University of Michigan. Astronomy Department

The first mention of the Department of Astronomy as a unit of the University of Michigan was in 1929 when Will Carly Rufus was named Acting Director of the Observatories and acting Chairman of the Department of Astronomy. It is surmised that the Department was created in that year. During the 1980's, Chairmen of the Department included Robert P. Kirshner and Douglas O. Richstone.

Historically, the Department has operated, established, and cooperatively maintained a number of astronomical observatories. The Detroit Observatory was built in Ann Arbor in 1854. The Lamont-Hussey Observatory in Bloemfontein, South Africa was dedicated in 1928. In 1972, the Lamont-Hussey Observatory was closed and its equipment and records were returned to Ann Arbor. The McMath-Hulbert Observatory was opened in 1930 in Lake Angelus, Michigan and the McGraw-Hill Observatory in Arizona, which featured a 1.3 meter telescope, was opened in 1975.

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