The Southeastern Iowa Astronomy Complex consists of three separate observatories. The John H. Witte Observatory, housing a 12 inch Alvan Clark and Sons refractor was the first. The telescope was originally donated to the Burlington school system in 1937 by John H. Witte Jr. a local businessman and amateur astronomer. Several years later the Prugh-Carver observatory was built to house Mr. Witte’s personal telescope, an eight inch refractor made by J. W. Fecker in 1931. The latest addition, the Stone-Kelly observatory, contains a 16 inch classical cassegrain made by Ealing Optical.
The John H. Witte, Jr. Observatory is a U.S. astronomical observatory owned and operated by Southeastern Iowa Astronomy Club. Located near Mediapolis, 10 miles north of Burlington, Iowa, it was originally built to house the 12-inch Alvan Clark and Sons refractor donated by Mr. Witte to the Burlington school system in 1937. The observatory was completed with the assistance of funds from his foundation in May 1987.[1] Previously, the telescope had been stored on the roof of the Burlington high school. The observatory is now used by many astronomy groups in the area.
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Coordinates: 40°57′19″N 91°13′19″W / 40.9552°N 91.2219°W / 40.9552; -91.2219
