Seagrave Memorial Observatory
Seagrave Memorial Observatory is an astronomical observatory located in North Scituate, Rhode Island. It is named after astronomer Frank Evens Seagrave and is wholly owned and operated by Skyscrapers, Inc.[1] The main instrument is an 8¼-inch Alvan Clark refracting telescope[2] which was given to Frank Evens Seagrave for his 16th birthday in 1876, however the telescope took two years to build, so he did not receive it until 1878.[3] The telescope and Seagrave Observatory (as the private observatory was then known)[4] were originally at 119 Benefit Street in Providence.[3] At the time it was the third largest telescope in New England.[3] The telescope was moved to North Scituate in October 1914 when the construction of the current observatory was completed.[3][5] The observatory was acquired by the Skycrapers in 1936 after the death of Seagrave.[1]
 The Observatory during construction in 1914 | |||||||||
| Organization | Skyscrapers, Inc. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | North Scituate, Rhode Island | ||||||||
| Coordinates | 41°50′43″N 71°35′28″W | ||||||||
| Established | 1914 | ||||||||
| Website | Seagrave Memorial Observatory | ||||||||
| Telescopes | |||||||||
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  Location of Seagrave Memorial Observatory | |||||||||
See also
Notes
- Cormack, Maribelle; Laird, Harriet L; Null, Wilhelmina A; Reed, Constance H; Patton, Ralph C; Stevens, W Edwin (2005) [1957]. "How the Skyscrapers Acquired an Observatory and Other Property" (PDF). In Hendrickson, Jim (ed.). A Quarter Century Of Skyscraping: 1932 - 1957 (75th Anniversary ed.). North Scituate, Rhode Island: Skyscrapers, Inc. (Amateur Astronomical Society of Rhode Island). Retrieved 7 January 2016.
- Huestis, David A. (2007). "75 Years of Skyscrapers" (PDF). In Huestis, Tina; Hendrickson, Jim (eds.). 75 Years of Skyscrapers: 1932 - 2007. North Scituate, Rhode Island: Skyscrapers, Inc. (Amateur Astronomical Society of Rhode Island). Retrieved 7 January 2016.
- Huestis, David A. (July 22, 2014). "Seagrave Memorial Observatory centennial (1914-2014)". Astronomy Magazine. Kalmbach Publishing Co. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
- "The Transit of Venus as Seen at the Seagrave Observatory". Scientific American. Vol. XLVII, no. 25. Dec 16, 1882.
- Smiley, Charles H. (1934). "Frank Evans Seagrave". Popular Astronomy. 42: 504–505. Bibcode:1934PA.....42..504S. Retrieved 7 January 2016.