Maan in het derde kwartier

This photograph of the moon in its third quarter was made by Lewis M. Rutherford, using a technique that was cutting edge for its time. Rutherford’s work in lunar photography began in 1858, combining an equatorial of 11 1/4 inches aperture and 14 foot focal length, corrected for visual focus. The scientific focus was found to be 1/8ths of an inch longer than the visual. Through trial and error, Rutherford experimented with lenses and sensitive plates, ultimately using a silvered mirror mounted to the tube of the refractor. The image results from a highly specialized collaboration between science, labor, and capital. The telescope itself was a product of skilled engineering and glassmaking; the photographic process involved the work of chemists and technicians developing light-sensitive materials. It took years to complete the glass, and some time for the atmospheric conditions to permit a single negative. It serves as a potent reminder that even seemingly "natural" images of the moon are the products of complex production processes.