History

1879

Wellesley College founder Henry Durant asks the Physics Department to offer a course incorporating astronomy. “Applied Physics”, taught by Physics professor Sarah Whiting, results.

1884

Future famous astronomer Annie Jump Cannon graduates from Wellesley College with a degree in Physics.

1898

Mrs. John C. Whitin, Wellesley College trustee, decides to donate an observatory for the College. Besides providing the funds, Mrs. Whitin is also heavily involved in the design of the facility and the selection of equipment. Read the story of the founding of the Observatory, as told in Wellesley College 1875-1975: A Century of Women. (PDF file, 86 kb; requires Acrobat Reader.)

1899

The college purchases the 12-inch telescope from S. V. White, a Brooklyn doctor. The telescope had been built by Henry Fitz in 1854, and was reworked by Alvan Clark & Sons in 1867.

1900

The observatory is completed. Total cost: $30,000.

1901

The Astronomy Department is created. Miss Sarah Whiting is the first Director.

1905

Mrs. Whitin funds an expansion of the Observatory, adding the smaller dome and 6-in Clark refractor, a transit dome, a library, and lab space.

Observatory House is also built to house the Director of the observatory and staff.  

1906

Annie Jump Cannon is given an honorary Master's degree.

1914

Lady Margaret Huggins bequeaths many small astronomical instruments, manuscripts and related items to the Department.

1916

Sarah Whiting retires. John Duncan is hired as new Director.

1930

Elizabeth Whiting gives $2000 to the Department. This money is used to erect a marble tablet (by the front door) honoring her sister, Sarah Whiting, and for the spectrohelioscope.

1942

Astronomy professor Helen Dodson and Barbara McCarthy, professor of Greek, teach a secret course in cryptography to (at least) ten students. The course was taught evenings at the Observatory, where late-night activity would not attract attention. Following graduation, most of these students went on to work for the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), working on Japanese and German codes. (See Wellesley magazine, Winter 2000, for more details.)

1950

Duncan retires. James Warwick serves as interim Director.

1952

Sarah J. Hill is hired as the new Director.

1965

Mrs. Margaret Sawyer donates $80,000, used to purchase a 24-in Boller and Chivens telescope and dome.

1971

Scott Birney becomes Director, succeeding Sarah Hill who retires from Wellesley College three years later.

1987

Asteroid (3065) 1984 CV, discovered 1984 Feb 08 by E. Bowell at Anderson Mesa, is named (3065) Sarahill, with the citation to the right:

Name proposed by the discoverer following a suggestion by Faith Vilas, who provided the citation.

1991

Richard French becomes Director.

2000

Wellesley College 1984 Astronomy and Physics alumna Pam Melroy piloted space shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station on 2000 Oct 11. 

2019

Kim McLeod becomes Director