MECHANIZING THE ASTRONOMERS VISION - ON THE ROLE OF PHOTOGRAPHY IN SWEDISH ASTRONOMY, C.1880-1914

The beginnings of photographic astronomy in Sweden are taken as a case study of the incorporation of a new scientific technology. The introd uction of photography during the late nineteenth century profoundly ch anged the way astronomers worked. Observational material became more m obile; photographic plates could be examined at a later date or transp orted to another location. Photography was presented in a rhetorical l anguage, making it a truly objective way of observing the sky. The new technology was developed at the leading observatories, and was import ed into countries such as Sweden through a network of scientific commu nication.