UIS Barber Research Observatory

The UIS Barber Research Observatory is a community supported astronomical observatory located about 30 km west of Springfield, IL, USA. This observatory is very different from most university research observatories because the Astronomy-Physics program at the University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS) does not have a graduate or undergraduate degree program to supply students to staff it. Instead the Barber Observatory is staffed by dedicated community volunteers who have been trained through advanced astronomy courses offered at UIS.The observatory was constructed entirely with community donations. It is maintained through an endowment and continued community financial support. The namesake of our observatory, Henry Barber, was the largest contributor to its construction and it stands as a memorial to his enthusiastic life long interest in astronomy.

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The UIS Barber Research Observatory silhouetted by sunset
One degree long strip (taken with the 20-inch telescope) along the southern part of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) including NGC 206