Mr. Percival
Astronomy honors
21 Feb. 2010
Henry Draper
Henry Draper was born in March 7th, 1837 in Prince Edward County in Virginia to a privileged home. A son of English parents, Draper had a very educated home life while growing up. Draper’s dad, John William Draper was a successful doctor, chemist, and a professor at New York University. He was particularly interested in the chemical effects of light, and was known for taking the first daguerreotypes of the moon in the winter of 1839-1840, and human portraits in 1840. William also invented photochemistry, and invented other photographic techniques. Draper’s Mom was named: Antonia Coetana de Pavia Pereira Gardner who came from a prominent family, with a Dad who was the personal physician to the emperor of Brazil. Draper’s older brother was a noted physician and chemist, and his younger brother who distinguished himself in meteorology. Around the year 1850,William started to involve his son with his research. When Henry was about 13 he helped his Dad in photographing microscope slides for a textbook. Henry studied at medical school until 1857. Unfortunately, he was only 20 and could not receive a degree before he turned the age of 21. Draper decided to spend a year abroad until he came of age. Draper’s travels focused mostly on astronomy, especially to the Lord Rosse’s observatory in Ireland. At that time it held the largest telescope, about 72-inhes with a “Leviathan” reflection. When Draper returned to his hometown, he was determined to pursue his goals of photography and astronomical interests. He even built an observatory at Hastings-on-Hudson estate with his own glass mirror telescope. These activities did not prevent Draper from fulfilling his other interests that he went to the university to accomplish. He was physician at Bellevue Hospital in 1859. Then in 1866 as a professor, he becomes the dean of the medical faculty of the University of the City of New York.
His historic astronomical research career really took off in the year 1873. Before that time he was making preliminary studies of the spectra of the more common elements, and spent time photographing the solar system. In the year 1864 to 1865 took photos of the Moon using a 40 cm reflector, which he built himself. In 1867 he married Anna Mary Palmer, a wealthy socialite. He begins the design and building of his remarkable telescopes. He took the first stellar spectrum in 1872 that showed absorption lines, and directed an expedition to photograph the 1874 transit of Venus,
After 1873 he produced a spectrograph, which he clarified with spectral lines by using a slit and incorporating a reference spectra to make the elements identifiable. Draper researched the spectroscopic studies of Lockyer and Huggins stimulated his work. He did a lot of pioneering work in astrophotography and photographing of the Moon, planets, comets, stars and nebulae as well as over 100 spectra of these objects. Among his photos was the first-ever photograph of a nebula, the Orion Nebula, in September 30, 1880 using his 11-inch Clark Brothers photographic refractor he took a 50-minute exposure. In March 14th, 1882 a much improved, 137-minute exposure of that nebula was developed and publicized by Draper. He continued his astronomical interests until the last years of his life that he spent attempting to acquire high quality spectra of celestial objects.
Henry Draper received many awards for his contributions. He was awarded honorary law degrees from NYU and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, elected to the National Academy of Sciences and Aatomische Gesellschaft, and a Congressional medal for directing the U.S. expedition to photograph the 1874 transit of Venus. Draper held a membership to the American Photographic society, the American Philosophical Society, American Association for the Advancements of Science, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences all the way until his death.
Henry Draper lost his life from double Pleurisy in November 20, 1882. His widow founded a fund on his behalf called: The Henry Draper Medal for contributions to astrophysics, which was also used to prepare the Henry Draper Catalog of stellar spectra which was created in 1886 by a team at Harvard College Observatory to classify scheme for stars and a catalogue of spectra. The Harvard project was completed in 1897, and resulted in the first comprehensive classification of stars according to their spectra. A small crater on the Moon is also named in Draper’s honor. His wife also dedicated a telescope, which was used to prepare the Henry Drape Catalog. The telescope is is now in at the ToruĊ Centre for Astronomy, at Piwnice in Poland.
Henry Draper was born in March 7th, 1837 in Prince Edward County in Virginia to a privileged home. A son of English parents, Draper had a very educated home life while growing up. Draper’s dad, John William Draper was a successful doctor, chemist, and a professor at New York University. He was particularly interested in the chemical effects of light, and was known for taking the first daguerreotypes of the moon in the winter of 1839-1840, and human portraits in 1840. William also invented photochemistry, and invented other photographic techniques. Draper’s Mom was named: Antonia Coetana de Pavia Pereira Gardner who came from a prominent family, with a Dad who was the personal physician to the emperor of Brazil. Draper’s older brother was a noted physician and chemist, and his younger brother who distinguished himself in meteorology. Around the year 1850,William started to involve his son with his research. When Henry was about 13 he helped his Dad in photographing microscope slides for a textbook. Henry studied at medical school until 1857. Unfortunately, he was only 20 and could not receive a degree before he turned the age of 21. Draper decided to spend a year abroad until he came of age. Draper’s travels focused mostly on astronomy, especially to the Lord Rosse’s observatory in Ireland. At that time it held the largest telescope, about 72-inhes with a “Leviathan” reflection. When Draper returned to his hometown, he was determined to pursue his goals of photography and astronomical interests. He even built an observatory at Hastings-on-Hudson estate with his own glass mirror telescope. These activities did not prevent Draper from fulfilling his other interests that he went to the university to accomplish. He was physician at Bellevue Hospital in 1859. Then in 1866 as a professor, he becomes the dean of the medical faculty of the University of the City of New York.
His historic astronomical research career really took off in the year 1873. Before that time he was making preliminary studies of the spectra of the more common elements, and spent time photographing the solar system. In the year 1864 to 1865 took photos of the Moon using a 40 cm reflector, which he built himself. In 1867 he married Anna Mary Palmer, a wealthy socialite. He begins the design and building of his remarkable telescopes. He took the first stellar spectrum in 1872 that showed absorption lines, and directed an expedition to photograph the 1874 transit of Venus,
After 1873 he produced a spectrograph, which he clarified with spectral lines by using a slit and incorporating a reference spectra to make the elements identifiable. Draper researched the spectroscopic studies of Lockyer and Huggins stimulated his work. He did a lot of pioneering work in astrophotography and photographing of the Moon, planets, comets, stars and nebulae as well as over 100 spectra of these objects. Among his photos was the first-ever photograph of a nebula, the Orion Nebula, in September 30, 1880 using his 11-inch Clark Brothers photographic refractor he took a 50-minute exposure. In March 14th, 1882 a much improved, 137-minute exposure of that nebula was developed and publicized by Draper. He continued his astronomical interests until the last years of his life that he spent attempting to acquire high quality spectra of celestial objects.
Henry Draper received many awards for his contributions. He was awarded honorary law degrees from NYU and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, elected to the National Academy of Sciences and Aatomische Gesellschaft, and a Congressional medal for directing the U.S. expedition to photograph the 1874 transit of Venus. Draper held a membership to the American Photographic society, the American Philosophical Society, American Association for the Advancements of Science, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences all the way until his death.
Henry Draper lost his life from double Pleurisy in November 20, 1882. His widow founded a fund on his behalf called: The Henry Draper Medal for contributions to astrophysics, which was also used to prepare the Henry Draper Catalog of stellar spectra which was created in 1886 by a team at Harvard College Observatory to classify scheme for stars and a catalogue of spectra. The Harvard project was completed in 1897, and resulted in the first comprehensive classification of stars according to their spectra. A small crater on the Moon is also named in Draper’s honor. His wife also dedicated a telescope, which was used to prepare the Henry Drape Catalog. The telescope is is now in at the ToruĊ Centre for Astronomy, at Piwnice in Poland.
Barker, George F. “Memoir of Henry Draper; 1837-1882”. New
York: National Academy, 1888.
"Henry Draper." Cambridge Encyclopedia. 21 Feb. 2010.
Henry Draper Catalogue (astronomy) -- Britannica Online
Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online
Encyclopedia. 21 Feb. 2010
"Henry Draper." NNDB: Tracking the entire world. 21 Feb. 2010.
