Treasures From The Archive: Photographs And Logbooks From Lick Observatory

Photography Gallery

Opening Events:  Saturday, September 22
* Gallery Talks – 2:00 pm
* Reception – 3:00 – 5:00 pm

Exhibit dates:  September 22 – December 30

[Pictured: Measurements of features on Mars, made by Robert Trumpler at Lick Observatory, ca 1925.]

Curated by Tony Misch, Lick Observatory Director of Collections

Lick Observatory began operation in 1888, just as the game-changing transformation from classical astronomy to the new science of astrophysics was gaining momentum. Lick astronomers were among the pioneers of this “new astronomy,” while at the same time the centuries-old practice of drawing at the eyepiece persisted, especially in the observation of planets.

This exhibition includes early glass-plate photographs of the Moon, comets, and the Milky Way, logbooks filled with observers’ drawings, and examples of the instruments of the time. These artifacts are both records of a seminal time in the history of astronomy and objects of intrinsic beauty and interest.

As the first great West Coast observatory and the first to be permanently located on a mountaintop in the world, Lick continues today as an active research facility. Located on the summit of Mount Hamilton east of San Jose, California, it is operated by the University of California Observatories.