Observatories

The first telescope used in the United States for astronomical purposes was set up at Yale College in 1830. The first observatory building was erected at Williams College, in 1836, by Profe or Hopkins. In 1838 the Hudson Observatory was organized in connection with the Western Reserve University, in 1839 that of Harvard. The West Point Observatory soon followed. A Government Observatory was erected at George town, D. C., in 1847, but has since been removed to Mount Lookout, near Washington. The Ann Arbor Observatory, Mich., founded in 1854, has accomplished valuable work, as has also the United States Naval Observatory at Washington. Many of the colleges have now more or le efficiently equipped observatories. In 1874 James Lick, of San Francisco, gave $750,000 for a telescope and other apparatus for an observatory. Accordingly the Lick Observatory was erected on Mount Hamilton, Cal., being completed in 1888. The Lick telescope is one of the most powerful in the world, and with it numerous interesting and valuable discoveries have been made. 46