Harvard college observatory

Variant names
Dates:
Active 1930
Active 1952
1839
Americans
English,

History notes:

NEROC and CAMROC were cooperative ventures. In the case of NEROC, Harvard, Brown, Univ. of Massachusetts, M.I.T., Dartmouth, Smithsonian Institution, and others; in the case of CAMROC, Harvard, M.I.T., and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. NEROC was a nonprofit corporation of educational and research institutions formed in June 1967 to continue the planning initiated by CAMROC for an advanced radio and radar research facility.

From the description of Records of Northeast Radio Observatory Corporation and Cambridge Radio Observatory Committee, 1964-1972 (inclusive). (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 76975265

The Harvard College Observatory was established by an official act of the Corporation in October 1839. The Observatory houses three libraries and the largest collection of astronomical photographs in the world. All discoveries of comets must be reported to the Harvard College Observatory. In addition, the leading popular astronomical magazine, Sky and Telescope, is published at the observatory.

From the description of General information by and about the Harvard College Observatory. (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 77066421

The Astronomical Observatory was established in 1839, and is now known as the Harvard College Observatory. The Boyden Station of the Observatory was originally located in Arequipa, Peru until 1927 when it was transferred near Bloemfontien in the Orange Free State, South Africa. This station closed about 1966.

From the description of Records of Boyden Station, 1889-1958 (inclusive). (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 76975247

The Astronomical Observatory was established in 1839, and is now known as the Harvard College Observatory. The Massachusetts stations are in Cambridge and the George R. Agassiz Station (Oak Ridge) in Harvard, Mass.

From the description of Records of Agassiz Station, 1938-1953 (inclusive). (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 76975246

The Astronomical Observatory was established in 1839, and is now known as the Harvard College Observatory. The Massachusetts stations are in Cambridge and the George R. Agassiz Station (Oak Ridge) in Harvard, Mass. The Boyden Station of the Observatory was originally located in Arequipa, Peru until 1927 when it was transferred near Bloemfontien in the Orange Free State, South Africa. This station closed about 1966.

From the description of Records of Director Edward C. Pickering, 1864-1926 (inclusive). (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 76975244

From the description of Records of Director Harlow Shapley, 1921-1956 (inclusive). (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 76975245

From the description of Correspondence and other records from the Administrative Officer of the Observatory, 1953-1985 (inclusive). (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 76975257

From the description of Records of Directors W.C. Bond and G.P. Bond, 1845-1865 (inclusive). (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 76972594

From the description of Records of Director, Joseph Winlock, 1866-1875 (inclusive). (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 76975243

The Harvard Observatory was established by an official act of the Corporation in October 1839. The four buildings across from the Radcliffe Quad on Garden Street house the Department of Astronomy, Harvard College Observatory, and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. The Harvard College Observatory houses three libraries and the largest collection of astronomical photographs in the world.

From the description of General information by and about the Harvard College Observatory, 1839- (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 228511098

In 1891, the Harvard College Observatory (HCO) established the Boyden Station, a high-altitude astronomical observatory in Arequipa, Peru. It was named for Uriah A. Boyden, whose gift of $250,000 funded its construction and operation. In active service for thirty six years, the Boyden Station enabled astronomers at the HCO to extend their survey of the skies to the southern hemisphere.

Under the direction of Edward C. Pickering, William H. Pickering, Solon I. Bailey, John S. Paraskevopoulos, and others, the Boyden Station staff took extensive measurements and thousands of photographs of stars, meteors, comets, novae, clusters, nebulae, planets, and the Milky Way. The glass plate negatives were shipped to the Harvard College Observatory in Cambridge for analysis. Eventually, severe weather conditions rendered observations at Arequipa increasingly difficult and in 1927 the Station was moved to Bloemfontein, South Africa.

1877, February 1 Edward C. Pickering appointed director of the Harvard College Observatory. 1882 Edward C. Pickering, with the aid of William H. Pickering, begins experiments in celestial photography. 1887 The Harvard College Observatory receives $250,000 from the estate of Uriah A. Boyden, a Boston inventor and engineer, to build an observatory at a high-altitude, favorable to astronomical investigation. Solon I. Bailey comes to the Harvard University Observatory as a volunteer assistant. 1889 1890 Harvard establishes an auxiliary observatory on the summit of Mount Wilson in southern California. 1889, January 1 Solon I. Bailey takes part in an eclipse expedition to Willows, California. 1889, February 2 Solon I. Bailey travels to South America to investigate the possibilities of locating an observatory station in the southern hemisphere. 1889, March 6 Bailey disembarks at Callao, the port for Lima, Peru. 1889, March 1889 April Bailey makes exploratory trips to mountain areas near the villages of Chosica, Chicla, and Matucana. 1889, May 8 Bailey establishes a temporary station on Mount Harvard near Chosica, Peru at an altitude of 6,500 feet. 1889, May 22 Bailey makes his first photometric measurements of southern stars from Mount Harvard. 1889, November 1890, March 5 Bailey and his brother, Marshall, travel inland and along the coasts of Peru and Chile to explore sites for a permanent station. 1890, May After investigating several desirable sites, Bailey selects Arequipa, Peru, at an elevation of 8,000 feet, for the southern station (named Boyden Station). 1890, October 15 Mount Harvard is abandoned and the station's instruments are moved to Arequipa. 1889 1891 Bailey makes nearly 8,000 observations of southern stars while at Mount Harvard and at Arequipa. 1891, January 17 William H. Pickering assumes the directorship of the Boyden Station. He remains in charge for the next two years. Pickering's accomplishments include:Determining the elevations of several mountain ranges in Peru and Bolivia (1891). Construction of a meteorological shelter on Mount Chachani, at an altitude of 16,500 feet (1891). Taking photographs of the Magellanic Clouds (1891) and the Comet Swift (1892). Making a large number of visual observations of Mars, Mercury, Venus, Neptune, and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn (1891-1892). Construction of an artificial disk to determine in ordinary observations, any errors that might occur. 1893, February 25 Solon I. Bailey replaces W.H. Pickering as director of Boyden Station, serving with brief interruptions until 1905. He returns in 1922 and 1923. 1893, March 31 William H. Pickering departs Arequipa. On his return to Cambridge he visits Chile to observe a solar eclipse, April 16, 1893. 1893, October 12 Bailey establishes a meteorological station at an elevation of 19,300 feet on the summit of El Misti, a near-extinct volcano, eleven miles northeast of Arequipa. It is the highest meteorological station in the world at that time. 1893, November 23 The Bishop of Arequipa celebrates High Mass on the summit of El Misti. 1893 1894 Bailey installs a chain of meteorological stations extending northward from the Pacific Ocean at Mollendo to Cuzco, Peru. 1894 A civil war breaks out in Peru in the spring of 1894 and for a time threatens the existence of the station in Arequipa. 1894, July 10 The spectrum of a new star in the constellation Norma is discovered from one of the photographs taken at Arequipa. 1895 Bailey begins his pioneer studies of variable stars found in globular clusters; by 1897 he has identified 300 cluster variables. 1895, January 14 On a trip to Mollendo, the train on which Bailey and his family are traveling is seized by rebels. 1895, January 27 February 12 Arequipa is placed under siege by the rebel army. Although the station is not attacked, Bailey buries his valuable telescope lenses. 1896, February 18 The 24-inch Bruce telescope, with its ability to record very faint celestial objects, is mounted at Arequipa. 1896, April 20 A cablegram code for communication between Cambridge and Arequipa is established. 1897, July 1 The precise latitude, longitude, and altitude of Boyden Station, is established by Professor Winslow Upton of Brown University. 1898, January 1 Bailey leaves Arequipa, completing his first five year term. 1899, April William H. Pickering discovers a ninth moon of Saturn (named Phoebe) from an examination of plates made at Arequipa. 1899, April 3 Bailey begins his second five year term at Arequipa. He begins his survey of the southern stars with a magnitude of 7.0 and brighter using a meridian photometer. 1899, June 5 Zeta Centauri, a star in the constellation Centaurus is discovered from photographs taken at Arequipa. 1900, April 28 The asteroid Eros is rediscovered at Arequipa. 1901, August 15 The asteroid Ocllo (475) is discovered at Arequipa. 1901, November 16 Observations of a Leonids meteor shower are made from Arequipa. 1902, June 30 Bailey discovers minor planet 504 Cora, also known as 1902 LK. 1903 1904 Bailey establishes the light variations for the asteroid Eros (433). Photometric observations are made of 22 other asteroids, five of which show evidence of variability. 1904, May 1904 July The Saturn moon, Phoebe, is photographed. 1905 Variable stars, most belonging to the Cepheid class, are discovered in photographs of the Magellanic Clouds taken at Arequipa. 1905, March 18 Bailey's second five year term comes to an end. 1905, June 19 Dr. Jose Pardo, the president of Peru, makes a visit to the observatory. 1908 1909 Bailey is sent to test the climate along the elevated plateaus of South Africa to determine a possible new site for the Boyden Station. He visits Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Johannesburg, and Hanover, Cape Colony, performing atmospheric tests and taking photographs of the southern Milky Way. 1908, April 1, Photographs of a region of Halley's comet are taken at Arequipa. 1909, December 14 A photograph of Halley's comet is taken. 1910, November 5 Financial constraints cause the partial closing of the station. Staff is cut and output is reduced. 1911, July At the request of the Smithsonian Institution, a pyrheliometer is set up in the garden of the Boyden Station to measure the influence the sun's radiation has on the earth's temperature. 1912, June The period-luminosity relation of Cepheid variables is discovered by Henrietta Leavitt (1868-1921) of the Harvard College Observatory from photographs of the Small Magellanic Cloud taken at Arequipa. 1914, September 17 A new comet is discovered by Leon Campbell in the constellation Doradus. 1915 1917 Problems with communication, transport, and finance, reduce the amount of work produced at the station. 1918, November 12 1919, January 1 L.C. Blanchard, supervisor at the station, joins the armed forces, leaving longtime caretaker and repairman, Juan E. Muniz, in charge. The station is shut down until the arrival of a new supervisor. 1919, February 3 Edward C. Pickering, director of the Harvard College Observatory for forty two years, dies. 1919 1921 Bailey serves as acting director of the Observatory. 1922, January 1 Harlow Shapley is appointed director of the Harvard College Observatory. 1922, April 4 Bailey arrives at Arequipa to take charge and rehabilitate the southern station. He continues his studies of globular clusters, variable stars, nebulae, and the structure of the Milky Way. 1923, October 5 Dr. John S. Paraskevopoulos arrives to take charge of Arequipa Station. He assumes full control on November 1. 1923, November 15 1924, March 5 Paraskevopoulos establishes a temporary observatory station at Chuquicamata, Chile, a mining town in the desert region of northeastern Chile. 1924, November 20 1925, March 11 Paraskevopoulos establishes a temporary observatory station at San José, a railway station in the desert between Arequipa and the Pacific Ocean. 1925, November 12 1926, March 8 Paraskevopoulos visits Chuquicamata, Chile, to make additional observations. 1926, October The Harvard Corporation votes to move Boyden Station to South Africa. 1926, November Instruments and equipment are disassembled at Arequipa and the move to South Africa begins. 1927, February 9 Boyden Station at Arequipa is closed. 1927, February 28 Paraskevopoulos leaves Mollendo, Peru, by steamer for South Africa. 1927, July Paraskevopoulos arrives in South Africa to establish Boyden Station at Mazelspoort. Solon I. Bailey January 1, 1889-January 17, 1891 William H. Pickering January 17, 1891-February 25, 1893 Solon I. Bailey February 25, 1893-March 18, 1905 William B. Clymer and De Lisle Stewart Assistant under Bailey: January 1, 1898-March 20, 1899 Hinman C. Bailey Assistant under Bailey: December 11, 1899-February 1, 1902 Royal H. Frost Assistant under Bailey: February 1, 1902-May 3, 1902 Royal H. Frost March 18, 1905-November 1, 1908 Frank Hinckley November 1, 1908-June 1, 1911 Leon Campbell June 2, 1911-July 11, 1915 Frank Hinckley July 11, 1915-April 29, 1917 Lindall C. Blanchard May 1, 1917-November 11, 1918 Juan E. Muniz November 11, 1918-January 3, 1919 Frank E. Hinckley January 3, 1919-September 27, 1920 Juan E. Muniz September 27, 1920-March 31, 1922 Solon I. Bailey April 4, 1922-December 1, 1923 John S. Paraskevopoulos November 1, 1923-1927 (continues as supervisor of the station in South Africa) Bailey, Solon I. "The Arequipa Station of the Harvard Observatory." Popular Science Monthly,(April, 1904). Bailey, Solon I. "Astronomy." In The Development of Harvard University since the Inauguration of President Eliot, 1869-1929. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1930. Bailey, Solon I. "The Harvard Astronomical Observatory in Peru." Harvard Alumni Bulletin, vol. 24, no. 21 (February 23, 1922). Bailey, Solon I. "History of the Expedition." In A Catalogue of 7922 Southern Stars Observed with The Meridian Photometer during the years 1889-91, Annals of The Astronomical Observatory of Harvard College, vol. 34. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1895. Bailey, Solon I. The History and Work of Harvard Observatory, 1839 to 1927: An Outline of the Origin, Development, and Researchers of the Astronomical Observatory of Harvard College together with Brief Biographies of Its Leading Members. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1931. Bailey, Solon I. "The Search for an Ideal Astronomical Site."South African Journal of Science, (February, 1910). Jones, Bessie Zaban and Lyle Gifford Boyd. The Harvard College Observatory: The First Four Directorships, 1839-1919. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1971.

From the guide to the Records of the Harvard College Observatory : the Boyden Station, Arequipa, Peru, 1888-1927., (Harvard University Archives)

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Subjects:

  • Astronomical instruments
  • Astronomical instruments
  • Astronomical observatories
  • Astronomical observatories
  • Astronomical observatories
  • Astronomy
  • Astronomy
  • Astronomy
  • Astrophysics
  • Universities and colleges
  • Solar eclipses
  • Longitude
  • Meteorology
  • Meteorology Research
  • Meteors
  • Observatories
  • Observatories
  • Occultation
  • Planets
  • Radio
  • Radio astronomy
  • Radio telescopes
  • Scientific expeditions
  • Scientific expeditions
  • Scientific publications
  • Smithsonian Publications
  • Stars
  • Stars
  • Telescopes

Occupations:

not available for this record

Places:

  • South America (as recorded)
  • United States--Massachusetts (as recorded)
  • Arequipa (Peru) (as recorded)
  • Massachusetts--Cambridge (as recorded)
  • Chile (as recorded)
  • Peru (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • Prime Meridian (as recorded)
  • Misti Volcano (Peru) (as recorded)
  • Peru (as recorded)
  • Massachusetts--Harvard (as recorded)
  • Massachusetts--Cambridge (as recorded)
  • Arequipa (Peru) (as recorded)
  • MA, US

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