Telescope Data Center Harvard Plate Collection Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
 Harvard Observatory Plate Stacks
A Series Characteristics

Basics
Plate Size Plate Scale Telescope Focal Length
8x10, 14x17 60"/mm 24-inch Bruce Doublet 135 inches

Observatory
Plate nos.LocationDates
1- 1730Cambridge, Mass.1893-11-09 - 1895-10-21
1731-14110Arequipa, Peru1896-04-02 - 1926-11-06
14111-27504Bloemfontein, South Africa1929-07-15 - 1950-10-11

ASCII
Catalog

Online Searchable catalog

 all-sky map
Maps of spatial and temporal distribution 		histogram by year
Histogram by year

Filed
Plate SizeLocationNumbers
8x10first floorall
14x17first floor1 - 7576
second floor7577 - 16397
third floor16398 - 27504

Card Catalog:

 complete; there is also a VAX disk file of the blue plates.
There is also an online searchable catalog.

Record Books:

 (5) 1-14110 (Catalog)
(48) 1-27504 (Original records)
Scanned versions

Record Sheets:

 1731-27504

Comments:

 Sizes are recorded in brown manila folder marked "Records of Southern Plates" [MLH doesn't know where this is] and on some of the cards.

By FWW and CPG, 1936: Chiefly direct photographs, many of excellent quality and long exposure. Some are standardized with an objective grating. A few yellow and red plates, in series with standard regions, are useful for determining colors of faint stars.

A few spectrum plates may be found. They reach faint stars but are not usually of the best quality.