372 OBSERV 
After a fliort time it gradually declined, and in fixteen 
months totally difappeared. Many curious and alarming 
predictions were the confequence; and Tycho Brahe, 
who obferved it from the beginning, was fo impreffed 
with the phenomenon, that he formed a refolution of 
making a new and accurate catalogue of all the ftars, as 
there had been nothing of the kind regularly performed 
fince the days of Hipparchus, who, it is remarkable, had 
been ilimulated to the undertaking by a Similar caufe, 
that is, by the Sudden appearance and disappearance of a 
new ftar. Tycho Brahe communicated his defign to Se¬ 
veral eminent men, who encouraged the plan. He firft 
propofed to fettle at Bade, which afforded at once a pure 
atmofphere, and a ready communication with the learned 
men of Germany, Italy, and France ; but the landgrave of 
Helfe wrote to Frederic II. king of Denmark, intreating him 
to encourage the aftronomer to remain in his own coun¬ 
try. The king, fully fenfible of the lofs with which he 
was threatened, offered him the Small but fertile illand 
called Huen, or Hwen, in the Sound, as a defirable Situa¬ 
tion for an obfervatory. His majefty conferred on him 
alfo other princely grants and immunities, which were 
accepted. He befides undertook to defray the expends of 
building and furnifhing the obfervatory there, without 
any limitation of expenfe, a munificence which has im¬ 
mortalized his name. The firft ftone of the obfervatory 
was laid the 8th of Auguft, 1576 ; and the place was called 
Uranibourg, or the Heavenly City. It was a building of 
60 feet Square, and 70 feet high, with four towers, all 
contrived for aftronomical purpofes. It was furniftied 
with-a noble cqlleflion of inftruments, many of which 
had been invented and brought to perfection by the aftro- 
nomer himfelf. Many of the inftruments of this great 
aftronomer were long-preferved, but have been gradually 
loft; and his favourite city Uranibourg, which, in his 
time, was vifited by kings and princes, who paid him the 
liigheft honours, has been long a heap of ruins; but is Hill 
vifited by the learned, and regarded with pious veneration. 
It Should have been mentioned, that his celebrated Sex- 
fcant has been confecrated in the heavens as a conftellation, 
tinder the breaft of the lion. On large globes and al- 
lafes it is marked Sextans Urania, but on common ones 
only Sextans. 
The Royal Obfervatory at Paris was built in 1667, 
and is ftated by La Lande to be “ the 1110ft Splendid mo¬ 
nument ever dedicated to aftronotny.” It is 160 Engliftt 
feet in front, and 120 in breadth, and 90 feet high. Its 
vaults are 90 feet deep, fo that it is 180 feet from top to 
bottom. For a particular defcription of the architecture, 
See Blondel; and, for the arrangements and difpofition of 
the inftruments, See Bernouilli's Lettres Aftronomiques, 
alfo La Lande’s Aftronomie, and Monnier’s Hiftoire 
Celefte. 
The following account of other obfervatories at Paris, 
given by La Lande in 1792, is worthy of being inferted 
here, as interefting in the hiftory of practical altronomy. 
“ The aftronomers of the academy had befides Several pri¬ 
vate obfervatories ereCted in different parts of Paris, as 
the royal obfervatory was not Sufficient for all. That of 
M. le Monnier has been., from the year 1742, in the Gar¬ 
den of the Capuchins. That of the Marine, which JoSeph 
de Life ufed in 174S, at the Hotel de Clugny, where I la¬ 
boured during two years, is at prefent occupied by M. 
Meffier. That of La Caille ftill exifts in the Mazarine 
• College. I, as well as M. d’Agelet, have made Several 
observations there Since his death. That of the Palace of 
Luxembourg is above the Port Royal. Jofeph de Lille 
.o.bferyed there, and I likewife occupied it for Some time. 
That of M. Pingre, at the abbey of St. Genevieve, was built 
in 1756. There is one of M. Cagnoli’s, rue de Richlieu, 
which this able aftronomer built at his own expenfe in 
1785, when he ftill redded at Paris. The obfervatory of 
the military School, built for M. Jeaurat in 1768, was oc¬ 
cupied afterwards by M. d'Agelet. The late M. Bcrgeret, 
receiver-general of finances, conftruCled in 1774, at my 
requeft, a large mural quadrant of eight Englifh feet ra- 
A T O E Y. 
dius, the laft and the beft inftrument made by the cele¬ 
brated Bird, the lofs of whofe talents we ftill regret. 
This inftrument was obtained by the military academy, 
as well as an excellent tranfit inftrument, and a parallaftic 
telefcope. M. d’Agelet made a great number of observa¬ 
tions there from 1778 to 1785, when he left it to make a 
voyage round the world with La Peroufe. In 1788, the 
changes made in the military School occafioned the demo¬ 
lition of this obfervatory; but it has been rebuilt, by my 
defire and care, a little more to the weft, with all neceffary 
attention and expenfe ; fo that it is the mod complete ob¬ 
fervatory we have at Paris. Having received the direction 
of it, I began, in 1789, to make the following observa¬ 
tions. Francois La Lande, my' relation and pupil, who is 
a very good aftronomer, has alio made a prodigious num¬ 
ber of observations; and we obferved, in 1791, more than 
ten thoufand northern ftars, with excellent inftruments; 
This work was very much wanted, and I confider it as 
one of the moil important and difficult things that could 
be undertaken for aftronomy. An obfervatory was built 
in 1775, at the Royal College, fortheufe of the profeffor 
of aftronomy of this celebrated School. M. Geoffroy 
d’Affy built, in 1788, an obfervatory at his houfe, rue de 
Paradis; and it will become one of the moft ufeful, by the 
zeal and intelligence of M. de Lambre, who ufes it. It is 
worthy' of notice here, that the famous mural quadrant, 
with which La Lande and his relation determined the po¬ 
sition of a great number of ftars, as above-mentioned, has- 
been confecrated in the heavens as a conftellation, and is 
placed between Hercules, the Serpent, and Bootes. It is 
marked Quadruns muralis, and contains forty ftars. 
Mr. La Lande mentions Several other obfervatories 
which were eftablifhed, at this time, in different parts of 
France ; as at Marfeilles, Touloufe, Lyons, Dijon, Mont¬ 
pellier, Bezieres, Avignon, Strafburg, Bourdeaux, Breft, 
Rouen, and Montauban. 
In Germany, a great number of obfervatories have been 
eftablifhed ; and that country has produced alfo Several 
very able aftronomers. 
At Berlin, Frederic I. king of Pruflia, founded an ob¬ 
fervatory in 1711, under the direftion of Leibnitz, who 
was prefident of the Academy of Sciences there. It is 
a large Square tower, very fteady. Here Grifchow and 
Kies made various observations ; and La Lande alfo ob¬ 
served here about the year 1752, where, he lays, he railed 
enormous pillars, to which he attached the mural qua¬ 
drants, north and South. (Memoires de l’Academie, 
1751 and 1752.) King Frederic II. added a very' fine 
building to it, where the Academy of Sciences of Pruffia 
has held its aflemblies. M. Bode has been many' years 
the aftronomer royal here; and has diftinguilhed himfelf 
both as an accurate oblerver, and as the publifher of the 
moft complete celeftial atlas extant, entitled “ Uranogra- 
phia,” which is accompanied with a well-arranged cata¬ 
logue of the ftars, and ar. interefting hiftory of the con- 
ftellations. 
At Vienna, the emprefs Maria Therefa built an obfer¬ 
vatory in the year 1755 for the univerfity, and furniftied 
it with many Superb inftruments. There is alfo one be¬ 
longing to the academical college, which was built and 
endowed by the Jefuits in 1735, and it is likewife furniftied 
with very fine inftruments, chiefly made by Englilh artifts j 
and a fucceffion of very learned men have obferved there. 
At Gottingen there is an obfervatory, memorable by the 
labours of Tobias Mayer, and by thole more recently of 
Harding, who discovered the planet Juno in 1804. At 
Cartel, an obfervatory was built, in 1714, by Charles I. 
landgrave of Helfe, heir to the territories and tafte of the 
celebrated William, the early friendand lellow-labourerof 
Tycho Brahe. In 1740 an obfervatory was built at Grief- 
fen ; and in 1768 at Ourtlbourg, in Franconia. In 1788 
there was one built at Leipfic, on an old tower of great 
firmnefs. Obfervatories have been likewife erefiled and 
fupported with great credit at Manheim, Cremfmunfter, 
Lambach, Polling, Prague, and Gratz. 
At Bremen, there is an obfervatory belonging to Dr. 
z Olbers^ 
