Posts Tagged ‘Josh Hauck’
Dr. James Armsby
In a previous post, I mentioned that Dudley had benefited from two institution builders, the first being Ormsby Macknight Mitchel. Mitchel was an energetic founder of observatories and lecturer on the topic of astronomy, and his enthusiasm is likely what started the idea of building the Dudley Observatory. But the person who first gave voice to…
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 now housed in the Smithsonian, the Scheutz served Dudley well for the first half of its life, and it allowed a small observatory with limited…
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 longer fears anything. The dinosaurs are here, and the exhibit will officially open on June 4th. Charles Dudley will soon disappear behind some scenery until they’re…
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 on it. But after that, someone has to explain where the two Dudley Observatory buildings were. Fortunately, because the Observatory’s latitude and longitude needed to be…
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 from Ray Museum Studios have now looked at it, and agreed that it’s in be in remarkably good shape for its age. In fact, despite the fact…
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 no equipment to do spectroscope work and no telescope capable of doing photo-astronomy. Worse, the position of the Dudley made fixing these problems difficult. The…
Read More“A Deed of More Perilous and Romantic Courage has Perhaps Never Been Undertaken …”
Ormsby MacKnight Mitchel was a tireless scientist and engineer who deserves a share of the credit for shaping American astronomy. He was an institution builder and a self-taught astronomer responsible for starting both the Cincinnati Observatory and our own Dudley Observatory. He was also an inventor, and his chronograph allowed a single astronomer to both make…
Read MoreInstruments
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…
Read MoreThe Total Eclipse of 1878
As we gear up for the Eclipse Across America this summer, it’s worth looking back at the history of eclipse viewing and the role it played in modern astronomy. Treks out to some remote location to view a solar eclipse were a type of pilgrimage for American astronomers, bringing together large numbers of scientists in one remote…
Read MoreFrom the Collection: Velocity Model
Image collections can be an entertaining headache. Imagine someone going through the shoebox of old photographs that your parents keep in the closet and trying to figure out each picture. Sometimes the subject of the photo will be obvious. Other times it will be something that no one will ever be able to puzzle out…
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