Dyer Observatory

Last updated
Dyer Observatory
Dyer Observatory logo.png
Dyer Observatory logo
Alternative namesArthur J. Dyer Observatory OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Organization Vanderbilt University
Observatory code 759   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Location Nashville, Tennessee
Coordinates 36°03′08″N86°48′18″W / 36.05222°N 86.80500°W / 36.05222; -86.80500
Altitude345 metres (1,132 ft)
Established1953
Website Dyer Observatory
Telescopes
Seyfert24-inch reflector
Arthur J. Dyer Observatory
Arthur J. Dyer Observatory Brentwood TN 2014.jpg
USA Tennessee location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location1000 Oman Dr., Nashville, Tennessee
Coordinates 36°03′08″N86°48′18″W / 36.05222°N 86.80500°W / 36.05222; -86.80500
Area9 acres (36,000 m2) [1]
Built1953
NRHP reference No. 09000114 [2]
Added to NRHPMarch 6, 2009 [2]
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Location of Dyer Observatory

The Dyer Observatory, also known as the Arthur J. Dyer Observatory, is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Vanderbilt University. Built in 1953, it is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and is the only university facility not located on the main campus in Nashville. The observatory is named after Arthur J. Dyer, who paid for the observatory's 24-foot (7.3 m)-wide dome, and houses a 24-inch (610 mm) reflecting telescope named for astronomer Carl Seyfert. Today, the observatory primarily serves as a teaching tool; its mission is to interest the public in the fields of astronomy, science and engineering. [3] The observatory was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 6, 2009. [1] [2]

Contents

History

Vanderbilt's first observatory was housed on the campus itself. It was equipped with a 6-inch (150 mm) refracting telescope and was the site of E. E. Barnard's earliest astronomical work. Barnard would eventually discover 16 comets and the fifth moon of Jupiter, receive the only honorary degree Vanderbilt has ever awarded, and have the on-campus observatory named in his honor. [4] However, that on-campus observatory would eventually prove insufficient for the university's needs. [5]

When Seyfert joined the university's faculty in 1946, he lobbied for increasing the astronomy department's modest course offerings and for a new observatory. [5] He solicited donations from over 80 Nashville businesses to outfit the new observatory and convinced Dyer, owner of Nashville Bridge Company, to donate the funds for and to install the observatory's dome. When the observatory opened in December 1953, Seyfert was named its director, and, after his death, the 24-inch (610 mm) telescope was named in his honor. [6]

The dome was originally painted aluminium, but this caused problems with observations before midnight while the telescope dome cooled. It was subsequently painted white in 1963, which significantly reduced the temperature of the dome and improved observations. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lowell Observatory</span> Astronomical observatory and historic landmark in Arizona, US

Lowell Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. Lowell Observatory was established in 1894, placing it among the oldest observatories in the United States, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965. In 2011, the Observatory was named one of "The World's 100 Most Important Places" by Time Magazine. It was at the Lowell Observatory that the dwarf planet Pluto was discovered in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yerkes Observatory</span> Astronomical observatory in Wisconsin, USA

Yerkes Observatory is an astronomical observatory located in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, United States. The observatory was operated by the University of Chicago Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics from its founding in 1897 to 2018. Ownership was transferred to the non-profit Yerkes Future Foundation (YFF) in May 2020, which began restoration and renovation of the historic building and grounds. Re-opening for public tours and programming began May 27, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lick Observatory</span> Astronomical observatory in California

The Lick Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the University of California. It is on the summit of Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range just east of San Jose, California, United States. The observatory is managed by the University of California Observatories, with headquarters on the University of California, Santa Cruz campus, where its scientific staff moved in the mid-1960s. It is named after James Lick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Emerson Barnard</span> American astronomer (1857–1923)

Edward Emerson Barnard was an American astronomer. He was commonly known as E. E. Barnard, and was recognized as a gifted observational astronomer. He is best known for his discovery of the high proper motion of Barnard's Star in 1916, which is named in his honor.

Carl Keenan Seyfert was an American astronomer. He is best known for his 1943 research paper on high-excitation line emission from the centers of some spiral galaxies, which are named Seyfert galaxies after him. Seyfert's Sextet, a group of galaxies, is also named after him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leiden Observatory</span> Established 1633 in the Netherlands

Leiden Observatory is an astronomical institute of Leiden University, in the Netherlands. Established in 1633 to house the quadrant of Rudolph Snellius, it is the oldest operating university observatory in the world, with the only older still existing observatory being the Vatican Observatory.

The Astronomical Observatory of Belogradchik or Belogradchik Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the Institute of Astronomy of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. It is located near the town of Belogradchik in northwestern Bulgaria, at the foot of the Western Balkan Mountains. The other observatory operated by the same institute is the Rozhen Observatory.

Leuschner Observatory, originally called the Students' Observatory, is an observatory jointly operated by the University of California, Berkeley and San Francisco State University. The observatory was built in 1886 on the Berkeley campus. For many years, it was directed by Armin Otto Leuschner, for whom the observatory was renamed in 1951. In 1965, it was relocated to its present home in Lafayette, California, approximately 10 miles (16 km) east of the Berkeley campus. In 2012, the physics and astronomy department of San Francisco State University became a partner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vassar College Observatory</span> United States historic place

The Vassar College Observatory is an astronomical observatory of the private Vassar College, located near the eastern edge of the Poughkeepsie, New York college's campus. Finished in 1865, it was the first building on the college's campus, older even than the Main Building, with which it shares the status of National Historic Landmark. The observatory's significance is due to its association with Maria Mitchell, the first widely known female astronomer in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Van Vleck Observatory</span> Observatory

Van Vleck Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Wesleyan University. It was built in 1914 and named after the former head of the Department of Mathematics and Astronomy at the university, Prof. John M. Van Vleck. It is located in Middletown, Connecticut (USA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warner and Swasey Observatory</span> Observatory

The Warner and Swasey Observatory is the astronomical observatory of Case Western Reserve University. Named after Worcester R. Warner and Ambrose Swasey, who built it at the beginning of the 20th century, it was initially located on Taylor Road in East Cleveland, Ohio, USA. The observatory, which at that time housed a 9.5-inch (24 cm) refractor, was donated in 1919 to the Case School of Applied Science. The newer 24-inch (61 cm) Burrell Schmidt telescope was built in 1939.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Astronomical Observatory (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)</span> United States historic place

The University of Illinois Astronomical Observatory, located at 901 S. Mathews Avenue in Urbana, Illinois, on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, was built in 1896, and was designed by Charles A. Gunn. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 6, 1986, and on December 20, 1989, was designated a National Historic Landmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Detroit Observatory</span> United States historic place

The Detroit Observatory is located on the corner of Observatory and Ann streets in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was built in 1854, and was the first scientific research facility at the University of Michigan and one of the oldest observatories of its type in the nation. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1958 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fuertes Observatory</span> Observatory

Fuertes Observatory is an astronomical observatory located on the North Campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. The observatory was designed by L.P. Burnham, Cornell Professor of Architecture and completed in fall of 1917. It was originally used by the Civil Engineering Department as an instructional field office for navigation and surveying. Today, the observatory is primarily used for public outreach, welcoming over two thousand visitors per year with open houses on clear Friday nights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dearborn Observatory</span> Astronomical observatory in Evanston, Illinois

The Dearborn Observatory is an astronomical observatory located on the Evanston campus of Northwestern University. The observatory was originally constructed in 1888, through an agreement between the university and the Chicago Astronomical Society. In the summer of 1939, Dearborn Observatory had to be moved to make way for the construction of the Technological Institute.

Multicolor Active Galactic Nuclei Monitoring or MAGNUM was a project completed in 2008, that used a 2 meter telescope at Haleakala, Hawaii. The project started in 1995, and with telescope observations starting in 2000 for the scientific study of active galactic nuclei. It was run by the University of Tokyo, the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, and Australian National University. MAGNUM was one of the telescopes that observed a cosmic explosion billions of years away in 2005. The telescope was used for a long-term study of the size of the universe; for example it studied the Seyfert 1 galaxies NGC 5548, NGC 4051, NGC 3227, and NGC 7469 The telescope was located at the Haleakala Observatory and was installed in north dome previously used by LURE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherzer Observatory</span> Astronomical observatory located on the campus of Eastern Michigan University, Michigan, US

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. Following a devastating fire in 1989 a new observatory opened in September 1991 with a 10-inch (250 mm) apochromatic refractor telescope and German equatorial mount centered under a 6-meter dome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope</span> Observatory

The Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope, is a former scientific institution in South Africa. Founded by the British Board of Longitude in 1820, its main building is now the headquarters building of the South African Astronomical Observatory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muriel Mussells Seyfert</span> American astronomer, human computer

Muriel E. Mussells Seyfert was an American astronomer best known for discovering a "ring nebulae" in the Milky Way while working at the Harvard College Observatory in 1936 as a human computer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linden Observatory Complex</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

The Linden Observatory Complex is a heritage-listed former observatory and manufacture of optical precision implements and now residence, museum, observatory, education facility and meeting venue located at 91 – 111 Glossop Road, Linden, City of Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed and built by Ken Beames from 1938 to 1948. It is also known as K Beames Engineering Co. The property is owned by the Linden Observatory Trust. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 5 March 2010.

References

  1. 1 2 Scarlett C. Miles; Brian Beadles; Claudette Stager (December 2008). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Arthur J. Dyer Observatory" (PDF). National Park Service.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) (78 pages, including historic photos, blueprints, maps, diagrams and 36 color photos)
  2. 1 2 3 "Announcements and actions on properties for the National Register of Historic Places, March 13, 2009". New listings. National Park Service. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
  3. "Dyer Observatory Home". Vanderbilt University. Archived from the original on 2007-07-29. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
  4. Carey, Bill (2001-10-29). "Astronomer Barnard was among Vanderbilt's first academic superstars". The Vanderbilt Register. Archived from the original on 2007-02-11. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
  5. 1 2 "Carl Keenan Seyfert (1911-1960)". Students for the Exploration and Development of Space. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
  6. "Dyer History". Vanderbilt University. Archived from the original on August 28, 2006. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
  7. Hardie, R. H.; Geilker, C. D. (June 1964). "On Thermal Effects of Observatory Exterior Paint". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 76 (450): 169. Bibcode:1964PASP...76..169H. doi: 10.1086/128076 .