This essay is part of our on-going series on Cultural Astronomy, which will address cultural and historical themes in science and astronomy with the hope of developing open and informed discussion on the complex, historically-rooted challenges facing our community. History loves its fathers. I do not mean biological fathers, but rather…

The Wolbach Library wishes good health to everyone during this global crisis. Highlights…  Smithsonian NASM explains Afrofuturism, a science fiction genre which critiques whiteness in both astronomical institutions and speculative fiction; Team members of NASA’s recently announced Venus missions share their excitement; Fermilab breaks down the history of the discovery of the…

Hi everyone, Hope you’re all doing well! Thanks so much for your continued efforts on our project.  Martha Borton’s notebooks were completed quickly; as always, we’re amazed by the continuous support from our volunteers. We currently have Mary Fowler’s notebooks on the project. Fowler’s work mostly focused on lunar plates. …

The Wolbach Library wishes good health to everyone during this global crisis. Highlights… Hear the Greek myth of Menippe and Metioche, which explains the origin of comets; Listen to a radio emission recorded in Venus’ atmosphere; Adler Planetarium shows off their mobile telescope in the streets of Chicago; See Curiosity’s shot of a 360 degree…

Hi everyone, Hope you’re all doing well! Thanks so much for your continued efforts on our project. We’re at 8,000 volunteers on Star Notes, which is a huge milestone! We were recently able to complete all the notebooks of  Ida Woods and Hannah Locke. Locke’s notebooks were completed in just…

Hi everyone, Hope you’re all doing well! We had a great Women’s History Month, and we hope you did too. We’re so grateful to be able to share the notebooks of the Harvard Computers with our volunteers. We’re thankful for all of our volunteers for their continued support on our…

The Wolbach Library wishes good health to everyone during this global crisis. Highlights… Seeker explains the ISS’s NICER instrument’s relationship to sextants; ESA proposes recruiting astronauts with disabilities or parastronauts; Dr. Beth Biller discussed the future of photographing exoplanets; SciShow breaks down an alternative hypothesis concerning Mars’ disappearing oceans; Three…

This essay is part of our on-going series on Cultural Astronomy, which will address cultural and historical themes in astronomy with the hope of developing open and informed discussion on the complex, historically-rooted challenges facing our community. What does SETI have to do with issues of culture, equity, and justice?…

What skills are required to work as a professional astronomer? The question on its surface sounds easy enough to answer. A typical response might include “a strong grasp of physics”, “knowledge of coding languages”, or perhaps even “analytic thinking”. Yet these answers neglect to recognise another aspect of a career…

Hi everyone, Sam and Nico here, the Star Notes researchers. Hope you’re all doing well! The current astronomer that we have up on our project is Sarah Breslin. It’s Women’s History Month, and we’re looking forward to showcasing the ways in which the women at the Harvard College Observatory impacted…