While Dr. Tappan was traveling in Europe, he stopped to take a look at all the observatories around. At the time, Europeans were excelling in astronomy, while the Americans lagged behind. In order to get the best instruments for the best possible observatory, Tappan felt it necessary to go to Europe. While he was there, he took a liking to Professor Encke of the Royal Observatory of Berlin and his assistant Dr. Brunnow. Both of these men were big names in the astronomical community, and Tappan acquired their assistance in selecting the best instruments for the Detroit Observatory. When deciding on an individual to run the observatory, Dr. Tappan could not think of anyone better than the two men who oversaw the creation of most of the instruments inside of it. With Professor Encke holding his own position in Berlin, Dr. Tappan recommended Dr. Brunnow to be the first director of the Detroit Observatory and Dr. Brunnow was unanimously elected for that position.
