A 1849, Rutherfurd ya yi watsi da karatunsa na shari'a don sadaukar da lokacinsa ga kimiyya, musamman ilmin taurari. Ya yi aiki na farko a cikin bincike na spectral, kuma yayi gwaji tare da daukar hoto na sama. Ya ƙirƙira kayan aiki don karatunsa, ciki har da micrometer don auna hotuna, na'ura don samar da ingantattun ƙididdigar rarrabuwa, da kuma na farko da aka tsara musamman don astrophotography. Ta amfani da kayan aikinsa, Rutherfurd ya samar da tarin hotuna na Sun, Moon, da taurari, da taurari da taurari har zuwa girma na biyar. A 1862, ya fara yin nazarin spectroscopic ta amfani da sabon rarrabuwa. Ya lura da nau'o'in taurari daban-daban, wanda Angelo Seclinchi ya fadada a watan Oktoba 1867 zuwa jerin nau'o'in taurari guda hudu. Duk da haka, Rutherfurd ya yi aiki a matsayin wakili na farko daga Cibiyar Nazarin Nazarin Nazarin Nazarin Nazarin Nazarin Nazarin Nazarin Nazarin Nazarin Nazarin Nazarin Nazarin Nazarin Nazarin Nazarin Nazarin
daukar hoto na sama