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Reading Nature, Observing Science: Examining Material Practices in the Lick Observatory Archives and Kenneth S. Norris Papers

Glass plate image of Orion Nebula, 1928

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The middle and bottom shelves of case 5 display documents, images, and objects related to the early astrophotographic work of the Lick Observatory. How can we obtain "objective" representations of a galaxy or a nebula? How was Lick astronomers' idea of objective representation negotiated through aesthetic concerns? How is our idea of the reality of the cosmos--then, as now--a matter of aesthetic expectations created by certain standards and conventions of cosmic representation? Click the above link to read more.
Contents of this path:
1. "Astronomical Photography and Some of Its Merits," Charles Perrine, circa 1890s.
2. Andromeda Nebula, photographed by Edward Barnard, 1894.
3. Great Spiral Nebula (M51), photographer unknown (likely James Keeler), 1899. This is a four-hour exposure of the Great Spiral Nebula using the 36" Crossley reflector. Note the loss of detail described by Perrine or "faint nebulosity" described in the letters here; compare with the image of the spiral galaxy from 1914. N.B.: This is now known as the Whirlpool Galaxy. Astronomers did not yet understand the difference between nebulae and galaxies, believing that they were of the same nature. Most thought that all of these distant structures were contained within the Milky Way galaxy itself. The difference was confirmed in the 1920s; the work of one of the Lick's astronomers, Heber Curtis, contributed in part to this development.
8. Letter from Charles Perrine to Photogravure and Color Company, 1907. Perrine and the printers at the Photogravure and Color Company exchanged a series of letters regarding the difficulties of reproducing the glass negatives of nebulae created at the Lick. Printers used chemicals to "etch" the image of the original glass plate into copper plates. The etched portions were then filled with ink to create a print. Details of the original image were often lost in the process.
9. Letter from Photogravure and Color Company to Charles Perrine, 1907. Perrine and the printers at the Photogravure and Color Company exchanged a series of letters regarding the difficulties of reproducing the glass negatives of nebulae created at the Lick. Printers used chemicals to "etch" the image of the original glass plate into copper plates. The etched portions were then filled with ink to create a print. Details of the original image were often lost in the process.