Posts Tagged ‘George Washington Hough’
How to Measure a Mountain Without Leaving Your Observatory
Nineteenth century observatories were more than just places to look at the stars. They were packed with scientific instruments that were useful for all sorts of purposes: highly accurate clocks, barometers, thermometers, transits and other surveying equipment, and so on. Many observatories were staffed by people eager to reach out to the public, either as…
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In regards to the last post, here’s Verplanck Colvin himself, taking notes on the right. The instrument he’s using is called a theodolite, which is essentially a small rotating telescope for measuring horizontal and vertical angles. Well, I guess in this case it’s not really a small telescope at all. That looks like a brass…
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