The Lick Observatory: First Glimpses of Galaxies

Recently, a series of “best of” images for the Hubble were circling on the Internet.  One of the finalists (not sure who the judges were, but it is a nice choice) is of the Sombrero galaxy in a very nice side on view. 

Image credit: NASA/Hubble Heritage Team

It reminds me of one of I think the most astonishing items under the heading “History of Science.”  That is that in spite of the commissioning of the first modern-era reflecting telescopes on Mt. Hamilton, known as the Lick Observatory (does anyone know anything about Lick?), which from 1890 to 1928 created readily accessible images of what are now known as galaxies, no one realized that these images represented collections of stars, and they were referred to as nebulae.  At this point, I’m actually in search of whom to credit with the transition, should anyone out there know.  From my book-collecting days, I have some of the Publications of the Lick Observatory from 1893, 1908, and 1913 and similar publications for the Crossley Reflector in England, commissioned around 1891.  It is amazing to me, in the time of what we consider some of the greatest scientists, including Einstein, this went unrecognized for so long.  It is one of the things that I find most fascinating about the older books. 

Below are some of the images from this collection.  I included the galaxy that is considered most like ours: Andromeda.  In fact, I included three images, taken in 1893, 1899, and 1908 (or at least published in – more study needed).  In this period, there are many items limiting this process.  The telescope is the first factor, and in some ways the least limiting.  Photography is advancing at that point, but exposure times onto glass plate negatives are prohibitive.  Finally, the printing from the negatives to the publication is probably the most limiting.  Scanning these also adds to the process. 

Andromeda galaxy image, 1893

Andromeda galaxy image, 1899

 
Andromeda galaxy image, 1908

For this note, I’ve included the Owl nebula and the Dumb-Bell nebula, as these are true nebula that have held these common names through the years and are likely to appear again as the latest Hubble images emerge. 

 
Owl nebula image, 1908

The publications of the Lick Observatory in this period are now online (Google “Publications of the Lick Observatory”). I see that a few are on the market, for over 10 times what I paid, back when.  I’ll return with more on this topic, but, in the interim – check it out.

Comments

[Dennis L. Isham]

I have older Lick Observatory Publications and one given to D.O.Mills daughter signed by the then director William Wallace Campbell. Photos of galaxies are stunningly beautiful. Also have a faded photo of the lick observatory under construction with the 12 inch dome complete but the 36 inch is only a circle in the ground ready for the foundation to be laid. The shadow of the photographers can be seen.

dennyzipzip@att.net