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.

One of the department's accomplishments was its participation in the creation of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA). In 1957, Robert R. McMath of the University of Michigan became Chairman of the Board of Directors of AURA Inc. Three observatories are under the group's charge; Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, and the Sacramento Peak Observatory in Sunspot, New Mexico. On November 2, 1962, AURA acknowledged Dr. McMath's contributions to the organization by naming the world's largest solar telescope located on Kitt Peak in his honor.

A detailed history of the Department of Astronomy at the University of Michigan and its related observatories is available in The University of Michigan: An Encyclopedic Survey .

From the guide to the Dept. of Astronomy (University of Michigan) records, 1960-1989, 1980-1989, (Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan)