Detroit Observatory
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November 21, 2022
Heritage Project — Vulcan’s muddy light
Astronomer James Craig Watson was U-M’s “brightest son.” After discovering 22 asteroids between 1863-77, during a solar eclipse in 1878, Watson was sure he’d observed the rumored intra-mercurial planet Vulcan.
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March 30, 2022
Detroit Observatory reopens with new educational potential
After a three-year expansion project, the Detroit Observatory is ready for the U-M community and public to again explore the stars. An April 8 symposium will feature the observatory’s past, present and future.
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March 28, 2019
Observatory to add multi-use classroom, improved accessibility
The Board of Regents have approved design plans for a 7,000-square-foot addition to the 165-year-old Detroit Observatory, which served as U-M’s first scientific research laboratory.
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February 15, 2018
Regents approve underground addition in Detroit Observatory
Plans to construct an underground addition in the Detroit Observatory have been approved by the Board of Regents. The $10 million project will provide program and support space.
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January 21, 2015
U-M’s Vulcan searcher was the university’s ‘brightest son’
James Craig Watson was U-M’s “brightest son.” That’s what President Henry Simmons Frieze said of the gifted 19th-century astronomer and Detroit Observatory director.
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June 23, 2014
Observatory nights stir awe, sense of adventure
Viewing nights at U-M’s Detroit Observatory allow visitors to experience stargazing the way they would have in the mid-19th century.
