![\"Observatory](\"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/observatory-buildings_3.jpg\")
<\/a>The Cincinnati Observatory in Mt. Lookout, 1943<\/p><\/div>\n
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The history of the observatory abounds with interesting and peculiar facts.\u00a0 The Cincinnati Observatory was founded in 1842 by Ormsby McKnight Mitchel, a professor of engineering and mathematics at Cincinnati College, which was a predecessor of the University of Cincinnati.\u00a0 A native of Morganfield, Kentucky and a West Point graduate, Mitchel generated interest in astronomy and an observatory in Cincinnati, and was among the founding members of the Cincinnati Astronomical Society.\u00a0\u00a0 Mitchel traveled to Munich to procure a lens for the telescope and then oversaw the construction of the observatory on Mt. Ida.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve never heard of Mt. Ida, there is a reason.\u00a0 Mitchel, with the assistance of several prominent Cincinnatians, convinced seventy-five year old former president John Quincy Adams to travel to Cincinnati to lay the cornerstone for the observatory in November of 1843.\u00a0 After which, Mt. Ida was renamed Mt. Adams.\u00a0 In an interesting twist, Mitchel later had something named for him too.\u00a0 Ft. Mitchell in Northern Kentucky was named for Mitchel (although they did spell his name wrong).<\/p>\n
<\/a>The observatory\u2019s second director, Cleveland Abbe<\/p><\/div>\n
Under Mitchel\u2019s direction, the observatory was very productive.\u00a0 The observatory published the Sidereal Message, a magazine about astronomy.\u00a0 Observations were made double stars and the observatory began recording time.\u00a0 These records were eventually used to establish standard time for the City of Cincinnati.<\/p>\n
Mitchel left Cincinnati in 1860 for the Dudley Observatory in Albany, New York, and met a tragic end.\u00a0 He died of yellow fever while serving in the Army during the Civil War.\u00a0 The observatory remained closed until Cleveland Abbe was appointed director in 1868, and brought about another nationally significant connection to the observatory.\u00a0 Abbe used the observatory for weather prediction, and on September 1, 1869 began issuing a daily weather bulletin.\u00a0 Abbe\u2019s work proved so influential that in 1870, he left the observatory to help establish the National Weather Bureau.<\/p>\n
In 1871, the University of Cincinnati took possession of the Cincinnati Observatory and moved the observatory to a new location the Mt. Lookout area where it still stands today.\u00a0 A series of successful directors served the observatory throughout the late 19th<\/sup> and 20th<\/sup> centuries including UC professor Paul Herget.\u00a0 Herget was a 1931 graduate of the University of Cincinnati, who began working as an assistant at the observatory while studying for his Ph.D.\u00a0 Herget was appointed director of the Cincinnati Observatory in 1943 and instituted the use of computer tabulation at the observatory. \u00a0In 1947, he began directing the Minor Planet Center of the International Astronomical Union.<\/p>\n Paul Herget with the observatory's telescope<\/p><\/div>\n In 1977, Herget retired and the observatory lost a major source of funding when the University of Cincinnati became part of the state university system.\u00a0 The observatory closed for a period of time, and then in 1979, became part of the Physics Department at the University of Cincinnati.\u00a0 In 1997, the Cincinnati Observatory Center was established, and in 1999 was issued a long-term lease to the observatory by UC.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re interested in learning about the Cincinnati Observatory and its history, you\u2019re in luck.\u00a0 The Cincinnati Observatory offers tours, classes, and opportunities to look through the telescopes to the general public on a regular basis.\u00a0 Check their website<\/a> for the latest events or call them directly at (513) 321-5186.\u00a0 If you\u2019re interested in doing your own research, see the finding aids for the Paul Herget papers<\/a> and the Cincinnati Observatory records<\/a> for more information on the materials in these collections and then visit the Archives and Rare Books Library<\/a> to see them yourself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Cincinnati Observatory is a local historical treasure and holds what was once one of the world\u2019s largest telescopes.\u00a0 Throughout its history, the observatory has served as a source of weather forecasts, official Cincinnati time, and a site of scientific … Continue reading <\/a>