Playing is Learning
The Lee Observatory at AUB
October 11th, 2016
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Welcome to the World of PROFESsee™by seeCOSM™ PROFESsee™ is my title. I am the perpetual learner, in pursuit of knowledge, wisdom and truth. I derived my name from professor |
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On hearing the Lee Observatory (initially Lee AstroPhysical Observatory), one could be forgiven to think the name “Lee” will be a professor. I can hear you slowly mutter the words: “Professor Lee”. Alas, Mr. Henry Lee isn’t even into academics or astronomy – he was a wealthy businessman. That said, his contribution – financially (150 pounds) – was significant towards the observatory's construction in 1866. If there ever was a name more deserving being attached to the observatory, then it would be that of Dr. Cornelius Van Dyck. He not only was a pioneer of the observatory, he was a pioneer for the university when its name was Syrian Protestant College. He participated in all phases of the observatory’s construction – site choice, soliciting for funds and buying equipment from his own funds. Such was his passion. Ironically, Dr. Dyck was not a trained astronomer; he was a trained medical doctor who was also a Christian. It was these two things combined – medical doctor plus Christianity – that brought him to Beirut as a medical missionary in the first place. Astronomy was merely a hobby that eventually turned into a passion and a job he sacrificially gave into. In addition to these, he worked on translating the bible into Arabic. I digress, only to emphasize the man's incline as a Jack of many trades and master of all. After Dr. Dyck’s resignation 33 years after the onset of the observatory, Robert H. West succeeded him. West immediately made his mark, by having the observatory rebuilt in 1891. This was also paid for by another donation, this time upwards of “$1500”. West also ensured that the new observatory wasn’t empty by making sure it had new equipment with funds from different sources. Over time, the observatory rendered different services for different groups – science, religious and astronomical. One of the many services included using the observatory’s telescope to record the “birth” of the moon. Dar-al-Fatwa used this service to predict the start of the Muslim’s holy month of Ramadan. Sadly, the observatory has been in survival mode since the early 1940’s where director after director struggled to inject life into the observatory. That struggle for survival has culminated in its closure as an observatory. It now only used for academic purposes. Although there are fresh attempts to revamp the observatory, it still beggars belief how such an edifice was left to rot. Perhaps the cliché “Good things don’t last forever” is true to the maxim here. Can you Search and find the answers about the Lee Observatory? Image courtesy of: http://oldbeirut.com/post/8953681227/aub-lee-observatory-1894 |
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