Lighthouse of the Sky

Well here I, Sweet William The Scot, am at The Cincinnati Observatory.

Where you can see through the oldest public telescope in the country.

Tucked away at the end of a picturesque cul-de-sac in a residential neighborhood sits a different era.  You feel the history in your bones when you come here.  The Observatory is a picturesque jewel-box of a building capped by a silver dome.

The community where it sits was named Mt. Lookout in honor of the observatory. 

 

The Birthplace of American Astronomy.

Observatory's Herget Building

It houses one of the oldest working telescopes and was the first public observatory in the western hemisphere. 

It is a fully functioning 19th century observatory used daily by the public and amateur astronomers. 

The main telescopes are an 11-inch Merz and Mahler refractor purchased in 1842 and a 16-inch Alvan Clark and Sons refractor from 1904.  The lens for the older telescope came from Munich, Bavaria and is of incomparable quality. Mitchel who raised the money for the lens, found and brought the lens here, died in service during the Civil War.

Open the door please.

 

 Why time stands still in here.

 On the 9th of November, 1843, a crowd of thousands witnessed former president John Quincy Adams preside over the dedication of the observatory.  He laid the cornerstone of the observatory building.

When the great refractor saw first light on April 14, 1845 it was the largest refractor in the Western Hemisphere and third largest in the world.

  

The second director, Cleveland Abbe, published the nation’s first weather forecasts and he later assisted in the founding of the National Weather Service.

The historic buildings are designated as a National Historic Landmark, and the grounds provide a serene, park-like setting while still being centrally located in my Nati.   

Telescope training, star parties, weddings, art shows, fund raisers, business meetings, concerts, and movies are all held here.

 

 In front sits a sundial.

Yep I tested that sundial and it was right according to Lee's watch.

Observatory's Mitchel Building. 

Why look what I found in that tree!

A cache find.  Wonder how many Geocachers have found this one!

Why Finn and Charlie posted about looking for these and Easy's mom climbed over a fence and stepped in something stinky in search of one.  We just find them without looking.

I am sorry the morning I went the dome was not open for the public.

You need to go at night for that to happen and our camera does not take night pictures.

 

I was here the day before I got my bum peppered with tiny pebbles.

I went to the vet last Monday evening and she said as long as they can still express my anal gland manually from the inside I will not need surgery. I have healed but with scar tissue.  I cannot do it for myself since the gland now sits at the bottom of my bum and not on the side like it should.

We have more to tell you about the little boy, my reader student, who did that to me but I will tell you next time.  He has stopped three times since I last mentioned him.

Thanks for being a  friend
Traveling down the road and back again
Your heart is true and your a friend of  mine

Signing Off 

Sweet William The  Scot