William Brydone Jack Observatory

Last updated

William Brydone Jack Observatory
Side view of William Brydone Jack Observatory.jpg
The observatory in November 2012
Location University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, Canada
Coordinates 45°56′53″N66°38′26″W / 45.94806°N 66.64056°W / 45.94806; -66.64056 [1]
Established1851
Canada relief map 2.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of William Brydone Jack Observatory
  Commons-logo.svg Related media on Commons

The William Brydone Jack Observatory is a small astronomical observatory on the campus of the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Constructed in 1851, it was the first astronomical observatory built in British North America. [2] The observatory was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1954. [3]

Contents

Beginnings

In 1840 William Brydone Jack became professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy at King's College, which later became the University of New Brunswick. [2] In 1847 he and James Robb, the college's professor of Chemistry and Natural History, wrote to the College Council requesting money to purchase scientific equipment. [4] An enthusiastic astronomer himself and supported by New Brunswick Lieutenant Governor Sir Edmund Walker Head, Brydone Jack persuaded the council to grant funds for the purchase of a telescope and other astronomy equipment. [5] The 7.5 foot mahogany and brass achromatic telescope with an equatorial mount was built by the German manufacturer Merz and Son at a cost of £504.11s.9d. [5] It was delivered to Fredericton in May 1849. [2]

Having acquired the telescope, Brydone Jack had to obtain the council's consent to build a small observatory. He was again successful in persuading them to grant the required funds, and the building, which he designed himself, was completed in 1851 at a cost of £170.9s.7d. [5] The small observatory building was covered with wooden clapboard siding. The telescope was housed in an octagonal tower, 14 feet across, with a rotating copper-clad roof. The rest of the building consisted of two small single-story gable roofed wings, each 12 feet square. [5]

Later history

In 1859 King's College became the University of New Brunswick. Brydone Jack served as the University's president from 1861 to 1885 and died in 1886. [6] After his death the observatory ceased to be used for its original purpose, although the telescope remained in the building. In 1899 renovations were carried out and the telescope was placed on a concrete foundation. During the twentieth century the observatory building served several purposes, including an art center and a faculty club. The Fiddlehead , a literary magazine published at the University of New Brunswick, also used the building as its office. [2]

The observatory was declared a National Historic Site in 1954, and a commemorative plaque was unveiled at a ceremony on 10 May 1955. [7] The text on the original plaque read:

First Astronomical Observatory in Canada

Built in 1851 at the instigation of William Brydone Jack, professor of mathematics, natural philosophy and astronomy; President of the University of New Brunswick, 1861-85. Schooled in the traditions of the Scottish universities, he equipped the observatory with the best instruments of the day. In collaboration with Harvard observatory he determined the longitude of Fredericton and other places in New Brunswick and corrected errors in the international boundary. [3]

In 1984 the building was renovated to become a museum. Brydone Jack's astronomical instruments can be seen on the ground floor, while the original 1849 telescope is housed in the building's tower. [2] [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of New Brunswick</span> Canadian public university New Brunswick, Canada

The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universities in North America. UNB was founded by a group of seven Loyalists who left the United States after the American Revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Sawyer Hogg</span> American-Canadian astronomer (1905–1993)

Helen Battles Sawyer Hogg was an American-Canadian astronomer who pioneered research into globular clusters and variable stars. She was the first female president of several astronomical organizations and a scientist when many universities would not award scientific degrees to women. Her scientific advocacy and journalism included astronomy columns in the Toronto Star and the Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. She was considered a "great scientist and a gracious person" over a career of sixty years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvard College Observatory</span> Astronomical observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

The Harvard College Observatory (HCO) is an institution managing a complex of buildings and multiple instruments used for astronomical research by the Harvard University Department of Astronomy. It is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, and was founded in 1839. With the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, it forms part of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian.

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

The David Dunlap Observatory (DDO) is an astronomical observatory site in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. Established in 1935, it was owned and operated by the University of Toronto until 2008. It was then acquired by the city of Richmond Hill, which provides a combination of heritage preservation, unique recreation opportunities and a celebration of the astronomical history of the site. Its primary instrument is a 74-inch (1.88 m) reflector telescope, at one time the second-largest telescope in the world, and still the largest in Canada. Several other telescopes are also located at the site, which formerly also included a small radio telescope. The scientific legacy of the David Dunlap Observatory continues in the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics, a research institute at the University of Toronto established in 2008.

<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 Willebrord Snellius, it is the oldest operating university observatory in the world, with the only older still existing observatory being the Vatican Observatory.

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

Perkins Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Delaware, Ohio. It is owned and operated by Ohio Wesleyan University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics</span> Astronomical observatory in Massachusetts, US

The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA), previously known as the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, is an astrophysics research institute jointly operated by the Harvard College Observatory and Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Founded in 1973 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, the CfA leads a broad program of research in astronomy, astrophysics, Earth and space sciences, as well as science education. The CfA either leads or participates in the development and operations of more than fifteen ground- and space-based astronomical research observatories across the electromagnetic spectrum, including the forthcoming Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) and the Chandra X-ray Observatory, one of NASA's Great Observatories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Brydone Jack</span>

William Brydone Jack,, was the University of New Brunswick's first surveying professor and its second president (1861–1885). He was educated at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. In 1840, he was appointed Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy at what was then King's College and gave lectures in surveying as part of the mathematics curriculum. William Brydone Jack also designed a small wooden observatory which became operational in 1851.

<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">Royal Observatory, Edinburgh</span> Observatory

The Royal Observatory, Edinburgh (ROE) is an astronomical institution located on Blackford Hill in Edinburgh. The site is owned by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). The ROE comprises the UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC) of STFC, the Institute for Astronomy of the School of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Edinburgh, and the ROE Visitor Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Roman</span> American astronomer (1925–2018)

Nancy Grace Roman was an American astronomer who made important contributions to stellar classification and motions. The first female executive at NASA, Roman served as NASA's first Chief of Astronomy throughout the 1960s and 1970s, establishing her as one of the "visionary founders of the US civilian space program".

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

Mills Observatory is the first purpose-built public astronomical observatory in the UK, located in Dundee, Scotland. Built in 1935, the observatory is classically styled in sandstone and has a distinctive 7 m dome, which houses a Victorian refracting telescope, a small planetarium, and display areas. The dome is one of two made from papier-mâché to survive in the UK, the other being at the Godlee Observatory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto Magnetic and Meteorological Observatory</span> Observatory in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The Toronto Magnetic and Meteorological Observatory is a historical observatory located on the grounds of the University of Toronto, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The original building was constructed in 1840 as part of a worldwide research project run by Edward Sabine to determine the cause of fluctuations in magnetic declination. Measurements from the Toronto site demonstrated that sunspots were responsible for this effect on Earth's magnetic field. When this project concluded in 1853, the observatory was greatly expanded by the Canadian government and served as the country's primary meteorological station and official timekeeper for over fifty years. The observatory is considered the birthplace of Canadian astronomy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great refractor</span>

Great refractor refers to a large telescope with a lens, usually the largest refractor at an observatory with an equatorial mount. The preeminence and success of this style in observational astronomy defines an era in modern telescopy in the 19th and early 20th century. Great refractors were large refracting telescopes using achromatic lenses. They were often the largest in the world, or largest in a region. Despite typical designs having smaller apertures than reflectors, great refractors offered a number of advantages and were popular for astronomy. It was also popular to exhibit large refractors at international exhibits, and examples of this include the Trophy Telescope at the 1851 Great Exhibition, and the Yerkes Great Refractor at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orchard Hill Observatory</span> Observatory at the University of Massachusetts Amherst

The Orchard Hill Observatory is an astronomical observatory located at the highest point on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus. Constructed in 1965, the observatory is a red brick building with a 16-inch Cassegrain reflector optical telescope. It is used for several community events.

SN 2010lt is a supernova located in the galaxy UGC 3378 in Camelopardalis. It was discovered by amateur astronomers Kathryn Aurora Gray, her father Paul Gray, of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada and David J. Lane of Stillwater Lake, Nova Scotia, Canada. Upon discovery, Kathryn Aurora Gray became the youngest person to ever discover a supernova, being 10 years old when she did so. The previous record was held by the 14-year-old Caroline Moore.

<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">Daniel S. Schanck Observatory</span> Historical astronomical observatory in New Brunswick, New Jersey

The Daniel S. Schanck Observatory is an historical astronomical observatory on the Queens Campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States, and is tied for the seventh oldest observatory in the US alongside the Vassar College Observatory. It is located on George Street near the corner with Hamilton Street, opposite the parking lot adjacent to Kirkpatrick Chapel, and to the northeast of Old Queens and Geology Hall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belgrade Observatory</span> Astronomical observatory in Belgrade, Serbia

The Belgrade Observatory is an astronomical observatory located in the Zvezdara Forest in the eastern part of Belgrade, Serbia.

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

UCL Observatory at Mill Hill in London is an astronomical teaching observatory. It is part of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at University College London.

References

  1. "Fredericton Campus Map". University of New Brunswick . Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "William Brydone Jack: A man of many talents". University of New Brunswick. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  3. 1 2 William Brydone Jack Observatory . Canadian Register of Historic Places . Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  4. Kennedy, J.E. (1982). "Jack, William Brydone". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography . Vol. XI (1881–1890) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press . Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Kennedy, J.E. (1955). "The Early days of the first astronomical observatory in Canada". Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. 49 (5): 181–188. Bibcode:1955JRASC..49..181K . Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  6. "William Brydone Jack: A brief biography". University of New Brunswick. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  7. Kennedy, J.E. (1955). "Plaque unveiled on the first astronomical observatory in Canada". Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. 49 (4): 151–155. Bibcode:1955JRASC..49..151K . Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  8. Langis, Sarah (26 September 2013). "UNB opens its doors". The Brunswickan . Retrieved 14 June 2014.