HISTORY
OF THE
OBSERVATORY
HISTORY
|
|
The establishment of this meteor observatory,
located in Alberta some 60 miles north of
Edmonton, was a direct result of informal
discussions held in Cambridge, Massachusetts,
during March of 1946. These discussions dealt
with the future of photographic meteor research
and the fast growing interest in the upper
atmosphere after the termination of the
SecondWorld War. The general feeling in the
scientific communities was that research by photography should be expanded through the
development of improved instruments and the institution of systematic observing programs.
Meteor observation stations, established in both Canada and the U.S. would make possible a large
lattitude spread in a study of the properties of the upper atmosphere. Harvard University in
conjunction with the U.S. Navy would take the major responsibility for camera development,
M.I.T. would study the heights and velocities, and the headquarters for the reduction of meteor
spectra would be in Ottawa.
The decision to locate the site in Newbrook, Alberta was due to the fact that auroral interference is
less in western Canada than in the east, and the Federal Government had some leased land at this
site for magnetic experiments. As well as Newbrook, a sister site was setup at Meanook some 26
miles away.
The Newbrook Observatory began operating in the fall of 1952 with Mr. Art Griffin as the manager
of the observatory. The tests at the Newbrook observatory were in support of the theory that
meteor behavior, such as paths, velocities and heights could determine atmospheric density. This
theory was later disproven due to the unexpected sensitivity of the meteor particles. Canadian
scientists Ian Halliday and Art Griffin discovered that meteor particles combusted too quickly,
leaving too little remains upon which to base calculations.
It is interesting to note that between the years 1897 and 1958 there were only 318 photographs of
meteor spectra, Newbrook and Meanook observatories accounted for 21% of that total.
On October 9th, 1957 at 11:52 p.m. Art Griffin, resident scientist at the Newbrook Observatory,
captured the first photograph of Sputnik on the North American continent. Through most of his eight years as head astronomer at the Newbrook Observatory Art Griffin photographed meteors, but that October night was to become a highlight in his career. Mr. Griffin was asked by the U.S. Air Force to search the sky for the first manmade object to orbit the planet. The basketball sized satellite was the brightest object in the night sky and was clearly visible, even with the unaided eye. Sputnik No.1 had a
lifetime of 92 days, and re-entered the earth's atmosphere and disintegrated on January 4, 1958.
Site design by
Doug Bragg
|
  |
Designed by a |
This page hosted by
Get your own Free Home Page
