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Astronomy was first taught at Columbia in
1757 and, during the intervening 247 years, has formed an important part of
the University's curriculum, both as a discipline in which new scholars are
trained, and as an introduction to the methodologies and perspectives of
science for students pursuing other areas of inquiry. Columbia's first
telescope was lent to George Washington for use in the Battle of Long Island;
both the telescope and the battle were lost. It was thus not until 1857 that
the first Professor of Astronomy was appointed. Early research highlights
included the the first applications of photography to stellar astrometry
and spectroscopy (1863), and the first use of "modern" computing engines
for calculations and data reduction (1934). |
