While many eyes were focused to the skies on Monday August 21, 2017, those at the University of South Carolina Rare Books and Special Collections were focused on the past. The Irvin Department will be featuring an exhibition with highlights from the Robert B. Ariail Collection of Historical Astronomy. Ariail was an amateur astronomer, and University of South Carolina alumni who donated more than 5,200 pieces now housed in the Irvin Department.
The exhibit features rare books, star atlases, scientific journals, manuscripts and pieces from the 15th to the 20th century. By looking to the past, visitors can see just how far science has come in the modern age, and what can be learned from the way ancient astronomers viewed the skies.
The exhibition will be on display through December.