Harvard College Observatory

Harvard College Observatory is an astronomical research institution founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1839. Its work helped establish astrophotography and stellar classification as tools of modern astronomy.

William Cranch Bond: An American astronomer who became the first director of Harvard College Observatory in 1839. Bond founded the observatory and built its early observing program.
Astrophotography: The use of photographic or digital imaging methods to record astronomical objects. The observatory built its research program around durable photographic records of the sky.
Harvard University: A private research university founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1636. The observatory was established as Harvard’s dedicated institution for astronomical observation.
Cepheid variable: A pulsating star whose period of brightness variation is related to its intrinsic luminosity. Leavitt’s Harvard measurements revealed the period–luminosity relation used to estimate cosmic distances.
Horsehead Nebula: A dark nebula in Orion whose silhouette is visible against a bright background of glowing gas. Fleming discovered it on a photographic plate at the observatory in 1888.
Edward Charles Pickering: An American astronomer who directed Harvard College Observatory from 1877 to 1919. Pickering expanded its photographic surveys and hired women as astronomical computers.
Harvard Computers: A group of women hired at Harvard College Observatory to measure and classify astronomical data. They converted plate images and spectra into catalogs, classifications, and measurements.
Great Refractor: A large refracting telescope installed at Harvard College Observatory in 1847. This telescope extended the young observatory’s reach and became a landmark instrument.
Harlow Shapley: An American astronomer who used globular clusters to estimate the size and structure of the Milky Way. His Harvard work placed the Sun away from the center of the Galaxy.
Nova Persei 1901: A bright nova in the constellation Perseus discovered in 1901. Harvard observations documented its changing brightness and expanding nebular shell.

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