Makerstoun Observatory

Makerstoun Observatory was a pioneering magnetic and meteorological observatory in the Scottish Borders, founded in 1842 and financed by General Sir Thomas MacDougall Brisbane. For over a decade it was the only magnetic observatory in Scotland.

About Makerstoun Observatory

The observatory was built on the hereditary estate of Brisbane's wife in the Scottish Borders. It was equipped with a declinometer and vertical and horizontal force magnetometers to track the Earth's magnetic field, alongside meteorological instruments for weather observation.

History

Makerstoun was founded in 1842, financed by General Sir Thomas MacDougall Brisbane, a former Napoleonic Wars soldier and ex-Governor of New South Wales. Its scientific staff included John Allan Broun, who later worked at the Trevandrum observatory in India, and John Welsh, who went on to become superintendent at Kew. Observation frequency changed over the years - readings were taken every two hours from 1841 to 1843, hourly in 1844–45, five times daily from 1847–49, and twice daily from 1850–55 - before operations ceased in 1855.

Location & getting there

The observatory stood in the Scottish Borders, in the United Kingdom, in a rural setting well away from the magnetic interference of large towns - an important consideration for its sensitive instruments.

Visiting Makerstoun Observatory

Makerstoun Observatory ceased operations in 1855 and no longer functions as an active site, so there's no current public visiting programme to check.

See your named star from here

Makerstoun's precise, methodical measurements of the Earth's magnetic field are a reminder of how seriously 19th-century scientists took exact coordinates - much like the fixed coordinates behind a star you name with Star Register today. See how it's recorded in the catalogue.