History of the Harvard College Observatory During the Period 1840-1890 — John Shaqi
History of the Harvard College Observatory During the Period 1840-1890Baker, Daniel W.
History
History of the Harvard College Observatory During the Period 1840-1890
Baker, Daniel W.
Harvard College Observatory
Mr. Bond made important contributions to the literature of the science
both in its mathematical and practical departments. Among the more
notable of the former was a paper on cometary calculations and the
method of mechanical quadratures, valuable in various respects, and
notable in having anticipated an important improvement afterward
given independently by Encke; also a paper on the use of equivalent
factors in the method of least squares. He wrote a monograph covering
observations of Donati’s comet of 1858, for which he was awarded the
gold medal of the Royal Astronomical Society and was the first of
his countrymen to obtain that distinction. He began a paper on the
nebula in Orion, which he did not live to complete, though during his
prolonged last illness he continued his labors upon it, and dictated to
an amanuensis long after strength to write had gone from him.
This paper was afterwards finished by Prof. T. H. Safford, then of
Harvard, now of Williams College observatory. A biographer says of Mr.
Bond: “Science to him was not a pastime but a serious calling, to be
pursued with the utmost conscientiousness and singleness of purpose.
That he did so much and did it so well, during the few years allotted
to him, must have been partly owing to an extreme reluctance to
dissipate his powers by beginning new works while the old were still
unfinished.” He received the honorary degree of A.M. from Harvard in
1853.
[Illustration: PRESIDENT JOSIAH QUINCY.]
V.
Joseph Winlock was the third director of Harvard College observatory,
being appointed in 1866. He was born in Shelby county, Ky., Feb.
6, 1826; he graduated at Shelby College in 1845, and was professor
of mathematics and astronomy there until 1852. He was subsequently
in the service of the Naval Observatory at Washington, and, still
later, instructor in mathematics at the Naval Academy at Annapolis.
At different dates, he was superintendent of the work of preparation
of the Nautical Almanac. He continued in office as director of the
observatory until his decease, June 11, 1875.
His administration appears by the record to have been one of various
activity. A large amount of improved apparatus was added to the
resources of the observatory, partly by purchase and partly by
invention and making on the spot. He kept up the reputation of the
observatory, which has never failed from the start, for originality
and ingenuity in mechanical devices. It was during his term that the
transmission by electricity of the true solar time to railroad centres
and business points in all parts of New England became a regular
part of the observatory work, and, by the system which he organized,
compensation was made by corporations and individuals whose clocks were
put into electrical connection with that at the observatory.
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