Biography
Henry Draper was an American physician and pioneer of astrophotography. In 1872 he made the first photograph showing the spectral lines of a star, Vega, and in 1880 he captured the first photograph of the Orion Nebula. After his early death, the Harvard stellar catalogue compiled in his memory — the Henry Draper Catalogue — was named in his honour.
Scientific contributions
- Pioneered astronomical photography
- Took the first photograph of a stellar spectrum (Vega, 1872)
- First to photograph the Orion Nebula (1880)
Observatories, instruments & objects
Knowledge connections
- Part ofModern Astronomy
- ObservedOrion Nebula
Sources & references
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- BritannicaEncyclopaedia Britannica
General reference for the history of astronomy, biographies, and cultural context.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.