Mechanizing the astronomer's vision: On the role of photography in Swedish astronomy, c.1880–1914

Summary

The beginnings of photographic astronomy in Sweden are taken as a case study of the incorporation of a new scientific technology. The introduction of photography during the late nineteenth century profoundly changed the way astronomers worked. Observational material became more mobile; photographic plates could be examined at a later date or transported to another location. Photography was presented in a rhetorical language, making it a truly objective way of observing the sky. The new technology was developed at the leading observatories, and was imported into countries such as Sweden through a network of scientific communication.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Gustav Holmberg

Note on archives: KVA, Royal Academy of Sciences, Stockholm; LUB, Lund University library; UUB, Uppsala University library.