Description
Book SynopsisIf any scientific object has over the course of human history aroused the fascination of both scientists and artists worldwide, it is beyond doubt the moon. The moon is also by far the most interesting celestial body when it comes to reflecting on the dualistic nature of photography as applied to the study of the universe. Against this background, Selene’s Two Faces sets out to look at the scientific purpose, aesthetic expression, and influence of early lunar drawings, maps and photographs, including spacecraft imaging. In its approach, Selene’s Two Faces is intermedial, intercultural and interdisciplinary. It brings together not only various media (photography, maps, engravings, lithographs, globes, texts), and cultures (from Europe, America and Asia), but also theoretical perspectives. See inside the book.
Trade Review"Setting aside the specific subject of the Moon and its pictures, González’s collection provides an excellent example of how astronomical imaging can overstep the boundaries of traditionally understood history of science." Jarosław Włodarczyk, Institute for the History of Science of Polish Academy of Sciences, Journal for the History of Astronomy 50(4): 493-495
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments List of Figures and Tables Notes on Contributors Introduction: On the Visible, the Invisible, Presences and Absences in Lunar Portraiture Carmen Pérez González 1 One World is not Enough: Remarks on the History of Selenography Pedro M.P. Raposo 2 Mapping Time Rather than Mapping Space: The Moon in Persian Astronomy during the Naseri Period (1848-1896) Carmen Pérez González 3 Japanese Lunar Drawings, Maps and Photographs before the 1870s Tsuko Nakamura 4 Of Blurs, Maps and Portraits: Photography and the Moon Charlotte Bigg 5 James Nasmyth on the Moon: Or on Becoming a Lunar Being, without the Lunacy Omar W. Nasim 6 Karl Friedrich Küstner’s Moon Photographic Plates at Bonn Observatory Michael Geffert 7 The Digital Sky of Hamburg Observatory: Bringing Astro-photographic Plates from the 20th into the 21st Century Detlef Groote 8 From Astronomer-photographers to Astronaut-photographers: Close-up Detailed Observations Performed by Spacecraft and Manned Exploration of the Moon Pedro Ré and Carmen Pérez González Chronology Pedro Ré and Carmen Pérez González Index
