Westerville, Ohio: A 19 th Century center of Astronomy in Ohio.
Who am I to make this judgment? I was, for 36 years, a teacher of Astronomy ( among other things) at Otterbein College. I have a BA, (Math/Physics), an MS (in Astronomy) and a PhD (in Astronomy) I lean toward History because of bad counseling in undergraduate school.
Why do we name things? To distinguish special features: Westerville – “The Dry Capitol of the Universe” “The Home of Otterbein College”
Why do we rename things? Agelaius phoeniceus Red-winged Blackbird
How do we name them? Black-wing Redbird
... And Black-winged Blackbird
... And Red-winged redbird
John Haywood: Mr. Westerville Came to teach Math and Natural Science at Otterbein University As a surveyor he laid out the streets of the town In 1858 he was elected mayor of newly chartered Village
Early Westerville map
A reasonable layout?
Note ID: Handley House
Oberlin College, Founded 1835 Mid-19 th Century: Astronomy was taught by Charles Churchill Hot topics in Astronomy: 1846 – Planets, comets, asteroids 2. Newtonian Gravitational Theory: = mathematics strongly applied to observations REMEMBER 1846 –1850!
John Haywood enters Oberlin to study Mathematics – 1846 Astronomy was a large part of applied mathematics Haywood became good at surveying and all forms of applied mathematics Graduated in Came to Otterbein in 1851
John Haywood: Astronomer A passion for the great problems of astronomy Otterbein College (University?) was strapped for money
Historical digression May 13, 1781 – Herschel discovers Uranus Very shortly found off course 1845 – John Couch Adams predicted a reason; ignored 1846 – Antoine LeVerrier did same contacted willing observer Sept. 23, 1846 – Johann Galle discovered Neptune!!! (It was within ½ degree of positions predicted by Adams and LeVerrier)
One of the BIG issues in astronomy in mid 19 th Century Kepler provided relative size of Planetary orbits (1619) Actual size of orbits known only to about 5% in 1850 Needed: Actual distance to one or more objects in Solar System
How can it be done? Triangulate on nearby planet from two or more places on earth Good prospect for greatest accuracy is Venus during transit of sun! This is a fairly rare event It happens that two such transits occurred in the 19 th Century
“Modern” Transits of Venus 1631 Dec Dec June June Dec Dec June June 5
What would one need? 1. A fair sized telescope (Approx. f. l. = 180”) 2. A transit instrument to fix Westerville location to within 0.5 mile, and determine local solar time and sidereal time to 1 sec. 3. A means of direct communication to another observatory. 4. An accurate clock to display time. 5. A chronograph to record precisely the critical aspects of the event.
Haywood/McFadden: close friends Telegraphic intercom Faculty colleagues Civil War trauma McFadden got $3000, Haywood $0
Haywood Appealed to College without success Urgent appeal to Board of Trustees in 1877 Board approved wholeheartedly Did not provide funds
Appeal was taken to the 253 alumni in 1878
Haywood want list
Bartlett, Willard; Education for Humanity, Otterbein College, P 204
Religious Telescope
Major questions remain Did John Haywood observe either transit of Venus? Did he ever get his “observatory? Did he feel his life in the United Brethren Church wasted?
T. J. Sanders graduated OC 1878 President, Otterbein College: 1891 – 1901 Graduated, Otterbein College: 1878 Faculty, Otterbein College:1902 – 1931 Observed 1874 Transit of Venus With Haywood!!!
Issue of December 1882 Important 6 line notice!
Weird Professor on new deck
Observatory on McFadden Hall 1982
14-inch housing 1982
Telescope Housing 1982
Observatory Deck 1982
Haywood’s plea