Laws Observatory
Encyclopedia
Laws Observatory is the name of three separate astronomical
observatory
s owned and operated by University of Missouri
from 1880 to the present. Named after former University President Samuel Laws
, it is located in Columbia
, Missouri
(USA).
. The original site is now occupied by the Engineering East building. The observatory was equipped with a 4 1/16 inch Henry Fitz refractor, and it was the first observatory in the western United States.
In 1879, MU offered $500 cash and the Fitz telescope in exchange for a 7½ inch Munich-built equatorial refractor by Merz and Soehne from the failing Shelby College in Shelbyville, Kentucky
. Shelby College agreed to the exchange, but MU found that it could not afford the transportation and reassembly of the Merz and Soehne telescope along with an adequate facility to house it. University President Samuel S. Laws
stepped in and provided $2,000 of his own money to transport the telescope and begin construction of a new observatory. When the new observatory was constructed, the part that constituted the cone, clock room, and transit room were actually part of the original observatory, and those parts were moved to the new location for the construction of the new Laws Observatory on the north side of the Quadrangle in 1880. An office was added to the building in 1891, and classroom space was added in 1907. An R. Brown Gans-built 4½ inch equatorial refractor was also added to the observatory in 1907. In 1912, a 5 inch Brashear photograghic doublet was mounted on the 7½ inch Merz. The observatory was torn down in 1919 to make way for construction of Neff Hall.
In 1920, the observatory was rebuilt on its third location, which is now the site of the west parking lot of the Harry S. Truman Veterans Hospital.
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
observatory
Observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
s owned and operated by University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
from 1880 to the present. Named after former University President Samuel Laws
Samuel Laws
The Rev. Dr. Samuel Spahr Laws was an American minister, professor, physician, college president, businessman and inventor best known today as the inventor of the Laws Gold Indicator, a predecessor of the ticker tape machine....
, it is located in Columbia
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
(USA).
History
The University of Missouri Observatory was originally built in 1853 near Academic HallAcademic Hall
Academic Hall was the original main building of the University of Missouri. It was dedicated in 1843 and destroyed by fire in 1892. Academic Hall's six Ionic columns stand as the most recognizable symbol of the University of Missouri.- History :...
. The original site is now occupied by the Engineering East building. The observatory was equipped with a 4 1/16 inch Henry Fitz refractor, and it was the first observatory in the western United States.
In 1879, MU offered $500 cash and the Fitz telescope in exchange for a 7½ inch Munich-built equatorial refractor by Merz and Soehne from the failing Shelby College in Shelbyville, Kentucky
Shelbyville, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,085 people, 3,822 households, and 2,549 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,333.5 people per square mile . There were 4,117 housing units at an average density of 544.4 per square mile...
. Shelby College agreed to the exchange, but MU found that it could not afford the transportation and reassembly of the Merz and Soehne telescope along with an adequate facility to house it. University President Samuel S. Laws
Samuel Laws
The Rev. Dr. Samuel Spahr Laws was an American minister, professor, physician, college president, businessman and inventor best known today as the inventor of the Laws Gold Indicator, a predecessor of the ticker tape machine....
stepped in and provided $2,000 of his own money to transport the telescope and begin construction of a new observatory. When the new observatory was constructed, the part that constituted the cone, clock room, and transit room were actually part of the original observatory, and those parts were moved to the new location for the construction of the new Laws Observatory on the north side of the Quadrangle in 1880. An office was added to the building in 1891, and classroom space was added in 1907. An R. Brown Gans-built 4½ inch equatorial refractor was also added to the observatory in 1907. In 1912, a 5 inch Brashear photograghic doublet was mounted on the 7½ inch Merz. The observatory was torn down in 1919 to make way for construction of Neff Hall.
In 1920, the observatory was rebuilt on its third location, which is now the site of the west parking lot of the Harry S. Truman Veterans Hospital.
External links
- Columbia Clear Sky Clock Forecasts of observing conditions covering Laws Observatory.