observations
Brashear Spectrograph
What do you notice?
Why do you think this tool is this way?
What was this tool designed for?
Add notes to your initial observations using the information and images below.
Spectrograph
Take a closer look at a similar spectrograph in the collection at the National Air & Space Museum.
Where is this situated on the image at the top of the page?
What new parts do you now notice?
Based upon observations, what purpose may this tool provide?
studying the universe
Spectrographs, like those featured on this page, are mounted on telescopes. Developed in the late-19th century, this tool improved upon telescopes by spreading a galaxy's light into a spectrum of colors, and then taking a picture of that spectrum and recording the image on a glass plate. These images helped astronomers better understand what celestial bodies are made of and the rate at which the Universe is expanding.
Why is this spectrograph special?
The spectrograph featured on the top of the page is called the Brashear Spectrograph. Created for and mounted on a 36 inch telescope at the Lick Observatory in the late 19th century, this tool enabled the photographing of the spectra of the stars. To learn more about the Brashear's Spectrograph, visit the National Air & Space Museum Exploring the Universe exhibit.
Lick Observatory
This is a picture of Lick Observatory in Mount Hamilton, California; the home of the tool pictured at the top of the page. The site of this observatory is important- the location benefits the work done as the observatory, which has significantly shaped astronomy in the United States during the 20th century. To learn more about Lick Observatory, visit the National Park Service website.
Phoebe Waterman Haas
Phoebe Waterman Haas was one of the first women in the United States to receive a Ph.D. in Astronomy. She received her degree in 1913, and her dissertation was the first to be written by a woman and published at the Lick Observatory. While working at the Lick Observatory she was one of if not the first women to use the 36- inch refractor at Lick. After receiving her degree Phoebe accepted a job at an observatory in Argentina, where she then met and married a businessman and became a mother.
While she left her position at the observatory after she became a mother, she shared her passion for astronomy with her children and also continued to observe the stars and submit data. Phoebe's life demonstrates many different ways to be involved with astronomy- as a student, as a professional, as a mother or informal teacher, and as a community astronomer. Today, the Observatory at the National Air & Space Museum on the National Mall bears Phoebe Waterman Haas' name to honor her legacy. To learn more about her, read Introducing the Phoebe Waterman Haas Public Observatory.