2019
Orion Nebula, captured in 1901 by American astronomer George Ritchey
August 20, 2019
Remarkably recognizable to astrophotographers today, this stunning image of the star forming Orion Nebula was captured in 1901 by American astronomer and telescope designer George Ritchey. The original glass photographic plate was digitized by the University of Chicago Library in a partnership with Professor Rich Kron and undergraduate interns in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics to develop code for analyzing high-resolution image files made from historic photographic plates in order to extract astrometry and photometry data from them.