Detroit Observatory Chronology: 1874-1894
1852-1855 | 1856-1873 | 1874-1894 | 1896-1916 | 1917-1960s | 1961-present
| 1874 | Brünnow
retires from Dunsink Observatory due to failing eyesight Watson takes a one year leave for the transit of Venus in Pekin, China, and discovers an asteroid the Chinese named Juewa Watson travels from China to India, Egypt, and Europe Watson works on geodetic survey of Egypt Watson decorated as a Knight Commander of the Imperial Order of the Medjudieh of Turkey and Egypt, and takes a houseboat trip up the Nile |
| October | Tappan
is invited to attend commencement, but declines |
| 1875 | Watson
discovers asteroid Nuwa |
| 1876 | Watson
discovers asteroids Athor, Sibylla |
| 1877 | Watson
discovers asteroids Phaedra, Andromache, Klytaemnestra |
| 1878 | U.S.
Government station is constructed by the U.S. Government on the grounds
behind the Detroit Observatory to observe the transit of Mercury in
May 1879; it becomes the Students' Observatory Watson claims to have discovered planet Vulcan while observing a total solar eclipse at Rawlins, Wyoming |
| 1879 | Watson
appointed first Director of the Washburn Observatory at Madison, Wisconsin Mark W. Harrington, Class of 1868, becomes Director of the Observatory Meteorological instruments are purchased for the Observatory, including a Hough's barograph, Hough's thermometer, and an anemograph of the Lte. Gibbon's pattern U.S. Signal Service loans weather instruments: standard thermometer, psychrometer, terrestrial-radiation thermometer, solar-radiation thermometer Law professorship created in Tappan's name |
| 1880 | Waston
dies suddenly in Madison, Wisconsin; buried in Ann Arbor at Forest
Hills Cemetery near the Observatory Telescopes are purchased for the Students' Observatory to replace instruments recalled by the Government: a 6-inch equatorial refractor, a 3-inch transit instrument with zenith telescope attachment by Fauth & Company but with Clark optics, and a chronometer by Elgin J.M. Schaeberle, Assistant in the Observatory, discovers a comet The Brünnows move from Basel to Vevey with the Tappans to their new home, Châlet Beauval |
| 1881 | Tappan
dies in Vevey, Switzerland Schaeberle discovers another comet Meteorologic observations commence; furnished to the State Board of Health until 1905 Harrington takes a leave of absence to observe on the Pacific coast |
| 1882 | Transit
of Venus observations take place, using the Students' Observatory Observations of the great comet of 1882 Rudolph Brünnow receives his doctorate from Strassburg |
| 1883 | Furnace
added to the Director's residence Coal house on the Observatory grounds is converted to a barn |
| 1884 | Harrington
is founder of the American Meteorological Journal (the first
and only such journal in the U.S.) Julia Tappan dies at Vevey, Switzerland Rebecca Tappan Brünnow publishes a poem about her parents Rudolph Brünnow appointed Professor of Semitic Philology at University of Heidelberg |
| 1887 | Dr.
Ludovic Estes determines the latitude of the Observatory |
| 1888 | Schaeberle
departs for Lick Observatory William W. Campbell, trained by Schaeberle, publishes his Elements of Practical Astronomy |
| 1889 | The
Brünnows move to Heidelberg to be with Rudolph |
| 1890 | Dome
converted: new shutter by Warner & Swasey; dome cannon balls replaced
with railroad-style wheels; new observer's chair of the Burnam-Hough
pattern Lighting updated on the meridian circle telescope Andrew D. White returns the Cropsey paintings to the University |
| 1891 | |
| July | Harrington becomes first Chief of the U.S. Weather Bureau |
| August | Franz Brünnow dies |
| October | Professor
Harrington donates a Zollner Photometer to the Observatory |
| 1892 | Hussey
departs for Leland Stanford Junior University Asaph Hall, Jr. appointed as Director Dr. Richard H. Bull, the Observatory's architect, dies First phone installed at Observatory; phone number is 69 |
| 1893 | E.
Howard clock No. 413 obtained to keep sidereal time Repsold micrometer obtained for the meridian circle Chronograph by Saegmüller obtained Asaph Hall receives Regental approval to purchase a sextant Hall dismounts the Fitz refractor for cleaning Hall makes repairs to the meridian circle |
| July | Rebecca
Tappan Brünnow dies |
| 1894 | Rudolph
Brünnow marries Marguerite Beckwith Tappan Hall, the new recitation building on campus, is named in Tappan's honor |
The chronology is excerpted with the author's persmission from A Creation of His Own: Tappan's Detroit Observatory, by Patricia S. Whitesell, ©1998.