In 1950, President Harry S Truman signed the National Science Foundation into existence. With new resources for scientific research came questions about their equitable distribution and use. One of the topics astronomers fiercely debated in the mid-1950s was the building of federally funded national observatories. By 1957, the situation was resolved and NSF established two new national observatory systems, one for optical astronomy and one for radio astronomy. For many years after the creation of a national center for optical astronomy, however, dissension and disagreement persisted about the proper mission and dominance of the national observatory.

Since the mid-19th century, American astronomers have enjoyed privileged access to the world’s biggest telescopes. From Harvard University’s 15-inch Great Refractor, dedicated in 1847, to the 200-inch telescope on Mount Palomar, inaugurated in 1948, and continuing to this day, the landscape of American astronomy has been shaped by generous philanthropic and university funding that...

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