Archive for May 2023
The Poetry of Benjamin Gould
Observatory Lyrics Tom Tom the President Begged Grabbed the money and quickly spent But Jimmy was caught though he was bought And now Tommy’s going to get what he ought.…
Read MoreNo Longer in the Collection: Scheutz Difference Engine
Of all the instruments that Dudley has used throughout its century and a half of operation, the one that most stands out is the Scheutz Difference Engine. Although it is…
Read MoreA Scientific Puritan: Benjamin Apthorp Gould
Ormsby MacKnight Mitchel and James Armsby both deserve credit for inspiring and founding the Dudley Observatory. But when Mitchell was tied up working as an engineer, Armsby had to look elsewhere to find…
Read MoreCharles Dudley vs. The Velociraptor
Oh, the joys of working at a hybrid museum … Notice, no sweat on Charles Dudley. After years of being at the top of New York State politics, he no…
Read MoreAn Event of No Ordinary Interest
On August 28, 1856, at the end of a conference for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Albany, the visiting scientists met with many of New…
Read MoreThe Lazzaroni
Given that the Inauguration of the Dudley Observatory took place right after the AAAS convention, it’s not surprising that many of the attendees were scientists. However, some of the names…
Read MoreWhere Was Dudley?
I get this question a lot. Actually, I usually get “Where IS Dudley?”, which requires me to explain that we don’t have an observatory at the moment, but we’re working…
Read MoreRestoration of the Pruyn
I’ve been telling everyone for years now that the Pruyn Brashear Telescope is in good shape. It looks that way to me, but really, I’m not the expert. Thankfully, the telescope experts…
Read MoreThe Great Patroness: Blandia Dudley
Writing about Blandina Dudley can be tricky. I can wish it were different, but almost all of our sources focus on her relationship with the men around her. Basically, any…
Read MoreWhere Was Dudley? Part 2
In 1892, Dudley Observatory director Benjamin Boss took stock of the observatory’s position in the field of astronomy and found it wanting. Dudley was had fallen behind the times, with…
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