Archives and Special Collections Subject Guide: Astronomy

Nikula Shahin (1897-1984) alumnus who occupied several positions at AUB as instructor of Arabic and Physics, 1918-1919 then 1945 to 1966. Shahin also served as the Assistant to the Director of the Lee Observatory later known as the Lee-Shahin Observatory. This small collection compromises Nikula’s biographical information, interviews, articles and publications by or compiled by him with four photos. It is an invaluable source for meteorologists, scholars interested in climate change, rainfall and geographic studies. (Meteorology, Seismology, Lee Observatory)
See Nikula Shahin Weather Station

Established in 1874, the Lee Observatory was founded under the supervision of Dr. Cornelius Van Dyck, and later reconstructed in 1894 under the supervision of Dr. Robert West. This collection includes historical and administrative information about the AUB Observatory, one of the oldest observatories in the region. The collection also includes logs and registries of meteorological data and astronomical observations; as well as a few publications based on research conducted at the Observatory and the University. (AUB History, History of Science, Astronomy, Education, Environment)

American Professor and scholar of Mathematics, Edward Stewart Kennedy, (1912-2009) dedicated his work to studying the works of former mathematicians and Astronomers taking a special interest in Astronomers in the medieval Islamic world (i.e., al- Bīrūnī, al-Kashī). This collection includes Dr. Kennedy’s research notes, manuscript translations, and correspondence on the history of astronomy and mathematics in the Islamic World. (Mathematics, Astronomy, Islamic World)