100 DeSellum Ave, Gaithersburg, Maryland. County/parish: Montgomery.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places July 12, 1985. NRIS 85001578.
1 contributing building. 1 contributing structure. 5 contributing objects.
The Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory is a historic astronomical observatory on DeSellum Avenue in Gaithersburg, Maryland. It was established in 1899 as part of a system of six International Latitude Observatories to precisely measure the wobble of the Earth's rotating axis. The observatory building and adjacent monuments were designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989 as a testament to international scientific cooperation. The observatory was taken out of service in 1982 after automation eliminated the need for human observations; the property is now owned by the city.
(read more...)National Park Service documentation: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/106775964