About Us

  

Located under dark night skies in rural Beresford, South Dakota, Hodgson Observatory is a privately owned astronomical facility belonging to Richard and Nancy Hodgson. 

Main observatory

     The Main Observatory with a roll-off roof was built in 2003. It contains one of the largest aperture telescopes in South Dakota, a 635mm (25-inch diameter) f/5.06 Obsession Newtonian telescope on a Dobsonian mount. This is guided by ArgoNavis with a StellerCat drive system. Mounted on top of this instrument is an Orion 120mm (4.7inch) aperature f/8.33 achromatic refractor permitting viewing of a wider field. The main Observatory has a concrete patio on its south side where several smaller telescopes can be set up for specific tasks.

Wide sky observatory

The smaller Wide-Sky Observatory was built in 2007 and has a counter-weighted clam-shell roof  that completely opens leaving only its 4-foot walls enclosing the scope so that fine views are obtained down to the east and west horizon. A drop-down feature on its south wall permits observations to minus 46.8 degrees declination (south latitude) at optimal conditions. This observatory contains a 203mm (8-inch diameter) Newtonian telescope on a German equatorial mount powered by a  Sirius EQ-G GoTo drive system. This scope, when fitted with its full-aperature solar filter, gives very good views of the solar disc. There are also several smaller telescopes available for specific tasks.

Three Obsessions 

Our South Pasture is a mowed, 3 acre field where amateur astronomer friends and visitors can set up their telescopes. It gradually slopes down to the sourh, and affords a fine view of the sky, especially to the south.

The “Clubhouse” / Astronomy Education Center:  Under construction in the summer of 2008, this new building will provide needed classroom / meeting space for visiting groups and Sioux Empire Astronomy Club (SEAC) members.

The Model ” Solar System-on-a-Fence” will be installed the summer of 2008 along the South Pasture’s 610-foot long south fence for those who hike our Astronomy Education Walk.