kellenberger said.
He noted that among the nonprofit’s founding observatories include the one at the Vatican, the Griffth in Los Angeles and Lowell in Arizona. Being part of the organization provides a network to which Elgin staff can reach out for advice and to troubleshoot should there be any issues with the equipment, Kellenberger said.
“Students who come here get to experience a part of history and add to the legacy of the facility,” Kellenberger said.
For a schedule of public shows at the facility, go to www.u-46.org/our-district/departments-programs/observatory-planetarium/public-sky-shows.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
