Image of the moon 1871

[Owmuchonomy]

The National Media Museum in Bradford, a favourite haunt of mine, has tweeted the image below as "the first possible telescopic view of the moon, 1871". Any thoughts?

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I assume it is an early photograph, otherwise the claim is certainly false (althouth it looks like a sketch). Galileo made sketches of the moon through his telescopes several centuries earlier (saw them in Florence two years back).

[Owmuchonomy]

I assume it is an early photograph, otherwise the claim is certainly false (althouth it looks like a sketch). Galileo made sketches of the moon through his telescopes several centuries earlier (saw them in Florence two years back).

Hi Michael, yes I'm assuming it is from their photo archive.

[JB80]

I think I found an answer.

http://www.ssplprints.com/image/106967/nasmyth-james-lunar-crater-model-copernicus-1850-1871

image details

Description

Photograph of a plaster model of the cratered surface of the Moon made by James Nasmyth (1808-1890). Nasmyth, a succesful industrialist and engineer, based his models on lunar observations made at his 20 inch reflecting telescope. Working from his Moon drawings, he calculated the height of the lunar features by measuring the length of their shadows. These were then photographed with suitable lighting to produce better results than could be achieved at the time with direct lunar photography. Nasmyth went onto photograph a whole series of his lunar models. They were used to illustrate the book, 'The Moon' that Nasmyth published in 1871 with James Carpenter. In his work this photograph is titled, 'Copernicus' after the crater of that name.

Artist

Nasmyth, James

Image Ref.

10419027

and here too.... http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/online_science/explore_our_collections/objects/index/smxg-56364

http://collectionsonline.nmsi.ac.uk/info.php?v=1&s=nasmyth&type=all&t=objects&f=&d=&page=2

Rather enterprising I must say.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Thanks, Jarrod, that is very interesting.

[Blazar]

So then.....A lunar modelling section needs to be added to the forum ;-)

[Owmuchonomy]

Ah yes. I got a retweet from them confirming the Nasmyth connection and a shot of his cast model. Nice one Jarrod.