Lecturer on Astronomy Thomas M. Dame, who has been an instructor for “Astrophysics Laboratory,” said he did not look forward to losing the site. “Over the 18 year history of the course, the experiment conducted at Oak Ridge has consistently been one of the most successful and popular,” he said in an e-mail.

Without Oak Ridge, Dame said, the smaller 16-inch Knowles telescope at the Science Center—which is not a research telescope—will have to satisfy undergraduates’ needs.

“The skies above Harvard Square are of course a far cry from those above Harvard, Mass., and the Knowles telescope has only one-fifteenth the light gathering power of the Wyeth reflector at Oak Ridge,” Dame said.

Nathaniel J. Craig ’05, who took “Astrophysics Laboratory,” said that without the visit to the Wyeth, which housed in a three-story-tall dome, the course would offer none of its former kicks.

“It was awesome to be out there, open the dome, and point this massive telescope around,” he said. “We had another experience with a telescope operated remotely and there wasn’t the same thrill—it’s really irreplaceable.”

Sometimes these thrills have helped launch students onto their life paths. Latham said a prominent astronomer mentioned that he had chosen his career after his college roommate, an astrophysics concentrator, dragged him out to Oak Ridge for a night of stargazing.

Stefanik said that without the CFA’s support, all educational activities involving the telescope at Oak Ridge—which included visits by students from a variety of universities and high schools—would cease. Alcock said that while some small projects—including a search for extraterrestrial life project and a seismic station, would continue at Oak Ridge—the site’s future is unclear.

“My guess is there will be a period where very little is done out there while we put our heads together and figure out how to best use this land,” he said.

—Staff writer Adam M. Guren can be reached at guren@fas.harvard.edu.