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3 unusual facts about McCormick Observatory


McCormick Observatory

In Chicago Cyrus, Leander and their brother William founded what became the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company and eventually International Harvester.

The dome, at 45 feet, was the largest in the world when completed; it was designed by Warner and Swasey with a unique three shutter design.

In 1877 while the McCormick Refractor was still in Cambridgeport, Alvan Clark used it to verify the discovery of the moons of Mars the night after the discovery observations were made by Asaph Hall with the Naval Observatory refractor.


Dirk Reuyl

In 1944 he left McCormick Observatory and became head of the Photographic Division at the Ballistic Research Laboratory of the U.S. Army Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Maryland.


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