United States Naval Observatory
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Image:United States Naval Observatory.aerial view.jpg
The United States Naval Observatory (USNO) is one of the oldest scientific agencies in the United States. It is located in Northwest Washington, D.C.. It is one of the very few observatories located in an urban area (when it was initially constructed, it was far from the light pollution generated by the then-smaller city center).
Established in 1830 as the Depot of Charts and Instruments, the observatory's primary mission was to care for the U.S. Navy's chronometers, charts and other navigational equipment. It calibrated ships' chronometers by timing the transit of stars across the meridian. Initially located downtown in Foggy Bottom (near the Kennedy Center), the observatory moved to its present location in 1893, atop Observatory Hill overlooking Massachusetts Avenue, amidst perfectly circular grounds.
The first superintendent was Commander Matthew Fontaine Maury, U.S.N. Maury had the first time ball vulcanized created by Charles Goodyear for the United States observatory which may have been the 1st and perhaps only timeball Goodyear created. It was the first timeball in the United States, and the 12th in the world. Maury kept accurate time by the stars and planets. The timeball can be seen in the old photos and drawings. When the timeball was dropped, a flag was mechanically raised letting all ships and civilians know the exact time. Thus time was kept not only for Washington D.C. but, through the use of the telegraph also for every state in the Union. Time was also sold to the railroads.
The names National Observatory and Naval Observatory were both used for ten years until a ruling was passed to use only the term Navy Observatory. Former President John Quincy Adams had intended for it to be called the National Observatory. John Quincy Adams spent many nights at the observatory with Maury watching and charting the stars because it had always been one of Adams' hobbies to study the stars which is another reason he passed the bill for the creation of a national observatory just before his leaving presidential office.
Today, as in the past, the modern United States Naval Observatory continues to be a major authority in the areas of time-keeping and celestial observation. In collaboration with the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory it determines the timing and astronomical data required for accurate navigation and fundamental astronomy and distributes this information in the Astronomical Almanac. Perhaps it is best known to the general public for its highly accurate ensemble of atomic clocks and its year 2000 Timeball replacement.
Since 1974, Number One Observatory Circle, a house situated in the grounds of the observatory (formerly the residence of its superintendent), has been the official residence of the Vice President of the United States.
As of this writing (April 2006), the aerial view of the site is blurred out in Google Earth, while aerial views of the rest of Washington can be seen in high resolution.
Related pages
External links
- [1] USNO, "What Time is it?"
- [2] Transcription: Lieut. Matthew Fontaine Maury's 1847 Letter to President John Quincy Adams on the many details of the United States National (Navy, Naval)Observatory.id:United States Naval Observatory