POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Photographs of The Milky-Way taken at Sydney Observatory by Henry Chamberlain Russell

Object No. 96/6/1

During his term as Government Astronomer H.C. Russell worked on two internationally significant photographic projects. The first was the organisation of photography for the New South Wales section of the 1874 Transit of Venus. The second was the mapping of the stars in the southern section of the heavens using photography. Planning for this began in 1887 and started in 1890 after which it continued to play a major role in the activities at Sydney Observatory up until the 1960s. The success of this project depended upon a special kind of photographic telescope which was officially known as an 'astrograph' but which Russell often referred to as the 'Star Camera'. The casing and mounts for the 'Star Camera' were made in New South Wales and all the smaller parts and the putting together of the instrument were done by Mr. W. I. Masters, the instrument maker at The Sydney Observatory. However there were still some aspects of instrument making which were beyond the skills of Australian manufacturers. One of these was the making of high quality lenses and in 1887 Russell recommended the purchase of a photographic objective from the workshops of Sir Howard Grubb in Ireland. The making of a lens was no simple matter and with other observatory's also requesting lenses Sydney Observatory did not receive theirs until 1890, some time after the casing and fittings for the 'Star Camera' had been completed. While Russell was waiting on the arrival of the Grubb lens he placed a six inch portrait lens made by J.H. Dallmeyer on the mounting for the 'Star Camera". Using Ilford photographic plates he took what were probably the first photographs of the stars in Australia. Once photographed Russell made copies from the negatives and had them bound into this book. There is no indication of a printer or publisher inside the book and this suggests it was probably made in a very limited run by Russell to promote these photographs which Russell, " believed to be the first of their kind of the Southern Skies." This particular copy of the book was presented to the New South Wales Branch of the British Astronomical Association by H. Wright on 25 September 1923. These photographic plates are of scientific significance both for their international role in the 'Mapping the Stars' project and their being one of the earliest scientific photographs of the southern stars. They are also of immense significance due to their relationship to Australia's early scientific history, its scientists and the instruments used to create the photographs. Geoffrey Barker, Assistant Curator, January 2008 References Airy, G. B, Account of the Observation of the Transit of Venus, 1874, December 8, Made Under the Authority of the British Government and of the reduction of the Observations, Her Majesty's Stationary Office, 1881 Bhathal, R., Australian Astronomer; John Tebbutt, Kangaroo Press, Kenthurst, NSW, 1993 De-Clerq, P.R., Nineteenth Century Instruments and their Makers; Rodopi, Amsterdam, 1985 Forwarded to H. M. Secretary of State by Despatch, No. 141, 1847, Federation and Meteorology, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/fam/1541.html Haynes, Raymond, Haynes, Roslynn, Malin, David, McGee, Richard, Explorers of the Southern Sky, Cambridge University Press, 1996 Hünsch, Matthias, Hamburg Observatory - Overview: Buildings & Telescope, http://www.hs.uni-hamburg.de/EN/Oef/Stw/aequator/aequator.html Nangle, J., 'The Sydney Observatory; its history and work, Sydney Technical College, 1930 Russell, H.C., Photographs of The Milky-Way & Nubeculae taken at Sydney Observatory, 1890, publisher unknown, 1890-1900 Scott, W., Astronomical Observations made at the Sydney Observatory in the Year 1860, Thomas Richard, Government Printer, Sydney, 1861 Todd, David, P., Stars and Telescopes, Sampson Low, Marston, and Co., 1900