The Palomar Sky Survey

“The most comprehensive map of the skies ever made opens new vistas into the unknown.”  — New York Times, Jul 31, 1955 

The Physical Sciences Library recently acquired the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey plates and prints, a complete photographic record of the night sky.  During the 1950’s, the National Geographic Society funded the project to produce celestial photographs using the Oschin Schmidt telescope at the newly-built Mount Palomar Observatory.  In 1991, a photographic survey of the southern sky was begun, using three wavebands (blue, red and near infrared) to produce images and record the spectral type of objects in nearly 1000 celestial fields. The updated series, POSS II, was completed in June 2000.

The survey photos were produced in both paper and glass formats. The sets are fairly common, but the glass plates, which were sold to a number of research institutions including Cornell, contain better detail and less spatial distortion than the paper copies, and are therefore uniquely valuable to researchers.

The library’s collection, which until recently was housed and used in the astronomy department in the Space Sciences building, consists of almost 2,000 negative image glass plates, each measuring about 14” square and 1mm thick.  In 1981,Ohio State produced a set of acetate overlays on which the stars, galaxies, nebulae, etc. were identified.  These overlays, along with the glass plates and paper prints, are housed in special cabinets in the thesis room of the Physical Sciences Library (281 Clark Hall).The collection does not yet have a record in the catalog, but the surveys have been digitized and are available on the web:
    http://archive.stsci.edu/cgi-bin/dss_form
    http://aladin.u-strasbg.fr/java/nph-aladin.pl
At either of these sites, enter the coordinates or the name of an object to display the image.The digitized images are also available on CD at the library.  The set, which consists of 102 disks, is located behind the service desk (call number QB 65 D57).  Disks may be charged out for 1 week loan and are renewable. Suggested Reading:

• Reid, I.N. et al.1991 “The Second Palomar Sky Survey”. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 103:  661-674. Physical Sciences Library, QB1 .A845
• The Second Palomar Observatory Sky Survey, POSS II: http://www.astro.caltech.edu/~wws/poss2.html
• Bowen, Ira Sprague 1955 “Completing the Atlas of the Universe:  Astronomers Throughout the World Receive the First Section of the National Geographic Society-Palomar Observatory Sky Survey.”  National Geographic,  Aug. 1955, v.108, issue 2:  185-190. Library Annex, G 1 .N27
• LaGorge, John Oliver. 1955 “Toward a ‘Portrait of Creation’”. New York Times, Jul 31, 1955 p.16.  (available full text online via ProQuest Historical Newspapers )

– Pat Viele, Astronomy Librarian