Engines of Discovery: Telescopes, Astronomers, and Changing Research Practices 1750-2001

The aim of the project is to develop a deepened understanding of the role played by instruments in the scientific enterprise. The starting point is a statement from historians of science Albert van Helden and Thomas Hankins where they claimed that “[b]ecause instruments determine what can be done, they also determine to some extent what can be thought”. Representing major investment, a main instrument tend to outlast several generations of researchers, carrying with them the design and values of yesteryear’s scientific ideas, sometimes becoming become a burden and obstacle. This is the dynamics the project will explore, using the instruments operated at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences’ observatories in Stockholm and Saltsjöbaden as our example. The project is funded by the Swedish Research Council and starts in 2023.