THE CORDOBA OBSERVATORY AND THE HISTORY OF THE ῾PERSONAL EQUATION? (1871-1886)

RIEZNIK, MARINA

JOURNAL FOR THE HISTORY OF ASTRONOMY

SCIENCE HISTORY PUBLICATIONS LTD

Lugar: Cambridge; Año: 2013 vol. 44 p. 277 - 302

0021-8286

The Córdoba Observatory in Argentina, founded in 1871 with state funds, was directed until 1886 by Benjamin Gould, an American trained by German astronomers.His work began at an interesting time for the basic aims of international astronomy, as astronomers sought to unify astronomical catalogues and maps, previously heterogeneous because they were used in more limited areas. There was, then, an endeavour to get on paper the entire firmament, and for all the world?s observatory equipment to use the same technical criteria. This period included the introduction of the electric chronograph to standardize the measurement of time for astronomic observations, the construction of photometers in order to reach a consensus on measuring star brightness, international agreements on common units of measure and reference points for use in astronomical calculations of terrestrial distances and conventions regarding astronomical work regulation. Regarding this context Hoffman argues with such authors as Peter Galison and Lorraine Daston who consider that attempts to prevent the ?personal equation? were accompanied by an ideology regarding objectivity that shifted confidence away from observers and into machines and instruments. In this article, the sources analysed show how, for the director of the Córdoba Observatory, the ?personal equation? problem was solved in very different ways, not all of them related to the replacement of the observer by instruments or observer monitoring. In light of these ambiguous responses, the ?personal equation? came to be investigated and redefined. I will also return to Hoffman?s questions regarding the history of the ?personal equation?, with the positions of Schaffer, Daston and Galison on the role of the observer in relation to instruments in the organization of scientific work during the nineteenth century.