News

Want to Know What's Happening Here?

As Yerkes has become a space at the confluence of culture, art, and science, we have so much going on. From our speaker series to our roster of tours to our star parties, keep up to date by getting on our email list, following us on social media, and visiting us in person. We're forever evolving into a place of diverse programs for kids and adults alike. Writers, artists, sculptors, photographers, musicians, engineers, chemists, tech innovators, and astronomers are collaborating to understand how science inspires the arts and how the arts inspire cosmic discovery. We're eager to work together at this epicenter of BIG IDEAS. What was a dormant institution a couple years ago and a construction site under full restoration just last year is now a vibrant place filled with enthusiasm, focus, and new voices in conversation. Discover what’s happening in Cobb & Hale's three domes and the junction of Olmsted ellipses. More importantly, discover how you can tap into the energy.

Yerkes Observatory Announces Play/Space

We’ve launched a crowdfunding campaign to construct Play/Space, an astronomy and science-inspired, fully accessible playground at Yerkes. Our astronomers and staff worked with Monstrum, based in Denmark, to design a unique 7,000 square foot, 26′ tall playground inspired by a supernova–a luminous explosion of a massive star or white dwarf triggered by runaway nuclear fusion….

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Morgan House Restoration

Spring is here and Morgan House is nearly ready to greet our first guests!  Over the past year, Yerkes Future Foundation has been working on the renovation of Morgan House. The home, located near the observatory, was built in 1897 and was originally used as a faculty residence. Including, William Wilson Morgan who worked at…

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We Are Hiring!

We are excited to announce that we are hiring! After being open for almost a year now, we are ready to expand our team and grow as an organization. These positions offer a rare opportunity for the right candidates to make their mark on one of the iconic institutions and landscapes in the history of…

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Top Things to Do in Wisconsin

Big news from Travel Wisconsin! Yerkes Observatory was selected as a film site for an upcoming multi-state commercial. After several scouting visits, Travel Wisconsin’s film crew of thirty people spent July 25th filming a wonderful family walking into Observatory, up the grand staircase, and into the Great Refractor Dome. Then they filmed the family in…

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Lake Geneva Garden Club and Olmsted 200

We were honored to have our great friends at Lake Geneva Garden Club host A Garden Club of America Flower Show at Yerkes Observatory. What a week! LGGC put on spectacular events and exhibited the pleasantries of their hospitality in our Ann M. Drake Family Library, Hagenah Rotunda, and our new Yerkes Programs Room. Our…

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