Lunar photograph taken with the Kew Photoheliograph

Made:
1860-1862 in London
maker:
Warren de la Rue
One of four diapositive photographs in passe partout frame

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One of four diapositive photographs in passe partout frame
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London

One of four diapositive photographs in passe partout frame showing the Moon, originals taken by Warren De La Rue using the Kew photoheliograph.

Photographic glass slide, taken around 1858-1862, shows the half-phase of the Moon at first quarter. The picture taken by Warren De La Rue (1815-1889), a pioneer of astrophotography, was obtained using his 13-inch reflecting telescope at his observatory at Cranford, Middlesex. This was a difficult task, as the then available wet collodion plates were insensitive to light compared to modern films. This required exposures of several minutes through his telescope using a clock-driven equatorial mounting.

Details

Category:
Astronomy
Object Number:
1862-122/2
Materials:
complete, glass and paper (fibre product)
Measurements:
overall: 305 mm x 305 mm x 4 mm, .5kg
type:
photograph, black-and-white transparency and copy print
credit:
Mr Warren De la Rue