@harvardplatestacks
The largest collection of glass plate negatives of the night sky, preserving a century of history of the Universe that was created, studied and curated by pioneering women in science since 1880. Apart of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Sometimes it is just one of those days
The 1934 jacket for A16868 looks like a prop from Mr. Bean. You can see the splatters of ink and the failed attempt to clean up the mess.
#historyofastronomy #womeninstem #historyofphotography #harvard #astronomy #astrophotography
Curious to see it for yourself? 📖✨ Email us to schedule a visit and explore our collection!
#WorldBookDay #BlinkedMyselfAwake #BiekeDepoorter #Astrophotography #GlassPlates #LowellObservatory #Stargazing #PhotographyBook #HistoricalAstronomy
Alongside these striking images, the book includes historical texts—featuring a glimpse into our own history—plus Depoorter’s personal reflections on childhood memories lost to trauma.
It's World Book Day!
Our latest addition to the collection: "Blinked Myself Awake" by Bieke Depoorter, published by Hannibal & Co. This beautifully crafted book brings together Depoorter’s photographs of stargazers, historical glass plate negatives, and even a familiar face from Lowell Observatory.
We are honored to share the names of those known:
Basatos, John Sillo, and family
Ishmael Malepa and Sefora Malepa
July Yabo and Cousin
And we continue to research to name those once known.
#BlackHistoryMonth #Astronomy #AfricanExcellence #BoydenObservatory #STEM #BlackHistory #blackexcellence
Though their contributions have often been overlooked, their efforts remain vital to the legacy of both the Boyden Observatory and the field of astronomy. This month, we remember their legacy and acknowledge their vital place in scientific history.
Their labor and expertise helped lay the foundation for groundbreaking astronomical discoveries. At the time of construction and Harvard’s involvement, South Africa was under the colonialist British Empire that later would be governed by the horrific settler-colonial apartheid South African state.
When the Boyden Observatory was established in the 1920s, Black South Africans played a critical role in its construction and operations. These unsung heroes were integral in building the infrastructure that would support decades of scientific research, advancing our understanding of the night sky.
This #BlackHistoryMonth, we celebrate the incredible contributions of Black South Africans to the development of the Boyden Observatory, one of the most important astronomical research facilities in South Africa.
The Star that is Cynthia Erivo accepted the Woman of the Year award from the Hasty Pudding @harvard.edu
The Harvard Plate Stacks has been #holdingspace for Women in STEM since 1879!
Cynthia—next time you're in town (maybe with @thebostonpops.bsky.social ?) let’s give you a star-studded tour!
#Earthquake !
#Boston just felt a 3.9 magnitude quake! Luckily, the Plate Stacks are safe—built in 1931 with seismic isolation. Fun fact: we’ve been documenting quakes for over a century, like this plate from an Arequipa, Peru #quake on this day in 1903.
#Seismology #BostonEarthquake2025
Seems like y’all like doodle in our #archives so let us introduce Henry! They are a drawing found on the inside of a cabinet in the Plate Stacks. This memorial to a hot water bottle is perfect for this cozy season.
#wintervibes #hotwaterbottle #archives #henry
The true stars of our collection are the over 146 women astronomical computers that work in our collection from the 1880s to the 1950s! Learn more about them on our website PlateStacks.CfA.harvard.edu or explore our new database StarGlass.CfA.Harvard.edu
#womeninstem #harvard
#womenshistory
We cannot open a new social media account without sharing one of our favorite doodles. Someone over the past century drew this cat over three stars on Plate A00557, dated April 26, 1896.
#cats #historyofscience #astrophotography #librarycats #catsinhistory #spacecats
Negative Moonage.
It's different, it's unusual, I like it. :)
#Moon #astronomy #KathandKim
✨ Opening Jan. 11! ✨ Explore StarData II and more by Smithsonian Artist Research Fellow Victoria Burge, inspired by Réseau plates and astronomical imagery.
📍 @krakowwitkin.bsky.social , Jan. 11–Feb. 15.
📸 Courtesy Burge & @krakowwitkin.bsky.social
#VictoriaBurge #ArtExhibition #AstronomyInspired
Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate the Festival of Lights. This detail of plate MC09802 shows #M45 through a grating filter which takes single pin point of light and splits it.
Annotated by Evelyn F. Leland.
#happyhanukkah #womeninstem #historyofastronomy #pleiades #astrophotography
Happy Holidays from the Harvard Plate Stacks! Even to those on the naughty list. In the southern sky there is a dark #nebula called the #coalsacknebula as seen on plates AX01084 from 1925 and AM03487 from 1905.
#womeninstem #astrophotography #southernsky #naughtylist
If you are “look to the Western sky” this weekend you might spot the horsehead nebula, which is cloaked in shadow as a dark nebula! Here is plate B02312 which Williamina Fleming discovered the nebula in 1888. Here in Boston you might call her a #wicked cool woman in history
#astrophotography
We might not have blue skies in our collection, but our skies are always filled with stars!
