Collection: Armagh Observatory & Planetarium

Collection-level records:

• Collection overview (Collection development policy)

  Library Collection

  The library collection was started when the Armagh Observatory was founded in 1789. Presently the reference library comprises approximately three thousand textbooks, five thousand celestial photographs, over one thousand shelf-metres of manuscripts, journals, periodicals and textbooks, plus non-print media such as slides, videos and CDs. This Collection is catalogued and maintained by a Special Collections Librarian.

  The Rare and Antiquarian Scientific Book Collection

  The rare and antiquarian scientific book collection also started at the foundation of the Armagh Observatory and continued to be added to up to 1883. Many of the over 240 volumes were part of the collection of Thomas Robinson, the third director of the Observatory (1823-1882). Most volumes were published in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. The earliest printed works stem from the early printing era, dated 1499.

  Archives

  The archives comprise a wide variety of papers and other items, which relate to the running of Armagh Observatory since its foundation to the present day, and to research conducted nationally and internationally. The pre-1917 archives cover approximately 5 shelf metres, the post-1916 archives approximately 13 shelf metres.

  In 1795 the Observatory began systematic meteorological observations, and now has the longest continuous daily climate series from a single site anywhere in the UK and Ireland. They cover an unusual length of time (1795 to the present day). The records benefited from the rural location of the Observatory, which has not affected the recordings, as with many18^th century urban observatories.

  Photographic Plate Collection

  AOP houses the most extensive collection of astronomical photographic plates in Ireland, many of which are important for the studies of Magellanic Clouds and of southern hemisphere objects.

  Scientific Instrument Collection

  The historic scientific instrument collection at AOP largely contains instruments that were used at Armagh Observatory for scientific research from the foundation in 1789 up to second half of the twentieth century. Many of the instruments were manufactured during the eighteenth and nineteenth century. The present collection contains several hundred instruments and Observatory related objects.

  Planetarium Collection

  In 2015, Armagh Planetarium and Armagh Observatory were merged to create a unified organisational structure, Armagh Observatory and Planetarium. The Planetarium holds a collection of objects, slide sets, meteorites, analogue and digital media and archive material relating to space and space travel, which are currently under review.

  Art and Furnishing Collection

  Armagh Observatory and Planetarium have an extensive collection of antique and valuable furnishings and artwork ranging from oil paintings to photographic portraits. These collections form a functional and aesthetically important part of our heritage.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: Not known

  Licence: CC BY-NC