Nature April 10th 1913
John Franklin Adams photographed the entire night sky between 1904 and 1909 from Godalming in Surrey for the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere from South Africa using a 10 inch Cooke camera and two 6 inch Cooke cameras.
In 1913 the Royal Astronomical Society undertook to publish a small number of the Franklin Adams Charts. The 206 photographic plates covered the entire sky. Each plate covered an area 15 degrees by 15 degrees.
The reproductions were on bromide paper 15 inches by 12 inches with the plate area being 11inches by 11 inches. The cost of each set will be 10 guineas, in 2021 prices this would be over £1,200!!
It is hoped that a sufficient number of subscribers will be enlisted to help to defray the cost of such an expensive undertaking. It is hoped that they will be ready in 1914.
Today over 100 years after these charts were produced these Franklin Adams Charts are still in use by astronomers due to their quality and their historical reference to the night sky over 100 years ago.
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