Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 17.djvu/770

712 OBSERVATORY never used until after it had been presented to Dublin university in 1862. Lord Wrotteslcys observatory, from 1829 to 1841 at Blackheath, lat. +51 28 2", long. O h O m 2 s 7 E., where a catalogue of the right ascensions of 1318 stars was formed from observations with a transit instrument by Jones. In 1842 a new observatory was built at Wrottesley Hall, lat. + 52 37 2" "3, long. O h 8 m 53 s "6 W., where the transit and a 7^-inch refractor by Dollond were mounted. Observations were here made of double stars, and for testing J. Herschel s method of finding the annual parallax of stars. FIIANCE. Paris, national observatory, lat. + 48 50 11" 8, long. 0^ 9 20 s "9 E. Founded in 1667, when the construction of a large and monu mental building was commenced by the architect Perrault. J. D. Cassini s observations made the institution for some time the most celebrated observatory existing, but later the activity declined, although several eminent men, as Bouvard and Arago, have held the post of director. Since 1854, when Leverrier assumed the directorship, the observations have been conducted with more regu larity, and, together with a number of most important theoretical works, published in the Annals (35 volumes of Observations, 16 of Memoirs}. The observations are now chiefly taken in order to re- determine the positions of Lalande s 50,000 stars. The principal instruments now in use are : a meridian circle by Secretan and Eichens, with an object-glass of 9 5- inches aperture and 12-feet focal length, another by Eichens (given by M. Bischoffsheim) of 7 5-inches aperture and 7-feet focal length, a 15-inch equatorial refractor by Lerebours and Briinner, a 12-inch equatorial refractor by Secretan and Eichens, two refractors of 9 5-inches aperture, &c. A refractor of 29-inches aperture by Martin is being mounted. A silvered glass reflector of 4-feet aperture was mounted in 1875, but lias never been used. The meteorological bureau was after Leverrier s death (1877) separated from the observatory. In addition to this national observatory there were during the latter half of last century several minor observatories in Paris, which only lasted for some years. Among these were the observa tory at College Mazarin, lat. + 48 51 29", where Lacaille observed from 1746 to 1750, and from 1754 to 1762, and the observatory at the ticole Militairc, lat. + 48 51 5", built in 1768 and furnished with an 8 -feet mural quadrant by Bird, with which D Agelet observed telescopic stars (1782-85), and which was afterwards (1789- 1801), under Lalande s direction, employed for observing more than 50,000 stars, published in the Histoire Celeste (1801). Jfeiulon, close to Paris. Founded in 1875 ; devoted to physical astronomy, and especially to celestial photography, under the direc tion of J. Janssen. Montsouris, situated in the Montsouris Park, south of Paris, lat. + 48 49 18", long. O h 9 m 20 S 7 E. Founded in 1875 for the train ing of naval officers. Lyons, old observatory in lat. 45 45 46", long. O h 19 m 18 s E., at the Jesuit college. A new observatory was erected in 1877 at St Genis- Laval, at some distance from the city. Transit circle by Eichens (2-feet circles, 6-inch O.G.), 6-inch refractor by Briinner. Marseilles, lat. 43 18 19" l, long. O h 21 m 34s-S E. Originally belonging to the Jesuits, taken over by the ministry of the navy in 1749. It was here that Pons made his numerous discoveries of comets. A new building was erected in 1869 ; 9|-inch equatorial refractor, reflector of 32-inches aperture and 16-feet focal length. The present director, Stephan, has discovered and micrometrically measured several hundred very faint nebulre. Toulouse, lat. 43 36 47" 0, long. O h 5 51 S E. Erected in 1840 (Darquier had observed at the Lyceum towards the end of last century) ; restored a few years ago, when an equatorial refractor by Briinner was procured. Nice, founded and endowed by M. Bischoffsheim for the Bureau de Longitude (1880), situated at Mont Gros, north-east of Nice. Is being furnished with first-class instruments, among which are a refractor of 30-inches aperture by Henry Brothers (mounting by Eichens), a meridian circle by Briinner of 8-inches aperture, and large spectroscopes, &c. GERMANY. Altona, lat. + 53 32 45" 3, long. O h 39 m 46 s l E. Founded in 1823 by the Danish Government to assist in the geodetic operations in Holstein. A meridian circle by Reichenbach (of 4-inches aper ture and 3-feet circle) and several theodolites were procured, to which, in 1858, was added a 4^-inch equatorial by Repsold. The observatory is best known by the fact that the Astronomische Nachrichten, the principal astronomical journal, was published here from 1821 (by Schumacher up to 1850, by Peters from 1854). The observatory was moved to Kiel in 1872. Berlin, royal observatory, lat. + 52 30 16"7, long. O h 53 m 34 S 9 E. "Vas erected in 1705 as part of the building of the Academy of Sciences (lat. + 52 31 12" 5, long. O h 53 m 35 s E.), a very unsuit able locality. After the death of Bode in 1826, who had founded the Astronomischcs Jahrbuch (from 1776), a new observatory was built in the southern part of the city under the direction of Encke, finished in 1835. "With the observatory is now connected a com puting office, where the Jahrbuch is edited. The instruments now in use are : an equatorial refractor by Utzschneider and Fraun- hofer, of 9-inches aperture and 1 4-feet focal length (with which Neptune was found in 1846 in the place indicated by Leverrier ; used at present for observations of minor planets), a meridian circle by Pistor and Martins of 4-inches aperture (lately used by Auwers to observe stars between + 15 and + 25 decl. ), another by the same makers of 7 -inches aperture, now used to observe stars between + 25 and + 30 decl. Bonn, university observatory, lat. + 50 43 45" 0, long. O h 28 m 23 s 3 E. Finished in 1845 (a temporary observatory had been used by Argelander from 1841 to observe stars from +45 to + 80 decl.) ; meridian circle by Pistor of 4 J-inches aperture, helio- meter by Merz of 6 -inches aperture. The former was used by Argelander for observing stars between 15 and 31 decl., and afterwards for determining 33,000 places of stars in the northern heavens. The observatory is chiefly known by the zone observa tions, made from 1852 to 1859 with a small comet-seeker, on which Argelander s great atlas of 324,198 stars between the North Pole and - 2 decl. is founded ; many other investigations on proper motions, variable stars, &c., were also made by Argelander. The zone work is now being continued with a 6 -inch refractor from - 2 to - 31 decl. by the present director, Schonfeld, who had already, with Kriiger, assisted Argelander in the northern zones. With the meridian circle stars between + 40 and + 50 decl. are now being observed. A new meridian circle of 6-inches aperture by Repsold has recently been mounted. Seven 4to volumes of Observations have been published. Botlikamp, Herr von Billow s observatory, lat. 54 12 9" 6, long. O h 40 m 30 s 8 E. Situated a few miles from Kiel, founded in 1870, the principal instrument being an equatorial refractor of 11 -inches aperture by Schroder, with spectroscopic and photographic appli ances, with which Dr Vogel obtained valuable results from 1871-74, published in three 4to parts of BeobacMungen. The observations have only quite recently been recommenced. Bremen. In the third story of his house in Sandstrasse, Olbers (died 1840) had his observatory, lat. 53 4 38", long. O h 35 m 10 s E. ; though the principal instrument was only a 3|-inch refractor by Dollond, many comets and the planets Pallas and Vesta were dis covered and observed here. Breslau, lat. + 51 6 56" l, long. l h 8 m 9 S> 1 E. In a small and unsuitable locality, where a few small instruments are placed. Dresden, Baron von Engelhardt s observatory, lat. + 51 2 16" 8, long. O h 54 m 54 S 8 E. A 12-inch equatorial refractor by Grubb (mounted 1880), used for observations of comets and double stars. Diisscldorf (Bilk, originally a suburb, now part of the city), lat. + 51 12 25", long. O h 27 m 5 S> 5 E. Founded and endowed by Professor Benzenberg (died 1846) ; best known by the discovery of twenty-one minor planets by R. Luther ; the principal instrument is a 4^-inch refractor. Gotha. In 1791 an observatory was founded by Duke Ernest II. at Seeberg, lat. + 50 56 5" 2, long. O h 42 m 55 s 8 E., on a hill a few miles from Gotha, the chief instrument being a large transit instru ment by Ramsden. Through the labours, principally theoretical, of the successive directors, Zach, Lindenau, Encke, and Hansen, the institution ranked with the first observatories, but the distance from Gotha and the decay of the buildings made it necessary to build a new observatory at Gotha in 1857, lat. + 50 56 37" 5, long. O h 42 m 50 s 5 E. This observatory received the instruments from Seeberg, including a small transit circle by Ertel (made in 1824), also a new equatorial by Repsold of ^-inches aperture. Gottingen, university observatory, lat. + 51 31 47" 9, long. O h 39 m 46 s- 5 E. An observatory had existed here during the 18th century, where Tobias Mayer worked. In 1811 a new building was constructed. Besides his mathematical works, Gauss found time to engage in important geodetic and magnetic observations. In 1867-69 a catalogue of stars, between the equator and - 2 decl. was made by Copeland and BSrgen. The principal instruments are a meridian circle by Repsold (4^-inches aperture), another by Reichenbach (4^-inches), several refractors from 3 to 5 inches aper ture, &c. Hamburg, lat. + 53 33 7" 0, long. O h 39 m 53 s 7 E. Built in the year 1825. "With a meridian circle of 4-inches aperture by Repsold, C. Riimker observed the places of 12,000 stars. An equa torial refractor of 10-inches aperture was mounted in 1868, used for observations of star-clusters, comets, and minor planets. Kiel, royal observatory, lat. + 54 20 29"7, long. O h 40 m 35 s 8 E. Contains the instruments removed from Altona in 1872, also an 8 -inch refractor by Steinheil. The office of the Astronomische Nachrichten has been here since 1872. Kdnigsberg, university observatory, lat. + 54 42 50" 6, long. lh 21 m 58 s : 9 E. Built 1813 ; Bessel was the director till his death in 1846, and nearly all his celebrated investigations w r ere carried out here, e.g., observations of fundamental stars, zone observations of stars from - _5 to +45 decl., researches on refraction, helio- metric observations, by which the annual parallax of the star 61