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The Lund Observatory Milky Way panorama and all-sky images in the history of modern astronomy

Holmberg, Gustav LU (2009) The British Society for the History of Science yearly conference, 2-5 July 2009.
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author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to conference
publication status
unpublished
subject
keywords
galactic astronomy, Public understanding of science, science in the media
conference name
The British Society for the History of Science yearly conference, 2-5 July 2009.
conference dates
2009-07-02
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Conference abstract for the British Society for the History of Science yearly conference, 2-5 July 2009. Abstract: The Lund Observatory Milky Way panorama and all-sky images in the history of modern astronomy All-sky pictures have often entailed manipulated image technologies rather than mechanical objectivity, and have been used both in astronomical science and in popular astronomy. In this paper, several 20th century astronomical practices of representing the whole sky are discussed, particularly the Lund observatory panorama of the Milky Way (1955). Produced by an artist working for two years under the direction of professor Knut Lundmark, it was a mixture of astronomical photography, photometric measurements and artistic creativity; Lundmark simultaneously aimed for scientific correctness and aesthetic value. Produced just at the dawn of the space age with a growing interest in astronomy in publishing and the media, the image became widely used in popular astronomy, academic textbooks, television programmes, museum exhibits &c. Based on archival material at the Lund observatory, it is possible to follow the media history of this picture through several decades and discuss the role of images in post-war astronomical culture.
id
493071f4-62f6-477b-9d1f-1a13f8e47676 (old id 1367352)
alternative location
http://www.bshs.org.uk/conferences/annual-conference/2009-leicester
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 13:33:01
date last changed
2018-11-21 21:14:44
@misc{493071f4-62f6-477b-9d1f-1a13f8e47676,
  author       = {{Holmberg, Gustav}},
  keywords     = {{galactic astronomy; Public understanding of science; science in the media}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  title        = {{The Lund Observatory Milky Way panorama and all-sky images in the history of modern astronomy}},
  url          = {{http://www.bshs.org.uk/conferences/annual-conference/2009-leicester}},
  year         = {{2009}},
}