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Henry Draper
1837–1882
An American physician and pioneering astronomer, he helped open the age of astrophotography by capturing some of the first detailed photographs of the Moon and the first photograph of a stellar spectrum showing absorption lines. His work linked medicine, chemistry, and astronomy in a way that shaped modern observational science.
1 Audiobook
On the Construction of a Silvered Glass Telescope
by Henry Draper
About the author
Born on March 7, 1837, in Prince Edward County, Virginia, he was the son of scientist and educator John William Draper. He studied medicine at New York University, earned his medical degree there, and later became a professor of analytical chemistry and physiology.
Alongside his medical career, he built a remarkable reputation in astronomy. Working from his observatory in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, he became one of the leading early experimenters in astronomical photography, producing celebrated photographs of the Moon and, in 1872, the first photograph of a star's spectrum that clearly showed absorption lines. That achievement was an important step toward understanding the physical composition of stars.
He died on November 20, 1882, but his influence continued after his death. His name lives on in the Henry Draper Catalogue, a major star catalog created through work supported by his widow, Anna Palmer Draper, and in the Henry Draper Medal, awarded for outstanding contributions to astronomical physics.