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. The Vertical Files (1823-1981) consist of material Zinner collected throughout his career, covering a wide variety of astronomical and scientific topics, including notable astronomers, NASA's Apollo missions, the moon, star charts, and almanacs. This most extensive series in the collection is arranged alphabetically and includes monographs, pamphlets, booklets, magazine articles, photographs, newspaper clippings, book excerpts, biographical information, and catalogs. The Remeis Astronomical Observatory Files consist of two subseries: Correspondence and Notes (1818-1973), and Venus Eclipse Expedition Files (1882-1973). The Correspondence and Notes is further sub-divided into two groups: Ernst Hartwig Correspondence (1818-1927), and Ernst Zinner Correspondence and Notes (1870-1973). The Hartwig and Zinner correspondence documents each man's work at the Remeis Astronomical Observatory, as well as their interactions with other astronomers and scientists. The Zinner correspondence further documents Zinner's work with publications issued by Der Naturforschende Verein, later known as the Remers Sternwante, Bamberg.  Correspondence in both groups is primarily in German, with a few letters in English and French. Hartwig's correspondence is filed chronologically, while Zinner's is filed alphabetically by topic. The Venus Eclipse Expedition Files (1882-1915) primarily consists of correspondence between Arthur Von Auwers and Ernst Hartwig regarding Von Auwers trip to Argentina to view the transit of Venus as it passed between the erath and the sun, or the Venus eclipse, on December 6, 1882.  Some publications on the journey are also included. The Portrait series includes photographs, drawings, lithographs, and other images of astronomers, mathematicians, physicists, and other scientists from many different eras, including John Audubon, Aristotle, Tycho Brahe, Copernicus, Galileo, Carl Friedrich Gauss, Johannes Schöner, John Tyndall, and many others.  The series is arranged alphabetically by last name.