Sherzer Observatory is an astronomical observatory located on the campus of
Eastern Michigan University. The observatory was established in 1903 with the construction of the new Natural Science Building, in
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti (), commonly shortened to Ypsi, is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan.
As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north by Superior Township and on the west, south, and ...
. Following a devastating fire in 1989 a new observatory opened in September 1991 with a apochromatic refractor telescope and German equatorial mount centered under a 6-meter dome.
History
The Michigan State Normal College received a gift from the citizens of Ypsilanti: a , $600
Alvan Clark
Alvan Clark (March 8, 1804 – August 19, 1887), born in Ashfield, Massachusetts, the descendant of a Cape Cod whaling family of English ancestry, was an American astronomer and telescope maker.
Biography
He started as a portrait painter and engra ...
refractor
A refracting telescope (also called a refractor) is a type of optical telescope that uses a lens (optics), lens as its objective (optics), objective to form an image (also referred to a dioptrics, dioptric telescope). The refracting telescope d ...
. The original observatory was located on old Pierce Hall and was damaged by a
tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
and destroyed in 1893. It was then relocated to the roof of the new Natural Science Building in 1903. The building and observatory was later named after William Sherzer, a science professor at the school who conceived the design for the new building after seeing similar facilities on a visit to Germany.
In 1928, a refractor telescope manufactured by telescope maker and amateur astronomer
John Mellish was installed on a German equatorial mount built by physics professor Edwin Strong. The University Archives still has data produced by students using this telescope and the brass Negus
transit telescope
In astronomy, a transit instrument is a small telescope with extremely precisely graduated telescope mount, mount used for the precise observation of star positions. They were previously widely used in astronomical observatory, astronomical obse ...
which shared the observatory with the Mellish refractor.
In the 1970s and 1980s, members of the EMU student astronomy club made numerous updates and restorations to keep the aging observatory running. Almost half of Sherzer Hall was destroyed in a fire in 1989, including the original observatory. The university decided to rebuild.
The new observatory opened in September 1991 with a apochromatic refractor telescope and German equatorial mount centered under a 6-meter dome. A classroom/computer lab was finished in 1997, and additional to telescopes, CCD cameras, and other equipment added to the inventory for student use. A secondary observatory with an automated SCT for CCD imaging was added to the rooftop level, becoming operational in 2008.
Sherzer Hall
Sherzer Hall is an academic building on the
Eastern Michigan University campus, located in
Ypsilanti,
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
. Sherzer Hall is one of four buildings comprising the
Eastern Michigan University Historic District on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. The building was designed by E. W.. Arnold of
Battle Creek
Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which encom ...
and survived two fires.
[Eastern Michigan University, ‘’Vital statistics Regarding Campus Buildings’’ August 24, 1964, document in EMU Archives.] Sherzer Hall has a red-brick exteriors Sherzer's exterior has a few mildly
Romanesque and
Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
elements. Due to its unique style causes it to defies stylistic classification.
Sherzer also is home to Sherzer Observatory which was established in 1878 and eventually moved to the top of Sherzer Hall in 1903.
See also
*
List of astronomical 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 ...
Notes
References
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{{Portal bar, Michigan, Astronomy, Stars, Spaceflight, Outer space, Solar System, Education, Science
Buildings at Eastern Michigan University
Buildings and structures completed in 1903
Tourist attractions in Washtenaw County, Michigan
1878 establishments in Michigan