The McMath-Hulbert Solar Observatory is a

solar observatory A solar observatory is an observatory that specializes in monitoring the Sun. As such, they usually have one or more solar telescopes. The Einstein Tower was a solar observatory in the Albert Einstein Science Park in Potsdam, Germany. Solar o ...

Lake Angelus, Michigan Lake Angelus is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is an affluent suburb of Detroit, with one of the highest per capita incomes of any community in the state. History In the early 1900s, a small community formed around t ...

, USA. It was established in 1929 as a private observatory by father and son

Francis Charles McMath Francis Charles McMath (1867 – February 13, 1938) was an American civil engineer and amateur astronomer. He became successful in the bridge-building industry, and was president of the Canadian Bridge and Iron Company in Detroit. (Detroit Bridge ...

and

Robert Raynolds McMath Robert Raynolds McMath (May 11, 1891 – January 2, 1962) was a U.S. solar astronomer. Robert R. McMath (1891-1962) was a bridge engineer, businessman, and astronomer. Robert's father, Francis C. McMath, had made a fortune as a bridge build ...

and their friend, Judge Henry Hulbert. In 1932 the observatory was deeded to the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

which operated it until 1981, at which time it was sold into private ownership again. In 1932 a reflector telescope was added to the observatory as well as a spectroheliokinematograph . This instrument was designed to take motion pictures of the Sun. The McMath-Hulbert Solar Observatory is primarily known for the motion pictures that the McMaths made of various celestial phenomena, including the first movies of

solar prominence A prominence, sometimes referred to as a filament, is a large plasma and magnetic field structure extending outward from the Sun's surface, often in a loop shape. Prominences are anchored to the Sun's surface in the photosphere, and extend outw ...

s in motion. Later work involved solar

spectroscopy Spectroscopy is the field of study that measures and interprets the electromagnetic spectra that result from the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter as a function of the wavelength or frequency of the radiation. Matter wa ...

in the

near infrared Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...

and participation in a

solar flare A solar flare is an intense localized eruption of electromagnetic radiation in the Sun's atmosphere. Flares occur in active regions and are often, but not always, accompanied by coronal mass ejections, solar particle events, and other solar phe ...

patrol program in the 1950s. Robert McMath and one of the resident astronomers, Keith Pierce, established the

McMath–Pierce solar telescope McMath–Pierce solar telescope is a 1.6 m f/54 reflecting solar telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, United States. Built in 1962, the building was designed by American architect Myron Goldsmith and Bangladeshi-American str ...

Kitt Peak Observatory The Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) is a United States astronomy, astronomical observatory located on Kitt Peak of the Quinlan Mountains in the Arizona-Sonoran Desert on the Tohono Oʼodham Nation, west-southwest of Tucson, Arizona. With ...

near

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

in 1962. The McMath-Hulbert Solar Observatory is currently under private ownership but is run by a small non-for-profit organization of amateur astronomers.

References

External links

Timeline of McMath-Hulbert Observatory
or astronomy weather forecasts for McMath-Hulbert {{DEFAULTSORT:McMath-Hulbert Observatory

Astronomical observatories in Michigan {{GeoGroup Michi Buildings and structures in Michigan by type Tourist attractions in Michigan Education in Michigan ...

University of Michigan Solar telescopes 1929 establishments in Michigan Buildings and structures in Oakland County, Michigan

See also

References

External links