The Cincinnati Observatory is located in
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
(United States) on top of
Mount Lookout. It consists of two observatory buildings housing an 11-inch (28 cm) and 16 inch (41 cm) aperture
refracting telescope
A refracting telescope (also called a refractor) is a type of optical telescope that uses a lens as its objective to form an image (also referred to a dioptric telescope). The refracting telescope design was originally used in spyglasses and a ...
. It is the oldest professional
observatory in the United States. It was a key facility for astronomical research and education at the
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,0 ...
and currently operates as a 19th-century observatory. There are regular viewings through both historical telescopes as well as tours and additional programs. The observatory also has an extensive outreach program, providing astronomical education for the Ohio/Kentucky/Indiana region.
The Cincinnati Observatory is a contributing property to the
Observatory Historic District.
History
Cincinnati Observatory was built by
Ormsby M. Mitchel at the peak of
Mount Ida, a hill that overlooks downtown Cincinnati.
Nicholas Longworth
Nicholas Longworth III (November 5, 1869 – April 9, 1931) was an American politician who became Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. He was a Republican. A lawyer by training, he was elected to the Ohio Senate, where he ini ...
donated of land for the purpose. The
Holy Cross Monastery and Chapel
Holy Cross Monastery and Church is a registered historic building complex in Cincinnati, Ohio, listed in the National Register on September 13, 1978.
Founding
Between 1873 and 1977, the Holy Cross Monastery was a Roman Catholic monastery atop ...
stands today at the site. The cornerstone was laid on November 9, 1843, and presiding over the occasion was former
President
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Automobiles
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John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States ...
, with an introduction by Judge
Jacob Burnet. At 77 years old, it was to be his last public speech, and Mount Ida was renamed to
Mount Adams in his honor.
The Merz refractor was the biggest telescope in the United States in the early 1840s.
In 1871, the Observatory came under the control of the
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,0 ...
and in 1873 it was transferred from Mt. Adams to Mt. Lookout in order to escape the smoke and dirt of the city, where it remains today. The ground on which it stands was given to the city by John Kilgour in 1872. A smaller structure, the Mitchel Building, holds the original telescope taken from the Mount Adams observatory. The 1873 building was built by the firm of Cincinnati architect
Samuel Hannaford
Samuel Hannaford (10 April 1835 – 7 January 1911) was an American architect based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Some of the best known landmarks in the city, such as Music Hall and City Hall, were of his design. The bulk of Hannaford's work was do ...
. From 1884 to 1930 the director of the Observatory was
Jermain G. Porter.
"Dr. J.G. Porter, Astronomer, Dead"
''The New York Times''. In 1998 the Observatory was declared a National Historic Landmark.
The asteroid 1373 Cincinnati
1373 Cincinnati, provisional designation , is an asteroid in a comet-like orbit from the Cybele region, located at the outermost rim of the asteroid belt, approximately in diameter. It was the only asteroid discovery made by famous American a ...
was named to honor the staff of the observatory.
Instruments
* The 1845 Merz und Mahler 11 inch refractor
A refracting telescope (also called a refractor) is a type of optical telescope that uses a lens as its objective to form an image (also referred to a dioptric telescope). The refracting telescope design was originally used in spyglasses and a ...
– Housed in the "Mitchel Building". May be the oldest continually used telescope in the world. It is currently used for public education programs.
* The 1904 Alvan Clark & Sons 16 inch refractor – Housed in the "Herget Building". Used in public education programs and graduate research.
See also
*List of observatories
This is a list of astronomical observatories ordered by name, along with initial dates of operation (where an accurate date is available) and location. The list also includes a final year of operation for many observatories that are no longer in ...
*List of largest optical telescopes in the 19th century
List of largest optical telescopes in the 19th century, are listings of what were, for the time period of the 19th century large optical telescopes. See List of largest optical telescopes in the 20th century for the 1900s. The list includes variou ...
*List of the largest optical telescopes in North America
This is a list of the largest optical telescopes in North America.
21st century
A list of optical telescopes located in North America by aperture.
Refractors
Some of the big traditional refractors (telescope with lens) in North America:
Bigg ...
References
External links
Cincinnati Observatory Center
View The Cincinnati Observatory Center in 3D
Forecasts of observing conditions.
{{Authority control
1843 establishments in Ohio
Astronomical observatories in Ohio
National Historic Landmarks in Ohio
Planetaria in the United States
Tourist attractions in Cincinnati
Education in Cincinnati
Buildings and structures in Cincinnati
National Register of Historic Places in Cincinnati
Research institutes established in 1843