CINCINNATI OBSERVATORY

A nice place for a nice observatory! This could be the definition of the Cincinnati Observatory as it combines ancient astronomy and a delightful architectural setting. Nestled in a park at the end of a dead end, its buildings and domes blend perfectly into the surrounding residential area, with its large Victorian-style houses lining the main driveway. The "Cincinnati Observatory Center" is actually known as the "cradle of American astronomy"! It is home to one of the oldest professional astronomical glasses in the country and was the first public observatory in the Western Hemisphere. Just that! Recently restored to its original state, it is fully functional, used daily by astronomers, the public and amateurs alike. His main instruments are a magnificent Merz & Mahler 280 mm diameter bezel, dating from 1842, and an Alvan Clark & Sons 406 mm bezel from 1904! The buildings of the observatory have been declared "national historic monuments".

Its history began in 1842 when Ormsby MacKnight Mitchel, a professor in Cincinnati, popularized astronomy among the general public. He decided to raise funds for the purchase of a telescope and the construction of a dedicated building. He goes door-to-door, relentlessly soliciting all the good will available. In a month and a half, he raised nearly $7,500, a good amount enough to buy a scope from a well-known European manufacturer. It was finally in Munich, Germany, that he discovered a 280 mm diameter lens of remarkable quality, already manufactured but never used until now. To accommodate this rare piece, he had a brass and mahogany tube built and, once completed, began a long journey to the city of Cincinnati, via New Orleans and the Mississippi rivers. The observatory was originally located on the top of Mount Ida (later renamed Mount Adams, in honour of the former President of the United States who had come to lay the foundation stone for its construction), and on November 9, 1843, a huge crowd attended the inauguration of the observatory called "The Lighthouse of Heaven". When the telescope saw its first light on April 14, 1845, it was the largest telescope in the Western Hemisphere and the third largest in the world. From the beginning, the Cincinnati Observatory has been unique because it is accessible not only to the many shareholders who built it, but also to the public. In 1873, unfortunately, he had to move about ten kilometres to escape the light pollution of the city centre! The architect Samuel Hannaford designed the new building in the Greek Renaissance style. In 1904, a new astronomical telescope was installed, this time with a diameter of 406 mm. After the Second World War, the observatory remained active thanks to the efforts of one of its directors, Paul Herget, who guessed the growing interest in the use of electronic computer machines in astronomical calculations. In 1979, the site officially became a member of the Department of Physics at the University of Cincinnati. In the 1980s, the two glasses, which had fallen into disuse, were restored by enthusiasts who loved the place. But in the 1990s it was a cold shower: the owners of the buildings and the University of Cincinnati were considering selling the land to real estate developers! It takes all the courage of the inhabitants of the region, historians, amateur and professional astronomers to save the site! So in 1999, the Cincinnati Observatory became an astronomical educational centre. The audience is there! Proximity to the city is no longer a handicap, but an advantage for city dwellers, families, local schoolchildren, etc. This observatory is the very symbol of successful conversion, and must serve as a model for many others who, throughout the world and in France in particular, are vegetating and indulging in their hushed microcosms, between discreet scientific staff and quietly settled officials. This is a scientific place accessible to everyone, easily, and which offers neophytes the joy of being able to observe in prestigious instruments!