Title
Central College Bulletin article: "Morrison Observatory Celebrates Centennial" January 1976 (vol. 45, no. 4)
Subject
Morrison Observatory (Fayette, Mo.)
Central Methodist University (Fayette, Mo.)
Central Methodist University (Fayette, Mo.)
United States
Description
Six paragraph article, including photograph, on the history of the Morrison Observatory and its significance to Central Methodist College (now Central Methodist University). Page 4 of January 1976 Central Methodist College Bulletin (vol. 45 no. 4)
Creator
Central Methodist University
Publisher
Central Methodist University Archives
Date
January 1976
1976
1976
Rights
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License
Format
Newspaper article
Language
English
Type
Science, Technology and Industry
Identifier
ARC03.01.05_Bulletin_1978January_no.4_p4
Coverage
Central Methodist University
Text
Morrison Observatory celebrates centennial
The 100th anniversary of the opening of Central Methodist’s Morrison Observatory was celebrated during December. The observatory, used by Central Methodist to teach astronomy and astrophysics, was opened in December 1875 in Glasgow. It was moved to its present location on the edge of Fayette in 1935.
A chance remark on a starry autumn night in 1874 led to the founding of the observatory. Dr. Carr W. Pritchett, a mathematician and astronomer, was sitting on his front porch watching a comet with Miss Berenice Morrison, the daughter of a wealthy banker. He remarked that he wished he had instruments for observing the comet. Miss Morrison noted his wish and soon donated $100,000 to establish the observatory.
The observatory originally was equipped with two telescopes, a 12-inch diameter refractor and a 6-inch Meridian Circle. Both telescopes are still in use. A third telescope, a 12-inch reflector, was donated to the observatory in 1961. “Our telescopic equipment actually is better than the University of Missouri’s, and we have much less interference from city lights,” says David Brown, director of the observatory.
The college uses the observatory to teach several introductory and advanced courses in astronomy and astrophysics, and the students today seem just as enthused about watching the sky as Carr W. Pritchett was.
“This is the most fasci- nating and enjoyable course I've ever had,” says Nancy Morrison, an art major taking the introductory astronomy course. “I’m going to take a more advanced course next semester.”
Central Methodist students use the observatory to learn astronomical techniques and to do modest research. George Cover, a sophomore majoring in education, is using the 12-inch refractor to plot sunspots. “By charting sunspots each day we can calculate the rotation of the sun,” he says, “and we can compare our findings to established graphs on the frequency of sunspots.”
Caption: The 12-inch refractor, housed in the observatory dome, is used for teaching and research.
The 100th anniversary of the opening of Central Methodist’s Morrison Observatory was celebrated during December. The observatory, used by Central Methodist to teach astronomy and astrophysics, was opened in December 1875 in Glasgow. It was moved to its present location on the edge of Fayette in 1935.
A chance remark on a starry autumn night in 1874 led to the founding of the observatory. Dr. Carr W. Pritchett, a mathematician and astronomer, was sitting on his front porch watching a comet with Miss Berenice Morrison, the daughter of a wealthy banker. He remarked that he wished he had instruments for observing the comet. Miss Morrison noted his wish and soon donated $100,000 to establish the observatory.
The observatory originally was equipped with two telescopes, a 12-inch diameter refractor and a 6-inch Meridian Circle. Both telescopes are still in use. A third telescope, a 12-inch reflector, was donated to the observatory in 1961. “Our telescopic equipment actually is better than the University of Missouri’s, and we have much less interference from city lights,” says David Brown, director of the observatory.
The college uses the observatory to teach several introductory and advanced courses in astronomy and astrophysics, and the students today seem just as enthused about watching the sky as Carr W. Pritchett was.
“This is the most fasci- nating and enjoyable course I've ever had,” says Nancy Morrison, an art major taking the introductory astronomy course. “I’m going to take a more advanced course next semester.”
Central Methodist students use the observatory to learn astronomical techniques and to do modest research. George Cover, a sophomore majoring in education, is using the 12-inch refractor to plot sunspots. “By charting sunspots each day we can calculate the rotation of the sun,” he says, “and we can compare our findings to established graphs on the frequency of sunspots.”
Caption: The 12-inch refractor, housed in the observatory dome, is used for teaching and research.
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Paper
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