Cincinnati observatory to learn how it became the first public observatory in the western hemisphere. John this is the Cincinnati Observatory Center, situated in the city of cincinnati, approximately six miles east of downtown cincinnati. We call ourselves the birthplace of american astronomy. The founder of the observatory, ormsby mcknight mitchell, was essentially what we call the call sagan of the day. He was the popularizer of astronomy at that particular period. The first observatory of significance in the country and definitely the first public observatory at that time. He was a west point graduate and he was teaching at the Cincinnati College and in 1842 there was a group in town, the society for the promotion of useful knowledge. They offered to mitchell an opportunity to lecture the citizens. He started his lecture in this lecture hall, overflowed that, so they moved it to a chapel that seated 1200 people and does they ended the lecture, they said, why couldnt we, the citizens