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Astronomy would not exist without nonverbal representations:With the majority of celestial objects perceptible to us onlyby the light or radiations they emit, images of all kinds havealways played a central role in the history of astronomy.From prehistoric sketches of the moon with a supernova orbright planet, star-charts in temples and tombs of the Ancients,celestial and lunar maps from the Middle Agesto modern photographs and spectrograms of sun, moon, and planets,two-dimensional images and three-dimensional models havealways been an integral element of astronomy. Added to these are avariety of more technical charts and graphs, like theHertzsprung-Russell diagram, the Maunder-type solar activitydiagrams, the light curves of variable stars, the spectral atlases ofthe sun and the brightest stars, and so forth; and more recently, ofcourse, there are the spectacular images obtained from largeground-based telescopes, satellite observatories, and deep spaceprobes.This intimate relationship between science and image is not asstraightforward, however, as it might at first seem. How direct isthis graphic conversion of the subject of observation orregistration by man or machine? What problems emerge in thetranslation process? Does this endless quest for ever betterrepresentational forms and ever better resolution have repercussionson the research practice? What is the impact of technologicaldevelopments? How do astronomers and astrophysicists interact withtheir illustrators, engravers, lithographers, photographers and othergraphic arts specialists? And how can these visual records from thepast best be preserved?This collection of papers, which - with one exception - werepresented during a one-day international conference at the GöttingenUniversity Observatory on 20 September 1999, offers answers to someof these questions. This volume is intended for those interested inthe development of visual representations or the history of astronomy.
