This is Volume VIII of the Annals of the Astronomical Observatory of Harvard College. Part I of the Annals contains a historical account of the observatory from October, 1855 to October, 1876. Included are biographical notes on some of the astronomers whose work is detailed, as well as information on the observatory buildings, instruments, and research. Part II of the Annals contains astronomical engravings of the Moon, Planets, and Solar Phenomena.