Astronomical instruments of the past are certainly valuable artifacts of
the history of science and education. Like other collections of
scientific equipment, they also demonstrate i) development of
scientific and technical ideas, ii) technological features of the
historical period, iii) professional features of artists or companies
-- manufacturers, and iv) national and local specificity of
... [Show full abstract] production.
However, astronomical instruments are also devices made for observations
of rare phenomena -- solar eclipses, transits of planets of the solar
disk, etc. Instruments used to study these rare events were very
different for each event, since the science changed quickly between
events.
The Astronomical Observatory of Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko
University has a collection of tools made by leading European and local
shops from the early nineteenth century. These include tools for
optically observing the first artificial Earth satellites, photography,
chronometry, and meteorology. In addition, it has assembled a library
of descriptions of astronomical instruments and makers'price-lists. Of
particular interest are the large stationary tools that are still active
in their pavilions. Almost every instrument has a long interesting
history.
Museification of astronomical instruments gives them a second life,
expanding educational programs and tracing the development of astronomy
in general and scientific institution and region in particular. It
would be advisable to first create a regional database of these rare
astronomical instruments (which is already being done in Ukraine), then
a common global database. By combining all the historical information
about astronomical instruments with the advantages of the Internet, you
can show the full evolution of an astronomical instrument with all its
features. Time is relentless, and much is destroyed, badly kept and
thrown in the garbage. We need time to protect, capture, and tell about
it.
