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The First Photo of a Star is 175 Years Old
This week marks a significant milestone in the history of astronomy – the capture of the first photograph of a star. Believe it or not, this historic moment occurred 175 years ago on July 17, 1850. Back then, astronomers were still grappling with the idea that there could be other galaxies beyond our own Milky Way.
A team consisting of astronomer William Bond and photographer John Adams Whipple made this groundbreaking discovery. To achieve this feat, they employed a cumbersome yet pioneering technology – daguerreotypes. This ancient technique involved waiting for an extended period to capture the faint light emanating from the star Vega in the constellation Lyra.
The process was laborious and time-consuming, requiring Whipple or his assistant to meticulously polish a silver-plated copper sheet to an extraordinary shine before applying iodine gas without smudging it. The image would only become visible after several minutes of exposure, with the chemical reactions leaving patterns of light and dark on the plate. An additional few minutes were needed to make the picture clear.
On July 17, 1850, Bond and Whipple successfully captured an image of Vega in the sky above Harvard University, marking a turning point in astronomy. This momentous event laid the groundwork for future discoveries, including understanding the distance to other galaxies and the composition of our Sun.
Today, we have access to cutting-edge cameras linked to powerful telescopes that can display breathtaking visuals like individual planets orbiting distant stars, or stars plummeting into black holes within remote galaxies. In contrast, the pioneers in this field had limited resources and relied on daguerreotypes, which produced much lower-resolution images compared to modern technology.
This breakthrough 175 years ago not only opened doors to new areas of research but also empowered women astronomers who were otherwise restricted by the Harvard College Observatory from utilizing its telescopes. The “Harvard Computers” – a group of exceptionally skilled and qualified women astronomers – exploited their data analysis skills to make groundbreaking discoveries, while simultaneously cataloging and analyzing data for male astronomers.
In summary, this remarkable achievement serves as a testament to humanity’s tireless pursuit of knowledge, pushing the boundaries of our understanding of the universe.
Source: www.forbes.com
