Storm clouds by H.C. Russell 1895 By the end of the nineteenth
century the Sydney Observatory had embarked on several major
photographic projects. By this period the advances of astronomy
by the aid of photography were numerous: the moon was first
photographed in 1840; in 1850 a star; in 1854 a solar eclipse;
in 1872 the spectrum of a star, in 1880 a nebula; in 1881 a
comet; in 1897 the spectrum of a meteor; and in 1898 a stellar
occultation of the moon. Russell understood the significant role
photography was beginning to play in astronomy and one of his
first photographic projects was to organise the New South Wales
contingent of observers for the 1874 Transit of Venus.
Photography was also integral to the second major international
project Russell was involved in. This was the mapping of the
stars in the southern section of the heavens using photography.
Planning for this began in 1887 and started in 1890 after which
it continued to play a major role in the activities at Sydney
Observatory up until the 1960