It was built as an offshoot of the Lick Observatory to observe stars in the southern hemisphere, and, under the direction of the American astronomer W. W. Campbell, was used in an extensive project to determine the apex of the Sun's motion through space.

After setting up the telescope and the observation dome, the instrument quality was found to be satisfactory and operations began late in 1903.

With added funding, operations continued at the observatory until 1928, when it was purchased by Chilean lawyer Manuel Foster Recabarren for the Universidad Católica de Chile and transferred to their control.

[2] This task was facilitated by the newly installed Mills spectrograph, which was attached to the 91 cm (36 in) telescope at the Lick Observatory.

[3] This instrument was specifically designed for photographing stellar spectra, and was made possible by a grant from the banker Darius O.

[7] The director of the Lick observatory, James Edward Keeler, died on August 12, 1900,[8] and Campbell was named to succeed him as of January 1, 1901.

[8] In sum, an amount of $26,075 would be provided, to cover the cost of instruments, building construction, salaries, travel expenses, and supplies for this two year expedition.

The plan was for the completed observatory to be a much less costly duplicate of the spectroscopic capabilities of the instruments used for the northern survey.

He finally settled on placing it in the vicinity of the Chilean capital of Santiago, so that supplies and living quarters would be readily available.

[11] The Lick observatory had a spare 92 cm (36.25 in) silvered parabolic glass mirror in its possession, but the shape was imperfect.

After deciding on a Cassegrain-style reflecting telescope, during the spring of 1901 the mirror was shipped to the John A. Brashear Company in Allegheny for refiguring.

The mount was constructed by the Fulton Engine Works in Los Angeles, and it arrived at the observatory in December 1901.

A rotating steel dome for the observatory was constructed by Warner and Swasey Company, and the spectroscope and other optics by Brashear.

The finished mirrors arrived in February 1903, and, as a result, the expedition reached Chile in April at the start of the southern rainy season.

After a month-long delay due to a riotous strike in the port, the gear was unloaded and then transported 193 kilometres (120 miles) to Santiago by rail.

[13] After a search for a suitable site for the observatory, the middle rise of the Cerro San Cristóbal was settled upon as the best location for meeting Campbell's general requirements.

[14] This placed it above the dust and haze of the urban area, and free of the frequent fogs that occurred in the valley.

Late in May the strike ended in Valparaíso, which allowed the observatory equipment to be shipped and construction begun.

[12] The dome consisted of a steel framework sheathed in wood and covered in heavy painted canvas, which did not prove watertight.

The nature of the silvered mirror precluded its use on clear damp nights, which occurred frequently during the rainy season.

To head up this new observation period, acting astronomer Heber D. Curtis set sail from San Francisco on December 30, 1905.

Two new spectrograms were built for studying fainter stars, a refrigeration unit was provided for keeping the dome artificially chilled in the evening, and an apparatus was assembled for rapidly silvering the mirror.

[23] Wilson was assisted by math instructor Arthur A. Scott from the Instituto Ingles in Santiago,[26] beginning in 1913[27] until he resigned June, 1917, then by Charles M.

[34][33] The observatory was purchased by the Chilean lawyer Manuel Foster Recabarren, who then donated it to the Universidad Católica de Chile in 1928.

During the 1940s,[34] it was used by the German astronomer Erich P. Heilmeier for the spectroscopic study of Beta Cephei and other variable stars.