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Historical, 1860-2004
14 linear feet
The Historical series (1860-2004, 14 linear ft.) consists of data, audiovisual materials, artifacts, and other collected records documenting the many uses and functions of the Observatory throughout its history. The series includes records of observations and research activities conducted at the Detroit Observatory as well as some observational data from as early as 1800. Some of these records were apparently held by the university Department of Astronomy, individual faculty members and private collectors. When the Observatory was reopened for educational and public programming activities in the 1990s, director Sandy Whitesell began acquiring historical records of the observatory. The Historical series has been organized by material type into three subseries: Records and Observational Data, Audiovisual Materials, and Artifacts.
Records and Observational Data
The Records and Observational Data subseries consists of various sets of weather-related records and observational data recorded at the Observatory. Sets of anemometer (wind pressure), barograph (atmospheric pressure), and thermograph (temperature) records exist from the 1880s to the early 1900s. A set of logbooks that record various observations at the Observatory and data recorded from the Meridian Circle telescope are also part of this series. Other observation notebooks can be found in the University of Michigan Observatory record group in the Detroit Observatory subseries and the Observation charts and notebooks series.