Kit

WhittenShe/Her

Kit Whitten manages both the research library and the vast plate archive at the Carnegie Observatories. She is also responsible for responding to outside research requests and participates in several of the Observatories’ outreach events. Whitten is focused on making the Observatories' holdings more discoverable and her current archival concentration is documenting the efforts of the female Research Assistants (“computers”) behind the scenes of the Observatories’ early scientific discoveries.

Archives as Memories: Collaborations at The Observatories

As I work with the historical glass plate images at the Carnegie Observatories, I frequently experience a sense of wonder at the order of the universe.

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Old plates, new data: Mysteries in the Observatories’ basement

I dream of being the Indiana Jones of libraries—discovering lost treasures hiding in back rooms, attics, and even basements. This is the story of my work with Allan Sandage’s personal collection of astronomical glass plates and my efforts to make them more widely discoverable.