Henry Draper Biography

Gasparoni 1

Antonio Gasparoni

Mr. Percival

Astronomy Honors

5 March, 2013

Henry Draper Biography

            Henry Draper, born in March 7, 1837 in Prince Edward County, was an American doctor and a novice astronomer. He is most well known for his groundbreaking work in astrophotography. Henry Draper’s father, John Williams Draper, was a well known doctor, chemist, botanist, and professor at New York University. In 1867, John Draper married Anna Mary Palmer, who was a well known and rather wealthy socialite.

            What got Henry interested in astronomy was when he took a stellar spectrum photo in 1872. This was one of the first of its kinds and was the beginning of an awesome new study of astronomy. Henry Draper was also the first person ever to photograph the Orion Nebula, one of the most well known nebulas today, on September 30, 1880. Also, in 1874, he directed a crew of astronomers who took a photograph of the Transit of Venus. In 1880, he also took a picture of Jupiter’s spectrum. Nearly all of his observations and photos were taken at his favorite observatory in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. Throughout his career, Draper received numerous awards for his pioneering work and observations. One of such awards was a medal for directing the observations of the Transit of Venus.

            Unfortunately, on November 20, 1882, Henry Draper died due to Double Pleurisy. Double Pleurisy is when a membrane around your lungs becomes inflamed and badly damages your lungs. After his death, his wife announced a new award that could be given to astronomers called the “Henry Draper Medal” if you showed outstanding efforts in astrophysics. A telescope was created to create the Henry Draper Catalog of stellar spectrums. Henry Draper was invaluable in the pioneering of astrophotography and is one of the most well-known astronomers of all time.