University of Alabama Observatory
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Organization | University of Alabama |
|---|---|
| Location | Tuscaloosa, Alabama (USA) |
| Coordinates | |
| Altitude | ? meters (? feet) |
| Webpage | [1] |
| Telescopes | |
| Unnamed | Troughton and Simms 4" refracting transit |
| Unnamed | Troughton and Simms 8" refracting equatorial |
The University of Alabama Observatory was an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the University of Alabama. It is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama (USA).
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Establishment of Observatory
The observatory was completed in 1844 though the equatorial telescope did not arrive and was not mounted until 1849. It featured a large central section capped by a revolving dome 18-feet in diameter. At the west end of the building was a transit instrument room with a north-south slit in the roof. Opposite the transit room was an office.
The transit room contained Troughton and Simms transit circle with a 4-inch objective and a focal length of 5-foot and used a 4-foot circle readable to a single arc second.
The equatorial instrument was a Troughton and Simms 8-inch refracting telescope and was housed in the main dome.
[edit] Civil war
The University of Alabama was destroyed by a Federal raid led by General John Croxton on April 4, 1865. The observatory alone escaped the flames because it was located away from the main body of the campus.
[edit] Post War
Though the observatory and instruments had been damaged in the raid, the telescopes and observatory were still usable for teaching purposes until the 1890s. It is unclear when the observatory stopped being used.
[edit] Today
The building itself stands today and houses the Computer Based Honors Program.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2007) |
- Sky & Telescope, Feb 1983
