The Franklin Institute

Telescopes have provided an opportunity to bring what is far away near.

Looking to the Skies with Telescopes

Globes and other 3-D models help to put objects in space into perspective, and serve as scientific instruments, ornamental showpieces, and physical illustrations of the astronomy beliefs of the day. Over time, as scientists gather more and more data they use it to improve their models and make them more and more accurate.

Planetary Models: Celestial Globes and Orreries 

Throughout history, people have been drawing representations of the sky. Often, the drawings begin as simplified versions and as astronomers collect more information, the drawings become more detailed and accurate. In the 1800s, Henry Whitall found many ways to share the information of the time with a variety of learning tools.

Mapping the Skies with Star Charts

Long before there were advanced technologies available for studying the sky, people devised ways of depicting the sun, moon, planets, and stars in relation to the Earth to figure out how our planet fit into the vast universe. Our method of exploring the night sky has grown to now include actual trips into space, even visiting another celestial body in person. But before technology made direct exploration possible, we had to use remote methods to map the expanse we could see from Earth.

Treading Among the Stars: How We’ve Found Our Way

Earth and Space Science

Science

These four star charts beautifully depict the skies in four different seasons. This image shows Spring.

Star Charts of the Four Seasons:
Map of the Heavens As Seen in the Spring (Catalog # CSA #569.1)
Map of the Heavens As Seen in the Summer (Catalog # CSA #569.2)
Map of the Heavens As Seen in the Autumn (Catalog # CSA #569.3)
Map of the Heavens As Seen in the Winter (Catalog # CSA 569.4)




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Star Charts of the Four Seasons (FI Catalog # CSA 569.1-.4)  

These four star charts beautifully depict the skies in four different seasons. This image shows Winter.

These four star charts beautifully depict the skies in four different seasons. This image shows Summer.

These four star charts beautifully depict the skies in four different seasons. This image shows Autumn.

A planisphere is a portable device designed to aid in the study of stars and constellations visible in the night sky at any given date and time, generally for a particular location.  This planisphere, created by Henry Whitall in 1862, depicts a dark blue sky with the constellations, centered on the latitude of Philadelphia

A planisphere is a portable device designed to aid in the study of stars and constellations visible in the night sky at any given date and time, generally for a particular location.  This particular planisphere, created by Henry Whitall in 1862, depicts a dark blue sky with the constellations, centered on the latitude of Philadelphia. The moveable planisphere is to Astronomy the same as the map to Geography. 

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Moveable Planisphere of the Heavens at Every Minute

This portable planisphere created by Henry Whitall in 1862, has an inner map showing colorful, mythological figures in the constellations.

This planisphere has an inner hemispheric map in detailed colors, depicting mythological figures in the constellations.

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This particular slide depicts a solar eclipse. A close-up view of the lantern slide with light shining through accentuates the details of the lesson plan and the hand-painted colors.

From the 1600s through the early 1900s, glass slides—some with wooden frames and mechanical parts as seen here—were used to display astronomical images. The slides were positioned in a lantern slide projector, which projected enlarged versions of the images on a screen in front of guests gathered for astronomy lessons.

From the 1600s through the early 1900s, glass slides—some with wooden frames and mechanical parts as seen here—were used to display astronomical images.  

The slides were positioned in a lantern slide projector, which projected enlarged versions of the images on a screen in front of the guests gathered for astronomy lessons. 

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Moveable Astronomical Lantern Slides

The lantern slides in this series are rack and pinion style.  This means that by turning the handle, the user would rotate the moving glass disk on top of the stationary disk – showing planets in motion.  

A projectionist skillfully turned the handle of the movable slide while light shone through the glass creating motion pictures of the sky for the gathered crowd.  

Lantern slides were popular for decades in schools and in theaters, for both educational purposes as well as entertainment. 

This artifact reveals what is shown on the glass when light is projected through it...

A close-up of the lantern slide shows a complex star chart, illuminating different parts of the sky based on the month and day selected.

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Treading Among the Stars: How We’ve Found Our Way

Mapping the Skies with Star Charts

Star Charts