‘Stars should henceforth register themselves’: astrophotography at the early Lick Observatory

Abstract

According to articles and books published at the end of the nineteenth century, the introduction of photography to astronomy was one of the most notable events in the discipline in a period chock full of important inventions and amazing discoveries. Edward Holden, director of the Lick Observatory in California, between 1887 and 1898, was rapturous about the promise of photography: it would simplify astronomical observation, increase the reliability of data and produce permanent records of the heavens untainted by distraction, ill discipline or bias. This would happen, he argued, because of the mechanical virtues of the camera:It does not tire, as the eye does, and refuse to pay attention for more than a small fraction of a section, but it will faithfully record every ray of light that falls upon it even for hours and finally it will produce its automatic register [ctdot ] [that] can be measured, if necessary, again and again. The permanence of the records is of the greatest importance, and so far as we know it is complete [ctdot ] We can hand down to our successors a picture of the sky, locked in a box.

The Next Generation Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration: History, Philosophy, and Culture

“…Their creation and interpretation rely on pre-existing visual traditions that establish the norms, expectations, and methods by which a scientific image is given meaning. The AIV focus group will draw on the extensive scholarship on imaging in astronomy and physics to reflect on such image-making choices and decisions by the ngEHT, as well as how the results are received and understood both within the scientific community and beyond [21,45,[47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63].…”

Paris vs. Prague: A “Suspicion of Fraud”: Ernst Mach Argues over Photographs and Epistemological Prerequisites

“…6; Canales 2009, 121–28). Both examples show that photographs were not at all beyond doubt, not (solely) because the mechanical process of reproduction sometimes required human intervention (for astronomy see Pang 1997), but because the products sometimes did not seem to be helpful with regard to their intended task.…”

“Pretty Pictures”: The Use of False Color in Images of Deep Space

“…10 In his article, 'Stars Should Henceforth Register Themselves': Astrophotography at the Early Lick Observatory, Alex Pang describes how astronomers and engravers in California negotiated and regulated the role of "artisanal skill" in the reproduction of astronomical images between 1887-1894. 11 Few robust studies have analyzed the creation and public circulation of astronomical imagery, and I use Pang's thoughtful analysis to begin to sketch out a rudimentary genealogy of how this discourse has taken shape. Then, as now, the creation of the images involved multiple acts of mechanical translation between the media of telescopy, photography, and lithography to achieve an aesthetic of neutrality.…”