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Records of astronomical observatories operated by the University of Michigan including the Detroit Observatory on the Ann Arbor campus (1855-), the Lamont-Hussey Observatory (Bloemfontein, South Africa, 1928-), the McMath-Hulbert Observatory (Portage Lake, Michigan, 1935-1979), the Portage Lake/Peach Mountain Observatory (Dexter, Michigan, 1948-. Records include correspondence files, administrative files, observation notebooks, photographs and architectural drawings.

The University of Michigan Observatory records include those of the Lamont-Hussey Observatory, the McMath-Hulbert Observatory, the Peach Mountain Observatory, the Angell Hall Laboratory, the Department of Astronomy, and records of faculty members. Documentation consists of correspondence, astronomical and meteorological observation records, financial records, reports, scrapbooks and blueprints. The collection is divided into seven series: Correspondence, Observatories, Department of Astronomy, Scrapbooks and Clippings, Observation Charts and Notebooks, Photographs, and Blueprints.

Richard Alfred Rossiter (1886-1977) was an Associate Professor of Astronomy at the University of Michigan who directed the university's Lamont-Hussey Observatory in Bloemfontein (South Africa). Rossiter discovered thousands of double stars over the course of his career and established the existence of the phenomenon known as the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect. Includes portraits and an informal photo of Rossiter and his wife as well as photos relating to Rossiter's interest in the Lamont-Hussey Observatory.

The collection includes portraits and an informal photo of Rossiter and his wife as well as photos relating to Rossiter's interest in the Lamont-Hussey Observatory.