Making Space in the Capital: Scientific Knowledge in Edinburgh's Observatories, c.1811-1898
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Edinburgh
Department Name: College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sci
Abstract
This project examines the role of Edinburgh's nineteenth-century observatories in producing scientific knowledge. The project expands on Bryden's (1990) brief account of astronomy in Edinburgh from 1736-1811 to include the establishment of the Calton Hill Observatory in 1812 and the subsequent Blackford Hill Observatory in 1898.
The project explores the scientific practices and techniques of astronomy pursued within these observatories. It is inspired by Aubin, Bigg, and Sibum's (2010) work on the role of observatories in the construction of knowledge relating to geodesy, map making, time keeping, navigational training, and the social hierarchies associated with the manual labour of mathematical computation. Given the limited literature on observatory science in nineteenth-century Scotland, the project asks which sciences were undertaken in the observatory, how and by whom, and with what consequences.
The thesis foregrounds the role of place and site in the production of scientific knowledge. This is influenced by work in historical geographies of science which argue that science is a geographically situtated phenomenon (Livingstone and Withers 2011). Specifically, the project adopts David Livingstone's (2003) approach of focusing on the locations, movements, and circulation of science to explore how the observatory became the locus for the production of scientific knowledge in a variety of geographical contexts and circumstances.
First, using Gieryn's (2018) argument that places are integral to the formation of truth and fact, I account for how the Calton Hill Observatory acted as the site from which the authority of various scientific pursuits was established. For example, Thomas Henderson's appointment as the first Astronomer Royal for Scotland in 1834 came with the remit of using the observatory to improve and advance knowledge relating to astronomy, geography, navigation, and other disciplines (Bruck 1983, 18).
Second, I examine how the observatory acted as the base from which astronomical field work was conducted abroad. For instance, in 1856 the second Astronomer Royal Charles Piazzi Smyth conducted an expedition to Tenerife to test the atmospheric conditions on the quality of observation, later returning to Edinburgh to compile, reduce, disseminate, and compare his findings with those taken at Calton Hill. While prefaced as a simple astronomical experiment, the expedition involved a range of scientific pursuits such as botany, geology, meteorology, and natural history (Bruck 1983, 27-29).
Lastly, I detail the role of the observatory in the textual production and exchange of scientific knowledge throughout Scotland, drawing on Livingstone's approach to the circulation of scientific knowledge and geographies of reading (Livingstone 2005). To do this, I focus on the instrumental equipment, material resources, and epistemic practices employed in the observatory to examine the discursive relationships between astronomy, geography, and other sciences. For example, the astronomer Agnes Clerke wrote that for astronomers, the printing press was "a potent agent of co-operation" (1893, 7).
The project uses the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh archives and library as its archival base. By grounding this study in this particular archive, I reflexively consider how the archive's history and construction shapes our understanding of the historical geography of astronomy (Daston 2012).
The project explores the scientific practices and techniques of astronomy pursued within these observatories. It is inspired by Aubin, Bigg, and Sibum's (2010) work on the role of observatories in the construction of knowledge relating to geodesy, map making, time keeping, navigational training, and the social hierarchies associated with the manual labour of mathematical computation. Given the limited literature on observatory science in nineteenth-century Scotland, the project asks which sciences were undertaken in the observatory, how and by whom, and with what consequences.
The thesis foregrounds the role of place and site in the production of scientific knowledge. This is influenced by work in historical geographies of science which argue that science is a geographically situtated phenomenon (Livingstone and Withers 2011). Specifically, the project adopts David Livingstone's (2003) approach of focusing on the locations, movements, and circulation of science to explore how the observatory became the locus for the production of scientific knowledge in a variety of geographical contexts and circumstances.
First, using Gieryn's (2018) argument that places are integral to the formation of truth and fact, I account for how the Calton Hill Observatory acted as the site from which the authority of various scientific pursuits was established. For example, Thomas Henderson's appointment as the first Astronomer Royal for Scotland in 1834 came with the remit of using the observatory to improve and advance knowledge relating to astronomy, geography, navigation, and other disciplines (Bruck 1983, 18).
Second, I examine how the observatory acted as the base from which astronomical field work was conducted abroad. For instance, in 1856 the second Astronomer Royal Charles Piazzi Smyth conducted an expedition to Tenerife to test the atmospheric conditions on the quality of observation, later returning to Edinburgh to compile, reduce, disseminate, and compare his findings with those taken at Calton Hill. While prefaced as a simple astronomical experiment, the expedition involved a range of scientific pursuits such as botany, geology, meteorology, and natural history (Bruck 1983, 27-29).
Lastly, I detail the role of the observatory in the textual production and exchange of scientific knowledge throughout Scotland, drawing on Livingstone's approach to the circulation of scientific knowledge and geographies of reading (Livingstone 2005). To do this, I focus on the instrumental equipment, material resources, and epistemic practices employed in the observatory to examine the discursive relationships between astronomy, geography, and other sciences. For example, the astronomer Agnes Clerke wrote that for astronomers, the printing press was "a potent agent of co-operation" (1893, 7).
The project uses the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh archives and library as its archival base. By grounding this study in this particular archive, I reflexively consider how the archive's history and construction shapes our understanding of the historical geography of astronomy (Daston 2012).
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Fraser MacDonald (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Samuel Di Risio (Student) |