Detroit Observatory: nineteenth-century training ground for astronomers

Details Detroit Observatory: nineteenth-century training ground for astronomers Detroit Observatory: nineteenth-century training ground for astronomers

Dec 2003

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003jahh....6...69w&link_type=abstract

Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage (ISSN 1440-2807), Vol. 6, No. 2, p. 69 - 106 (2003).

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Detroit Observatory, University Of Michigan, Franz Brünnow, James Watson, Nineteenth-Century Astronomy, U.S. Lake Survey

Scientific paper

Detroit Observatory was founded in 1854 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, by Henry Philip Tappan, the University's first President. In 2004, the University celebrates Detroit Observatory's sesquicentennial year. Tappan named his creation the "Detroit Observatory" to honour the city's major benefactors. Tappan, who was inaugurated in 1852, was a visionary leader in the history of higher education. The creation of an astronomical observatory was one of his first steps toward the integration of a new scientific course with the traditional classical course of study, following the Prussian model of higher education. Tappan's observatory was built in the frontier state of Michigan at a modest cost, yet it was equipped with the best European and American instruments available. The facility was impressive, but Tappan's success in launching the University of Michigan to the forefront of American astronomical science was achieved through the recruitment of the renowned Prussian astronomer, Franz Brünnow, of the Berlin Observatory. The instruction in precision astronomy Brünnow offered to American students produced some of the most notable astronomers of the era, which led to the recognition of an "Ann Arbor School of Astronomy". Subsequent Directors and Assistants, including James Watson, Mark Harrington, J. Martin Schaeberle, and Asaph Hall Jr., produced students with exceptional talent in astronomy, geodesy, surveying and meteorology. Michigan's talent pool was the widely deployed across the nation. This paper documents and preserves the history, and serves as a focal point for celebrating in 2004 the 150-year milestone in Detroit Observatory's fascinating history.

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