The Washburn Observatory (
obs. code:
753) is an
astronomical observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. H ...
located at 1401 Observatory Drive on the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...
campus in
Madison Madison may refer to:
People
* Madison (name), a given name and a surname
* James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States
Place names
* Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...
, Wisconsin, United States. Completed in 1881, it was a major
research facility
A research institute, research centre, research center or research organization, is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often im ...
for about 50 years. Today, it is home to the UW-Madison College of Letters and Science Honors Program, while the telescope remains in use by students in introductory
astronomy
Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...
courses and the general public during open houses and viewings.
History
The observatory is named after the former
Wisconsin governor
The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wiscons ...
,
Cadwallader C. Washburn
Cadwallader Colden Washburn (April 22, 1818May 14, 1882) was an American businessman, politician, and soldier who founded a Gristmill, mill that later became General Mills. A member of the Washburn family of Maine, he was a U.S. Congressman and ...
. In 1876, the
Wisconsin State Legislature
The Wisconsin Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house, Wisconsin State Senate, and the lower Wisconsin State Assembly, both of which have had Republican ...
passed "An Act to permanently provide for deficiencies in the University fund income" to which Washburn added a provision that allocated a sum of $3000
USD
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
per year over three years for the establishment of astronomy instruction and a corresponding observatory. This money was not to come from state funds, but was to be raised with property tax.

On September 18, 1877,
John Bascom
John Bascom (May 1, 1827October 2, 1911) was an American professor, college president and writer.
Life
He was born on May 1, 1827 in Genoa, New York, and was a graduate of Williams College with the class of 1849. He graduated from the Andov ...
, the president of the University, announced that Washburn would provide an observatory with a
telescope
A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, absorption, or reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally meaning only an optical instrument using lenses, curved mirrors, or a combination of both to obse ...
that was to be larger than the 15-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 ...
at Harvard. Washburn, along with the Board of Regents, chose the site of the observatory to be removed from the city of
Madison Madison may refer to:
People
* Madison (name), a given name and a surname
* James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States
Place names
* Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...
with the university campus acting as the divider. The site was about 100 feet above
Lake Mendota
Lake Mendota is a freshwater eutrophic lake that is the northernmost and largest of the four lakes in Madison, Wisconsin. The lake borders Madison on the north, east, and south, Middleton on the west, Shorewood Hills on the southwest, Maple B ...
on the north side of campus and, at the time, was surrounded by a vineyard and orchard. Construction on the observatory was started in May, 1878, and a contract was given to
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 ...
to build the telescope. It was decided that the telescope would have a diameter of 15.6 inches, which would make it the third largest in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
.
James C. Watson
James Craig Watson (January 28, 1838 – November 22, 1880) was a Canadian-American astronomer, discoverer of comets and minor planets, director of the University of Michigan's Detroit Observatory in Ann Arbor, and awarded with the Lalande ...
was appointed the first director of the observatory. He oversaw the completion of the original building, and also provided funding for a students' observatory, as well as a solar observatory. He died suddenly in 1880, never seeing the completed observatory.
The instruments in the solar observatory, meant to be used in locating the hypothetical planet
Vulcan
Vulcan may refer to:
Mythology
* Vulcan (mythology), the god of fire, volcanoes, metalworking, and the forge in Roman mythology
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* Vulcan (''Star Trek''), name of a fictional race and their home p ...
, were removed in 1882.
He was succeeded by Directors
Edward S. Holden
Edward Singleton Holden (November 5, 1846 – March 16, 1914) was an American astronomer and the fifth president of the University of California.
Early years
He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1846 to Edward and Sarah Frances (Singleton) H ...
(1883-1886) then
George C. Comstock (1886-1922).
[
]Joel Stebbins
Joel Stebbins (July 30, 1878 – March 16, 1966) was an American astronomer who pioneered photoelectric photometry in astronomy. He was director of the University of Illinois Observatory from 1903 to 1922 where he performed innovative work with th ...
became the Director in 1922, and the observatory became a focus for pioneering work on photoelectric photometry Photometry can refer to:
* Photometry (optics), the science of measurement of visible light in terms of its perceived brightness to human vision
* Photometry (astronomy), the measurement of the flux or intensity of an astronomical object's electrom ...
as well as the study of variable star
A variable star is a star whose brightness as seen from Earth (its apparent magnitude) changes with time. This variation may be caused by a change in emitted light or by something partly blocking the light, so variable stars are classified as e ...
s and the interstellar reddening
In astronomy, extinction is the absorption (electromagnetic radiation), absorption and light scattering, scattering of electromagnetic radiation by dust and gas between an emitting astronomical object and the observation, observer. Interstellar e ...
of starlight. He retired in 1948, being succeeded by Albert Whitford Albert Whitford may refer to:
* Albert Whitford (astronomer) (Albert Edward Whitford, 1905–2002), American physicist and astronomer
* Albert Whitford (politician) (Albert Edward Victor Whitford, 1877–1924), member of the Queensland Legisla ...
.[ The observatory was used quite heavily until the new ]Pine Bluff Observatory
The Pine Bluff Observatory (PBO) is an astronomical observatory located in the town of Cross Plains, Wisconsin ( USA) about west of Madison. PBO is owned and operated by the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW-Madison). It opened in 1958, a ...
was dedicated in 1958. Whitford was instrumental in persuading the faculty to fund this new instrument. He left to become Director of Lick Observatory shortly after it was dedicated.[ Today Washburn Observatory is home to the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Letters & Science Honors Program. The telescope, managed by the UW Department of Astronomy, is still used for public viewings and educational events.]
Images
Image:Washburn Orion.jpg, Observatory dome with the constellation Orion in the background.
Image:Washburn Observatory - panoramio.jpg, Observatory in the evening
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 ...
References
External links
Official Site
Panoramic view of Washburn Observatory
UW Astronomy Home Page
Washburn Observatory
in ''The Buildings of the University of Wisconsin''
{{Authority control
Astronomical observatories in Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin–Madison
University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin
Buildings and structures in Madison, Wisconsin
Tourist attractions in Madison, Wisconsin
National Register of Historic Places in Madison, Wisconsin