Inside the 130-year-old Chamberlin Observatory at the University of Denver

Think making a reservation at Casa Bonita is difficult? Try catching one on a weekday tour of the University of Denver’s Chamberlin Observatory. “They sell out a year in advance, which shocks us,” says Ken Sturrock, a volunteer guide with the Denver Astronomical Society (DAS).

The Romanesque sandstone building’s giant refracting telescope first saw the stars 130 years ago this month, and Chamberlin has changed little since then. Almost everything about the structure is original, including the hand cranks that deftly maneuver the 26-foot telescope that mapped the stars, discovered comets and nearly confirmed Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity during a total solar eclipse in June 1918. (Another observatory received this honor due to unfortunate cloud cover over the Mile High City.) But the instrument was actually obsolete for most of its existence and was mainly used as a science communicator. In addition to public tours (every Tuesday and Thursday; $4 for adults, $3 for children), DAS also hosts an open house once a month, no reservation required, and the observatory remains an effective teaching tool for the university. “We still have classes here,” says University of Denver physics and astronomy professor and observatory director Jennifer Hoffman, “because it’s a really powerful way for our students to imagine their place in the universe.”