The Detroit Observatory sits 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

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

. Several Detroit businessmen and members of the community provided the funds, which is where the observatory gets its name.

It provided a number of astronomical tools for study, including a 6-inch (15 cm) Pistor & Martins meridian circle

Meridian circle

The meridian circle, transit circle, or transit telescope is an instrument for observing the time of stars passing the meridian, at the same time measuring its angular distance from the zenith...

 and a 12⅝-inch (32 cm) Henry Fitz

Henry Fitz

-Early life:Fitz was born in 1808 in Newburyport, Massachusetts. The family moved to Albany, New York, some eleven years later and to New York City later on. Fitz as a boy was already very interested in science and mechanics. He initially learned the printing trade from his father. They printed the...

, Jr. refracting telescope

Refracting telescope

A refracting or refractor telescope is a type of optical telescope that uses a lens as its objective to form an image . The refracting telescope design was originally used in spy glasses and astronomical telescopes but is also used for long focus camera lenses...

. The Fitz was the third largest telescope in the world when it was installed in 1857.

The function of the Detroit Observatory on campus was taken over by the Angell Hall Observatory

Angell Hall Observatory

Angell Hall Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by University of Michigan. It is located on the UM Central Campus on top of Angell Hall in Ann Arbor, Michigan...

 which was completed much later.

The "Observatories of the University of Michigan" include the Detroit Observatory (1854), the Angell Hall Observatory

Angell Hall Observatory

Angell Hall Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by University of Michigan. It is located on the UM Central Campus on top of Angell Hall in Ann Arbor, Michigan...

 (1927), the Lamont-Hussey Observatory (South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

, 1928) and the McMath-Hulbert Observatory

McMath-Hulbert Observatory

The McMath-Hulbert Solar Observatory is a decommissioned solar observatory in Lake Angelus, Michigan, USA. It was established in 1929 as a private observatory by father and son Francis Charles McMath and Robert Raynolds McMath and their friend, Judge Henry Hulbert...

 (Lake Angelus, MI, 1930).

In 2005, the Detroit Observatory became a division of the Bentley Historical Library

Bentley Historical Library

The Bentley Historical Library is a historical library located on the University of Michigan's North Campus in Ann Arbor. It was established in 1935 by the regents of the University of Michigan...

.

External links

• Detroit Observatory Home Page
• Detroit Observatory on Arborwiki