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COLLECTION Identifier: UAV 630.21x

Harvard College Observatory computations

Overview

The Harvard College Observatory was founded in 1839. In 1973, the Harvard College Observatory and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (founded in 1890) merged to form the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. The Center is a research institute that carries on studies in astronomy, astrophysics, earth and space sciences, and science education. The computation records, including logbooks, notebooks, and manuscripts, principally document the analysis of stars in Cambridge and Arequipa, Peru by the Harvard College Observatory from 1841 to 1923, under the directorships of William Cranch Bond and his son, George Phillips Bond, Joseph Winlock, Edward C. Pickering, and Harlow Shapley.

Dates

  • Creation: 1841 - 1923

Creator

Researcher Access

Open for research.

Extent

15.75 cubic feet (23 document boxes, 12 flat boxes, 4 portfolio folders)

The computation records in this collection, including logbooks, notebooks, and manuscripts, principally document the analysis of stars in Cambridge and Arequipa, Peru by the Harvard College Observatory from 1841 to 1923, under the directorships of William Cranch Bond, George Phillips Bond, Joseph Winlock, Edward C. Pickering, and Harlow Shapley. The records emphasize the Observatory's stellar photometry activities and its attempts to catalog the magnitude and spectra of millions of stars, such as the Henry Draper Catalogue. The use of Observatory equipment such as meridian photometers, visual refractors, and transit instruments, as well as the methods for recording astronomical observations, are also illustrated.

The records also contain the meeting minutes of the Ascot Mining Company (1863 July 1-1865 March) and the Boston Mining and Smelting Company (1865 July 12-1867 November 29), companies formed to mine copper in Lower Canada during the American Civil War.

Historical note on the Harvard College Observatory

The Harvard College Observatory was founded in 1839. In 1973, the Harvard College Observatory and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (founded in 1890) merged to form the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. The Center is a research institute that carries on studies in astronomy, astrophysics, earth and space sciences, and science education.

Arrangement

The collection is organized into three series:

  1. Transit observations and the records of the Ascot Mining Company and Boston Mining and Smelting Company, 1863-1868, [circa 1915] (UAV 630.214)
  2. Transits, catalogs, chronometers, and miscellaneous reductions of zones, 1841-1885, 1919 (UAV 630.214pf)
  3. Computations, 1870-1923, bulk dates 1888-1911 (UAV 630.215)

Acquisition Information

The Harvard University Archives received the Harvard College Observatory computation records before 1980.

Related Material

Additional Harvard College Observatory materials can be found in the Harvard University Archives under call number UAV 630.xx.

References

  • Bailey, Solon I. The History and Work of Harvard Observatory, 1839 to 1927: An Outline of the Origin, Development, and Researchers of the Astronomical Observatory of Harvard College with Brief Biographies of Its Leading Members. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1931.

Processing Information

This finding aid was created in March-April 2022 by Dominic P. Grandinetti.

Collection title devised by the archivist.

Folder titles and dates supplied by the archivist appear in brackets.

In the folder lists below, symbols for degrees, minutes, and hours have been written out and appear in brackets.

The archivist attempted to retain and preserve the original arrangement and existing relationships of the records in this collection. Processing and arrangement details of each series are noted at the series level.

Alma ID

99155980974103941

Title
Harvard College Observatory computations, 1841-1923: an inventory
Description rules
dacs
Language of description
eng
EAD ID
hua11022

Repository Details

Part of the Harvard University Archives Repository

Holding nearly four centuries of materials, the Harvard University Archives is the principal repository for the institutional records of Harvard University and the personal archives of Harvard faculty, as well as collections related to students, alumni, Harvard-affiliates and other associated topics. The collections document the intellectual, cultural, administrative and social life of Harvard and the influence of the University as it emerged across the globe.

Contact:
Pusey Library
Harvard Yard
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
(617) 495-2461