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79-704: In 1931 it had the third largest telescope in the World; the 69 inch aperture Perkins telescope came online at this observatory. The mirror was the largest cast in the United States up to that time, and it was made by the United States National Bureau of Standards . In the 1930s this observatory also started periodic document release called The Telescope , featuring results from the telescope but grew to include other astronomical information. The University partnered with Ohio State University in 1935, to help run

158-522: A metrology agency, the Bureau of Standards was directed by Herbert Hoover to set up divisions to develop commercial standards for materials and products. Some of these standards were for products intended for government use, but product standards also affected private-sector consumption. Quality standards were developed for products including some types of clothing, automobile brake systems and headlamps, antifreeze , and electrical safety. During World War I ,

237-470: A neutron science user facility: the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR). The NCNR provides scientists access to a variety of neutron scattering instruments, which they use in many research fields (materials science, fuel cells, biotechnology, etc.). The SURF III Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility is a source of synchrotron radiation , in continuous operation since 1961. SURF III now serves as

316-513: A 69-inch (1.8 m) blank (somewhat larger than originally intended). Three years of grinding and polishing followed. When installed in the telescope mount in 1931, it was the third largest mirror in the world. (Prior to installation of the 69-inch (1.8 m) mirror, the observatory used a 60-inch (1.5 m) mirror on loan from Harvard University .) Early on it became apparent that the Ohio Wesleyan University simply did not have

395-569: A NIST team as part of a DARPA competition. In September 2013, both The Guardian and The New York Times reported that NIST allowed the National Security Agency (NSA) to insert a cryptographically secure pseudorandom number generator called Dual EC DRBG into NIST standard SP 800-90 that had a kleptographic backdoor that the NSA can use to covertly predict the future outputs of this pseudorandom number generator thereby allowing

474-665: A combination of vacuum tubes and solid-state diode logic. About the same time the Standards Western Automatic Computer , was built at the Los Angeles office of the NBS by Harry Huskey and used for research there. A mobile version, DYSEAC , was built for the Signal Corps in 1954. Due to a changing mission, the "National Bureau of Standards" became the "National Institute of Standards and Technology" in 1988. Following

553-485: A draft of the CSF 2.0 for public comment through November 4, 2023. NIST decided to update the framework to make it more applicable to small and medium size enterprises that use the framework, as well as to accommodate the constantly changing nature of cybersecurity. In August 2024, NIST released a final set of encryption tools designed to withstand the attack of a quantum computer. These post-quantum encryption standards secure

632-408: A great telescope the objects such an instrument reveals and by so doing ‘Learn to love God and serve Him more acceptably.’" Perkins graduated from Ohio Wesleyan in 1857, just nine years after the university was founded. He was immediately offered a position on the faculty. Shortly thereafter he married Caroline Barkdull, a graduate from OWU's Women's College. In 1861 Perkins temporarily left OWU when

711-468: A place where cutting-edge research could be conducted. It took 15 years to find an appropriate location and secure the necessary funding (Perkins himself provided about $ 250,000, the equivalent of roughly $ 3.8 million dollars in 2019, of the approximately $ 350,000 budget). Construction began in 1923 with the frail 90-year-old professor as Guest of Honor at the groundbreaking ceremony. Within a year, however, both Hiram and Caroline Perkins had died. Neither saw

790-533: A program to provide metrology services for United States scientific and commercial users. A laboratory site was constructed in Washington, DC , and instruments were acquired from the national physical laboratories of Europe. In addition to weights and measures, the Bureau developed instruments for electrical units and for measurement of light. In 1905 a meeting was called that would be the first "National Conference on Weights and Measures". Initially conceived as purely

869-556: A six-inch Brashear objective lens of a Warner & Swasey equatorial mount . The observatory also includes a transit room on the west side and a 45-seat classroom, which was built later, on the south side. Today, the observatory is primarily used for public outreach and is run jointly by the UW Department on Astronomy and the Seattle Astronomical Society . Every first and third Tuesday between April and September

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948-644: A user-accessible cleanroom nanomanufacturing facility. This "NanoFab" is equipped with tools for lithographic patterning and imaging (e.g., electron microscopes and atomic force microscopes ). NIST has seven standing committees: As part of its mission, NIST supplies industry, academia, government, and other users with over 1,300 Standard Reference Materials (SRMs). These artifacts are certified as having specific characteristics or component content, used as calibration standards for measuring equipment and procedures, quality control benchmarks for industrial processes, and experimental control samples. NIST publishes

1027-543: A wide range of electronic information, from confidential email messages to e-commerce transactions that propel the modern economy. Four scientific researchers at NIST have been awarded Nobel Prizes for work in physics : William Daniel Phillips in 1997, Eric Allin Cornell in 2001, John Lewis Hall in 2005 and David Jeffrey Wineland in 2012, which is the largest number for any US government laboratory not accounting for ubiquitous government contracts to state institutions and

1106-484: Is a source for information such as NEO flybys in the community. The observatory is named for Hiram Perkins , a professor of mathematics and astronomy at the Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio from 1857 to 1907. A devoutly religious Methodist and a man of deep convictions, he was also known as an uncompromising and demanding instructor.Perkins' believed that “The public should have an opportunity to see with

1185-719: Is located at Anderson Mesa in Arizona, where it is now used by that Observatory and other universities. National Bureau of Standards The National Institute of Standards and Technology ( NIST ) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce whose mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST's activities are organized into physical science laboratory programs that include nanoscale science and technology , engineering , information technology , neutron research, material measurement, and physical measurement. From 1901 to 1988,

1264-632: Is now the Handbook 44 since 1918 and began publication under the current name in 1949. The 2010 edition conforms to the concept of the primary use of the SI (metric) measurements recommended by the Omnibus Foreign Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 . NIST is developing government-wide identity document standards for federal employees and contractors to prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to government buildings and computer systems. In 2002,

1343-501: Is ongoing. Occasional special events (like telescope fairs, celebrity guest lecturers, and viewings of unusual astronomical events) are also sponsored and organized by Perkins. (Thousands of people visited the observatory to see comet Hale-Bopp in 1997. Each time a notable solar eclipse is visible from Central Ohio, several thousand pairs of eclipse glasses are distributed and educational school programs scheduled. Ed Krupp , Director of Griffith Observatory and John Dobson , inventor of

1422-575: Is providing practical guidance and tools to better prepare facility owners, contractors, architects, engineers, emergency responders, and regulatory authorities to respond to future disasters. The investigation portion of the response plan was completed with the release of the final report on 7 World Trade Center on November 20, 2008. The final report on the WTC Towers—including 30 recommendations for improving building and occupant safety—was released on October 26, 2005. NIST works in conjunction with

1501-567: The American Civil War began. He intended to enlist in the Union Army , but was deemed physically unfit for service. (At 6’4” tall and 97 pounds, his students referred to him as “the human skeleton.”) Perkins then returned to his family hog farm and worked to help feed the troops. ( Salt pork was a staple military food at the time.) Applying his mathematical skills to the science of pork production, by war's end he had amassed an impressive (for

1580-560: The Biden administration began plans to create a U.S. AI Safety Institute within NIST to coordinate AI safety matters. According to The Washington Post , NIST is considered "notoriously underfunded and understaffed", which could present an obstacle to these efforts. NIST, known between 1901 and 1988 as the National Bureau of Standards (NBS), is a measurement standards laboratory , also known as

1659-456: The Constitution of the United States , ratified in 1789, granted these powers to the new Congress: "The Congress shall have power ... To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures". In January 1790, President George Washington , in his first annual message to Congress , said, "Uniformity in the currency, weights, and measures of

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1738-630: The Dobsonian telescope , have both visited and lectured at Ohio Wesleyan thanks to Perkins sponsorship.) Perkins Observatory is now the most visible and most reliable source of information related to astronomy and space exploration in central Ohio . Television stations, newspapers, other local science museums, and members of the general public rely on Professor Burns and his staff to answer questions, provide perspective, make media appearances and dispel astronomical misconceptions. In 2019, Perkin Observatory

1817-729: The Handbook 44 each year after the annual meeting of the National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM). Each edition is developed through cooperation of the Committee on Specifications and Tolerances of the NCWM and the Weights and Measures Division (WMD) of NIST. The purpose of the book is a partial fulfillment of the statutory responsibility for "cooperation with the states in securing uniformity of weights and measures laws and methods of inspection". NIST has been publishing various forms of what

1896-538: The LONEOS system to detect near-Earth asteroids . However, at the time Perkins Observatory received no compensation for use of this instrument. At Ohio Wesleyan University , unfortunately, interest in Perkins Observatory also waned. Little concern was shown toward maintaining the historic property. An endowment fund of approximately $ 90,000 left by Hiram Perkins in his will (intended to fund observatory operations and

1975-466: The McMillin Observatory , however they gave the telescope away in the 1960s and razed the old observatory in 1976. Central Ohio is not, as it turns out, a particularly good location for an astronomical research telescope. The low elevation and generally cloudy weather conspired to frustrate most astronomers using the 69-inch (1.8 m) telescope. More troublesome, the cities of Columbus, Ohio to

2054-545: The National Construction Safety Team Act mandated NIST to conduct an investigation into the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings 1 and 2 and the 47-story 7 World Trade Center. The "World Trade Center Collapse Investigation", directed by lead investigator Shyam Sunder, covered three aspects, including a technical building and fire safety investigation to study the factors contributing to

2133-543: The National Medal of Science has been awarded to NIST researchers Cahn (1998) and Wineland (2007). Other notable people who have worked at NBS or NIST include: Since 1989, the director of NIST has been a Presidential appointee and is confirmed by the United States Senate , and since that year the average tenure of NIST directors has fallen from 11 years to 2 years in duration. Since the 2011 reorganization of NIST,

2212-532: The Ohio State University formally ended its relationship with Ohio Wesleyan University and Perkins Observatory. OSU withdrew from the 1935 agreement so it could apply its financial resources to purchasing time on the Large Binocular Telescope on Mount Graham . The 72-inch (1.8 m) telescope was sold outright to Lowell Observatory by Ohio Wesleyan . (The proceeds of this sale went into

2291-424: The Ohio Wesleyan University is very supportive, it cannot by itself provide adequate monies for staff, program expansion, or maintenance on the historic building. (An endowment fund has been established, and donations are accepted.) Since the observatory was constructed 1923–1931, it experiences many maintenance challenges typical of older, historic buildings. Costly repairs and heating and cooling expenses eat into

2370-553: The Ohio Wesleyan University , became Director of Perkins Observatory. He greatly expanded the Observatory's public programs and visibility in the central Ohio area. A collaborative and mutually beneficial relationship was also established with the Columbus Astronomical Society. (In exchange for monthly meeting space and observatory access the CAS provides volunteer assistance with the many public programs.) Major repairs to

2449-717: The September 11, 2001 attacks, under the National Construction Safety Team Act (NCST), NIST conducted the official investigation into the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings. Following the 2021 Surfside condominium building collapse , NIST sent engineers to the site to investigate the cause of the collapse. In 2019, NIST launched a program named NIST on a Chip to decrease the size of instruments from lab machines to chip size. Applications include aircraft testing, communication with satellites for navigation purposes, and temperature and pressure. In 2023,

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2528-812: The Technical Guidelines Development Committee of the Election Assistance Commission to develop the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines for voting machines and other election technology. In February 2014 NIST published the NIST Cybersecurity Framework that serves as voluntary guidance for organizations to manage and reduce cybersecurity risk. It was later amended and Version 1.1 was published in April 2018. Executive Order 13800, Strengthening

2607-806: The Treaty of the Meter , which established the International Bureau of Weights and Measures under the control of an international committee elected by the General Conference on Weights and Measures . NIST is headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland , and operates a facility in Boulder, Colorado , which was dedicated by President Eisenhower in 1954. NIST's activities are organized into laboratory programs and extramural programs. Effective October 1, 2010, NIST

2686-667: The proximity fuze and the standardized airframe used originally for Project Pigeon , and shortly afterwards the autonomously radar-guided Bat anti-ship guided bomb and the Kingfisher family of torpedo-carrying missiles. In 1948, financed by the United States Air Force, the Bureau began design and construction of SEAC , the Standards Eastern Automatic Computer. The computer went into operation in May 1950 using

2765-399: The 69 inch mirror was put in a museum. The 69 inch was replaced with a new 72 inch mirror in the 1960s, which is why it was later called the 72 inch Perkins, not the 69 inch. It was featured in a telescope exhibit at one point, but was eventually walled in a closet and thus not available for viewing. The mirror was returned to Perkins observatory by 1999, and was put on display. The mirror was

2844-406: The Bureau worked on multiple problems related to war production, even operating its own facility to produce optical glass when European supplies were cut off. Between the wars, Harry Diamond of the Bureau developed a blind approach radio aircraft landing system. During World War II, military research and development was carried out, including development of radio propagation forecast methods,

2923-693: The Cybersecurity of Federal Networks and Critical Infrastructure , made the Framework mandatory for U.S. federal government agencies. An extension to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework is the Cybersecurity Maturity Model (CMMC) which was introduced in 2019 (though the origin of CMMC began with Executive Order 13556). It emphasizes the importance of implementing Zero-trust architecture (ZTA) which focuses on protecting resources over

3002-603: The Director's salary) disappeared somewhere into the OWU's general endowment fund. Worst of all, most of the land surrounding the observatory was sold to developers. Of a sizable initial plot, by 1990 only 16 acres (65,000 m) remained. (A golf course was built on the sold off property, which later also swallowed up the Big Ear radio telescope .) In the 1990s, Tom Burns, a member of the Columbus Astronomical Society and professor of English at

3081-692: The EC-DRBG algorithm from the NIST SP 800-90 standard. In addition to these journals, NIST (and the National Bureau of Standards before it) has a robust technical reports publishing arm. NIST technical reports are published in several dozen series, which cover a wide range of topics, from computer technology to construction to aspects of standardization including weights, measures and reference data. In addition to technical reports, NIST scientists publish many journal and conference papers each year; an database of these, along with more recent technical reports, can be found on

3160-531: The NIST cryptography process because of its recognized expertise. NIST is also required by statute to consult with the NSA." Recognizing the concerns expressed, the agency reopened the public comment period for the SP800-90 publications, promising that "if vulnerabilities are found in these or any other NIST standards, we will work with the cryptographic community to address them as quickly as possible". Due to public concern of this cryptovirology attack, NIST rescinded

3239-458: The NIST website. Theodore Jacobsen Observatory The Theodor Jacobsen Observatory is the on-campus observatory of the University of Washington . Built in 1895, it is the second oldest building on campus and was constructed using the remaining Tenino sandstone blocks from Denny Hall , the oldest and first building on campus. The refracting telescope , enclosed within the dome, has

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3318-587: The National Metrological Institute (NMI), which is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce . The institute's official mission is to: Promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science , standards , and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life . NIST had an operating budget for fiscal year 2007 (October 1, 2006 – September 30, 2007) of about $ 843.3 million. NIST's 2009 budget

3397-489: The Perkins Observatory Endowment Fund.) Staff members who were technically Ohio State University employees started receiving their paychecks from OWU . Currently, regular observing programs are held almost every Friday and Saturday night throughout the year. Programs are held on other evenings and during the day by special appointment. A monthly lecture series detailing various current topics in astronomy

3476-630: The Perkins Telescope arrived at Lowell Observatory , the 69-inch (1.8 m) mirror was replaced. A new 72-inch (1.8 m) mirror made of a more modern material was installed in the old mount. The old 69-inch (1.8 m) mirror was loaned to COSI in Columbus as an exhibit. (Eventually the 69 inch was returned to Perkins by the year 1999) Part of the arrangement between OSU, OWU, and Lowell Observatory called for Ohio State to continue to fund operations at Perkins Observatory. This included maintaining

3555-508: The US national standard for source-based radiometry throughout the generalized optical spectrum. All NASA -borne, extreme-ultraviolet observation instruments have been calibrated at SURF since the 1970s, and SURF is used for the measurement and characterization of systems for extreme ultraviolet lithography . The Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) performs research in nanotechnology , both through internal research efforts and by running

3634-481: The United States is an object of great importance, and will, I am persuaded, be duly attended to." On October 25, 1791, Washington again appealed Congress: A uniformity of the weights and measures of the country is among the important objects submitted to you by the Constitution and if it can be derived from a standard at once invariable and universal, must be no less honorable to the public council than conducive to

3713-552: The agency was named the National Bureau of Standards . The Articles of Confederation , ratified by the colonies in 1781, provided: The United States in Congress assembled shall also have the sole and exclusive right and power of regulating the alloy and value of coin struck by their own authority, or by that of the respective states—fixing the standards of weights and measures throughout the United States. Article 1, section 8, of

3792-458: The big telescope and the agreement lasted for almost seven decades. In the 1960s the telescope was moved to Arizona, USA for better viewing conditions, and fitted with new larger mirror. Nevertheless, the Observatory continued to be a hub of astronomical activity in the region and for the University. In the 21st century the Observatory supports various public and academic astronomical activities and

3871-529: The building, the library, and the monthly public programs. However, over the following decades, without a research instrument on site, interest in Perkins Observatory within the Ohio State University Astronomy Department declined. The on-site staff shrank until there was just a part-time secretary and a building superintendent who had only a small maintenance budget. Few of the observatory's Directors (employees of OSU) spent much time at

3950-530: The completion of the new observatory. The building features a reproduction of Robert Le Lorrain's (the original article in 'Popular Astronomy' misidentified him as Robert de Lorain) "Apollo Watering the Horses of the Sun" over the front entrance and a frieze of antique marble panels around the building bears the names of seventeen astronomers: The building and telescope mount were completed in less than two years. The work

4029-509: The country. NIST publishes the Handbook 44 that provides the "Specifications, tolerances, and other technical requirements for weighing and measuring devices". The Congress of 1866 made use of the metric system in commerce a legally protected activity through the passage of Metric Act of 1866 . On May 20, 1875, 17 out of 20 countries signed a document known as the Metric Convention or

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4108-488: The director also holds the title of Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology. Fifteen individuals have officially held the position (in addition to four acting directors who have served on a temporary basis). NIST holds patents on behalf of the Federal government of the United States , with at least one of them being custodial to protect public domain use, such as one for a Chip-scale atomic clock , developed by

4187-515: The first large mirror cast in the United States and probably the third largest telescope mirror in the World when it came into use in 1931. The mirror blank weighed 3000 pounds and was cast in 1927 by the United States Bureau of Standards. It needed 8 months to cool properly. The Perkins telescope, with the 72 inch mirror, was sold to Lowell Observatory in 1998. The evolved version of the Perkins

4266-431: The limited budget. Also, handicapped accessibility was not a concern in the 1920s. Retrofitting the building for public use while keeping its unique architectural identity has proved to be difficult, costly, and time-consuming. The most troublesome challenge that Perkins Observatory must now deal with is the increasing effect of light pollution . The city of Delaware is expanding from the north while Columbus expands from

4345-409: The national physical laboratory for the United States. Southard had previously sponsored a bill for metric conversion of the United States. President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Samuel W. Stratton as the first director. The budget for the first year of operation was $ 40,000. The Bureau took custody of the copies of the kilogram and meter bars that were the standards for US measures, and set up

4424-429: The network perimeter. ZTA utilizes zero trust principles which include "never trust, always verify", "assume breach" and "least privileged access" to safeguard users, assets, and resources. Since ZTA holds no implicit trust to users within the network perimeter, authentication and authorization are performed at every stage of a digital transaction. This reduces the risk of unauthorized access to resources. NIST released

4503-1000: The night sky. In collaboration with William Wilson Morgan of Yerkes Observatory , Dr. Keenan helped to create the M-K System of Stellar Classification . (“M” is for Morgan and “K” is for Keenan.) This is the most common stellar classification system used by astronomers today. In 1932 the Acting Director of the Observatory Nikolai T. Bobrovnikov began publication of a small in-house magazine known as “The Telescope.” At first this quarterly dealt primarily with research and current events related to Perkins Observatory, but in following issues it expanded its coverage of topics somewhat. In 1941 it merged with another small astronomy magazine known as “The Sky” to create “ Sky & Telescope Magazine.” Another stipulation in Hiram Perkins’ endowment

4582-433: The observatory dome were undertaken, thanks to the profits made from the sale of eclipse viewing glasses for the 1994 solar eclipse . Unused office and storage space was converted into exhibit rooms, a children's play area and a small gift shop. In September 1999 the original 69-inch (1.8 m) telescope mirror was retrieved from COSI (where it had been sitting in a closet for over a decade) and placed on display. In 1998

4661-541: The observatory is open to the public. The observatory is listed on the State Register on Historical Buildings . Information on the original design and building of the observatory by Prof. Joseph Marion Taylor may be found on the University Washington Astronomy Department website and other sources. This article about a specific observatory, telescope or astronomical instrument in

4740-435: The observatory. There was not even enough money in the budget to maintain subscriptions to prominent astronomy magazines for the Observatory's library. For some years a small dome detached and separated from the main observatory building housed a 0.6-meter f1.8 Schmidt telescope. In 1990 this instrument was moved to Lowell Observatory and extensively refurbished using funding from NASA. In 1993 this new instrument came online as

4819-532: The private sector. All four were recognized for their work related to laser cooling of atoms, which is directly related to the development and advancement of the atomic clock. In 2011, Dan Shechtman was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work on quasicrystals in the Metallurgy Division from 1982 to 1984. In addition, John Werner Cahn was awarded the 2011 Kyoto Prize for Materials Science, and

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4898-423: The probable cause of the collapses of the WTC Towers (WTC 1 and 2) and WTC 7. NIST also established a research and development program to provide the technical basis for improved building and fire codes, standards, and practices, and a dissemination and technical assistance program to engage leaders of the construction and building community in implementing proposed changes to practices, standards, and codes. NIST also

4977-428: The public convenience. In 1821, President John Quincy Adams declared, "Weights and measures may be ranked among the necessities of life to every individual of human society.". Nevertheless, it was not until 1838 that the United States government adopted a uniform set of standards. From 1830 until 1901, the role of overseeing weights and measures was carried out by the Office of Standard Weights and Measures, which

5056-421: The second Perkins Observatory was built a quarter century later. Perkins's marriage never produced children. His older sister never married. Therefore, toward the end of his life Perkins realized he had no living relatives to whom to leave his fortune. Retiring in 1907, Professor Perkins applied himself to the creation of “an astronomical observatory of importance.” It was his desire that this second observatory be

5135-446: The south and Delaware, Ohio to the north were both growing. Light pollution therefore became increasingly problematic. So in 1961 the Perkins Telescope was moved to Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona . Lowell is the largest private observatory (non-university or government affiliated) in the world. Through the end of the 20th century, the Perkins Telescope was the observatory's largest instrument. Observing time on this instrument

5214-433: The south. Although lighting regulations exist which cover the surrounding area, enforcing compliance is a constant struggle. Observatory staff recognizes that the day is coming when observation of deep sky objects will no longer be possible from the site. The 69-inch Perkins was the 3rd largest telescope in the World when it came online in 1931. In 1961 the telescope was moved out from Perkins Observatory, and eventually

5293-469: The staff or expertise necessary to operate one of the world's most important observatories. In 1935 a cooperative agreement was reached with the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio to staff and operate Perkins Observatory. For the next 63 years, for most practical purposes, the observatory belonged to OSU. The following three decades were Golden Years for Perkins Observatory. The remote skies were dark (if somewhat cloudy). Famous astronomers from around

5372-431: The standard by NSA). NIST responded to the allegations, stating that "NIST works to publish the strongest cryptographic standards possible" and that it uses "a transparent, public process to rigorously vet our recommended standards". The agency stated that "there has been some confusion about the standards development process and the role of different organizations in it...The National Security Agency (NSA) participates in

5451-415: The surreptitious decryption of data. Both papers report that the NSA worked covertly to get its own version of SP 800-90 approved for worldwide use in 2006. The whistle-blowing document states that "eventually, NSA became the sole editor". The reports confirm suspicions and technical grounds publicly raised by cryptographers in 2007 that the EC-DRBG could contain a kleptographic backdoor (perhaps placed in

5530-424: The telescope mirror be cast in the United States . At this time no U.S. companies had experience in casting such a large mirror, so the National Bureau of Standards agreed to take on the project. It can be argued that casting of this mirror launched the optical glass industry in the United States. The first four attempts to cast the mirror were unsuccessful. The fifth attempt, using a different technique, created

5609-558: The time) fortune. After the war Perkins returned to his university teaching position and lived a very frugal life on his small salary. Meanwhile, his shrewd business investments caused his fortune to multiply considerably. In 1896 Professor Perkins donated the funds necessary to build the first of two observatories to bear his name. It is located on West William Street in Delaware, Ohio right next to Hiram and Caroline's former residence. This original “Perkins Astronomical Observatory” later had its name changed to “the Student Observatory” when

5688-500: The world traveled to central Ohio to use the large telescope. Important meetings of professional and amateur astronomers were hosted on site. The library collection grew to include many rare volumes. Astronomer Philip C. Keenan spent most of his professional life as an astronomer working at Perkins Observatory. (He was employed by the Ohio State University , not Ohio Wesleyan .) Using the 69-inch (1.8 m) telescope he spent almost 20 years taking spectrographic plates of vast areas of

5767-515: Was $ 992 million, and it also received $ 610 million as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act . NIST employs about 2,900 scientists, engineers, technicians, and support and administrative personnel. About 1,800 NIST associates (guest researchers and engineers from American companies and foreign countries) complement the staff. In addition, NIST partners with 1,400 manufacturing specialists and staff at nearly 350 affiliated centers around

5846-835: Was done by the Warner and Swasey Company of Cleveland, Ohio. (Warner and Swasey also built other observatories and telescopes, including Yerkes Observatory near Chicago , Theodore Jacobsen Observatory in Seattle, Washington , McCormick Observatory in Charlottesville, Virginia , and (of course) the Warner and Swasey Observatory in Cleveland, Ohio .) The building included a lecture room, library, office space, walk-in vault, small bedroom for visiting astronomers, and spacious work rooms and metal fabrication shops. However, Professor Perkins had stipulated that

5925-587: Was noted for pointing out the flyby of the Near-Earth asteroid 1999 KW4 (66391 Moshup) by a local radio station. They recommend viewing it with at least a 8-inch aperture telescope, and that it would be about 3 million miles away from the Earth during its flyby. The asteroid will not return until 2036. Perkins Observatory faces many challenges as it begins the 21st Century. Like many public institutions without government support, Perkins faces funding limitations. Although

6004-690: Was part of the Survey of the Coast—renamed the United States Coast Survey in 1836 and the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1878—in the United States Department of the Treasury . In 1901, in response to a bill proposed by Congressman James H. Southard (R, Ohio), the National Bureau of Standards was founded with the mandate to provide standard weights and measures, and to serve as

6083-619: Was realigned by reducing the number of NIST laboratory units from ten to six. NIST Laboratories include: Extramural programs include: NIST's Boulder laboratories are best known for NIST‑F1 , which houses an atomic clock . NIST‑F1 serves as the source of the nation's official time. From its measurement of the natural resonance frequency of cesium —which defines the second —NIST broadcasts time signals via longwave radio station WWVB near Fort Collins , Colorado, and shortwave radio stations WWV and WWVH , located near Fort Collins and Kekaha, Hawaii , respectively. NIST also operates

6162-510: Was shared between Lowell astronomers and the Ohio State University . The 69-inch (1.8 m) telescope at Perkins was immediately replaced with a 32-inch (810 mm) cassegrain reflector telescope. It was donated by Michael R. Schottland, an entrepreneur from Martinsville, Virginia. At that time it was the largest privately owned telescope in the United States. Currently it is one of the three largest telescopes in Ohio. In 1964, three years after

6241-465: Was that observing sessions be open to the public at least once a month. The radio telescope known as Big Ear was built on Perkins Observatory property and operated from 1963 to 1998. It was famous in part for its work on SETI and the WOW! Signal detected in 1977. This instrument was built and operated by the Ohio State University . OSU had been given a 12.5 inch aperture refractor and observatory in 1895,

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