沃納天文台

歷史[編輯]

當時安裝的16吋折射望遠鏡是由阿耳萬·克拉克父子製造的，它花費了沃納近百萬的美金，但是在當時是全美國第四大的望遠鏡。

斯威夫特使用這個天文台研究彗星和星雲，包括周期彗星11P/坦普爾-斯威夫特-林尼爾彗星。在每個星期四和星期五的黃昏，斯威夫特為在沃納專營的醫藥商店購買25分門票的民眾開放天文台。這是第一間對公眾開放的天文台

在沃納於1893年破產之後，斯威夫特將望遠鏡遷移至他的新夥伴，撒迪厄斯 S.C.羅，所在的加利福尼亞州回音山。而在當時，位於紐約的天文台因為周圍被城市包圍著，越來越沒有前途。

天文台建築的價值下跌並且閒置，在1901-1909年間，它被經營者作為弗農精神科學院和弗農療養院。

在1920年這座建築被封閉，並在1931年拆除被夷為平地。

在斯威夫特自己的筆記中可以找到對天文台的可靠記載：

…It is delightfully situated on the south side of East Avenue, one of the most beautiful and fashionable streets of this city. The building stands about one-third of a mile south of the University of Rochester, nearly one and one-half miles south of east of the Court House, a few steps west of the princely residence of Mr. H. H. Warner, on what fifty years ago was a dense forest. Its horizon is nearly unobstructed, in every direction, in some points forty miles distant being had. In nearly every outlook, woodland, field and meadow combine to produce most picturesque effect.
The material used in its construction is white sandstone from Lockport--sixty miles west--and, unlike many varieties of this kind of stone, is free from red oxide of iron. The tower is circular in form, with a diameter of thirty-one feet, outside measurement. Its revolving dome is, of course, of the same diameter. This dome embodies some novel features, and in the matter of economy of construction, lightness, ease of revolution and simplicity of the device for rotating, leaves little to be desired.