Whitin Observatory is an

astronomical Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galaxies, ...

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 ...

owned and operated by

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficia ...

. Built in 1900, with additions in 1906, 1967, and 2010, it is located in Wellesley,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

and named after

trustee Mrs. John Crane Whitin ( Sarah Elizabeth Whitin) of

Whitinsville Whitinsville is an unincorporated village within the town of Northbridge in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Whitinsville is a census-designated place (CDP) and its population was 6,750 at the 2020 census. Whitinsville is prono ...

, who donated the funds for the observatory. Astronomer Sarah Frances Whiting was the first director of the new

Astronomy Department. The facilities include a 0.7m PlaneWave CDK700

reflector Reflector may refer to: Science * Reflector, a device that causes reflection (for example, a mirror or a retroreflector) * Reflector (photography), used to control lighting contrast * Reflecting telescope * Reflector (antenna), the part of an ant ...

, a 12" Fitz/Clark

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 6" Alvan Clark refractor, a Hale Spectrohelioscope, and Meade 8" SCTs.

History

In 1896, Wellesley College physics professor Sarah Frances Whiting met trustee Sarah Elizabeth Whitin at a traditional college ceremony, "Float Night." The conversation turned to a 12" refracting telescope Whiting had used that was being offered for sale, and as told in Wellesley College 1875–1975: A Century of Women: Whiting used the telescope in teaching her classes in astronomy to Wellesley students, one of the first of its kind. It quickly became apparent that the Observatory would need to be expanded. Sarah Frances Whiting wrote in Whitin's obituary "An Appreciation," which appeared in ''The Wellesley College News'' According to Wellesley records, in 1942, before the U.S. entered

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, "astronomy professor Helen Dodson and Barbara McCarthy, professor of Greek, teach a secret course in cryptography to (at least) ten students. The course was taught evenings at the Observatory, where late-night activity would not attract attention. Following graduation, most of these students went on to work for the U.S. Navy">United_States_Navy.html" ;"title="nowiki/>United States Navy">U.S. NavyWAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), working on Japanese and German code breaking in World War II, German codes."

Faculty

* Sarah Frances Whiting * Ellen Amanda Hayes * Leah Allen * John Charles Duncan

Students

Annie Jump Cannon Annie Jump Cannon (; December 11, 1863 – April 13, 1941) was an American astronomer whose cataloging work was instrumental in the development of contemporary stellar classification. With Edward C. Pickering, she is credited with the creation of ...

, after whom the

Annie J. Cannon Award in Astronomy The Annie Jump Cannon Award in Astronomy is awarded annually by the American Astronomical Society (AAS) to a woman resident of North America, who is within five years of receipt of a PhD, for distinguished contributions to astronomy or for similar ...

was named. *

Andrea Dupree Andrea Dupree is a senior astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian. She is a Past-President of the American Astronomical Society, and served as the associate director of the ...

* Martha P. Haynes * Pamela Melroy *

Nergis Mavalvala Nergis Mavalvala (born 1968) is a Pakistani-American astrophysicist. She is the Curtis and Kathleen Marble Professor of Astrophysics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she is also the Dean of the university's School of S ...

File:Annie jump cannon.jpg, Annie Jump Cannon File:Pamela Melroy.jpg, Astronaut Pam Melroy

Friends

Margaret Lindsay Huggins Margaret Lindsay, Lady Huggins (14 August 1848, in Dublin – 24 March 1915, in London), born Margaret Lindsay Murray, was an Irish-English scientific investigator and astronomer. With her husband William Huggins she was a pioneer in the fiel ...

, who bequeathed items to the observatory File:Margaret Lindsay Huggins00.jpg, Lady Margaret Lindsay Huggins

References

External links

Wellesley College Astronomy Department
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Astronomical observatories in Massachusetts Mass Educational buildings in Massachusetts Tourist attractions in Massachusetts Science and technology in Massachusetts ...