The observatory was established in 1933. Through its first 40 years, its primary research focus was on tracking
minor planets and
asteroids in the
Solar System. Starting in the 1980s, astronomers began to use the facility to measure stars over long periods of time, which led to hunts for
extrasolar planets. The largest
telescope east of
Texas in the
United States is the 61-inch reflector
(see Hobby-Eberly Telescope). However, most of its projects were discontinued in 2005.
Harvard University's
Optical SETI program continues at the site. It also housed an steerable
radio telescope once used in Project BETA, a search for
extraterrestrial intelligence. A 41-cm (16-inch)
Boller and Chivens Cassegrain reflector originally housed at Oak Ridge is available for public use at the
National Air and Space Museum's Public Observatory Project on the
National Mall in Washington, DC. The inner
main-belt asteroid
4733 ORO, discovered at Oak Ridge in 1982, was named in honor of the observatory. == List of discovered minor planets ==