The Ernst Zinner Manuscript Collection documents Zinner's work as an astronomer and scientist at the Remeis Astronomical Observatory in Bamberg, Germany. The collection dates from 1818-1981, with the bulk of documents created in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and consists of almanacs, articles, clippings, correspondence, photographs and other materials. The collection has three major series: Vertical Files, Remeis Astronomical Observatory Files, and Portraits. The Remeis Astronomical Observatory Files include two sub-series: Correspondence and Notes, further divided into two groups – Ernst Hartwig's correspondence and Ernst Zinner's correspondence, and Venus Eclipse Expedition Files.

Ernst Zinner was born in1886 in Goldberg, Silesia, a region of Central Europe primarily located in modern-day Poland, but which also overlaps current borders of the Czech Republic and Germany. He completed his PhD in 1907 at the University of Jena, also studying at the University of Lund, the University of Paris, and the Königstuhl Observatory in Heidelberg. In 1910, Zinner became Assistant to Ernst Hartwig, then director of the Remeis Astronomical Observatory at Bamberg, Germany.

10.59 linear ft

The copyright interests in some of these materials have been transferred to or belong to San Diego State University. The nature of historical archival and manuscript collections means that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine. Copyright resides with the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. Requests for permission to publish must be submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. Permissions is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical item and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder(s), which must also be obtained in order to publish.  Materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.

This collection is open for research.