"In October, 1865, occurred what was, in my eyes, the greatest event in the history of the observatory. The new transit circle arrived from Berlin in its boxes"

Simon Newcomb was an astronomer and mathematician who operated at the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. In October 1865, he experienced what he thought about to be the greatest occasion in the history of the observatory: the arrival of a new transit circle from Berlin. A transit circle is a huge instrument utilized to measure the positions of stars and other celestial bodies. It includes a telescope installed on a large circle, which is divided into degrees and minutes. The new transit circle was a significant upgrade for the observatory, as it was more exact and precise than the previous instrument. It was likewise a sign of the development made in the field of astronomy because the observatory was founded in 1830. The new transit circle gave fantastic enjoyment for Newcomb and the other astronomers at the observatory, and it marked a brand-new era of huge research and discovery.