Morrison Observatory
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| Morrison Observatory | |||||||
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| Organization | Central Methodist University | ||||||
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| Location | 700 Park Road, Fayette, MO | ||||||
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| Altitude | 228 m | ||||||
| Established | 1875 | ||||||
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Morrison Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Central Methodist University located in Fayette, Missouri (USA). It was named after Bernice Morrison who, in 1874, pledged $100,000 to C. W. Pritchett for the construction of the observatory. Half of that amount would go the construction of the telescope and observatory; the other half to a permanent trust fund. The observatory was built soon there after in Glasgow, Missouri at Pritchett College and opened in 1875.
A 12.25 inch Clark Refractor was installed in a dome that Dr. Pritchett modeled after the Harvard College Observatory. In 1876, a 6 inch Meridian Telescope built by Troughton & Simms of London was installed and the Observatory began selling the time to the Chicago & Alton Railroad and various Time Balls in St. Louis and Kansas City.
In 1922 Pritchett College closed and, with some encouragement from Bernice Morrison and Henry Pritchett, the curators of Central Methodist University sued for control of the observatory and the trust fund. It was moved in pieces in and around 1935 to its current location in Fayette.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Morrison Observatory timeline. A timeline for Morrison Observatory. Retrieved on December 15, 2005.
[edit] External links
- Fayette Clear Sky Clock Forecasts of observing conditions covering Morrison Observatory.
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