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Electronic newsletter for the history of astronomy 12
***************************************************************************
* *
* ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER FOR THE HISTORY OF ASTRONOMY *
* *
* Published by the Working Group for the History of Astronomy *
* in the Astronomische Gesellschaft *
* *
* Number 12, November 17, 1995 *
* *
* A translation of *
* *
* ELEKTRONISCHE MITTEILUNGEN ZUR ASTRONOMIEGESCHICHTE *
* Nr. 12, 25. Oktober 1995 *
* *
* Edited by: Dr. Wolfgang R. Dick <wdi@potsdam.ifag.de> *
* *
* Translated by: Mr. Donald Bellunduno <76450.1741@CompuServe.COM> *
* *
***************************************************************************
Contents
--------
1. Bruce Stephenson: The History of Astronomy Collection in the
Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum at Chicago, Illinois
2. Christof Plicht: Sir Joseph Norman Lockyer and his 'Hill Observatory'
3. Rolf M. Sinclair:
Fifth Oxford Conference on Archaeoastronomy - Updated Announcement
4. Jaroslav Folta and Vladimir Vanysek:
International Symposium: Mysterium Cosmographicum 1596 - 1996
5. Alena Hadravova and Petr Hadrava:
450 anniversary of the birth of Tycho Brahe - a project
6. A search for help and those who are interested
7. Exhibits
8. Conference Calendar 1996
9. New Books
10. New special issue of "Mitteilungen zur Astronomiegeschichte"
Acknowledgements
Imprint
[Updated space calendar to be added to next issue]
...........................................................................
Item 1 ENHA No. 12, Nov 17, 1995
...........................................................................
The History of Astronomy Collection in the Adler Planetarium and
----------------------------------------------------------------
Astronomy Museum at Chicago, Illinois
-------------------------------------
By Bruce Stephenson, Chicago, IL, USA
Purpose
-------
The historical collection at the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy
Museum was created in order to educate visitors about the tools of
astronomy and its related sciences, to generate interest in the history of
science, to provide a comprehensive resource for scholarly research, and to
preserve historically and artistically important scientific artifacts.
History
-------
Chicago businessman Max Adler founded the Adler Planetarium and
Astronomy Museum in 1930 in hopes that "the youth of our city, and indeed
of other cities, may through this dramatization [i.e., the Zeiss
planetarium] find new interests, fresh inspirations, and also that with
the aid of the Planetarium and Astronomical Museum, science may be
advanced." In addition to the Planetarium itself, Mr. Adler donated its
first collection, a set of about 500 astronomical, navigational and
mathematical instruments purchased from Dutch dealer Antoine W. M. Mensing.
Since its creation, the history of astronomy collection has grown to almost
2000 antique instruments, making it the third largest collection of
scientific artifacts in the world and the largest in the western
hemisphere. The collection holdings also include a modern library for the
history of astronomy, a substantial rare book library, and an extensive
collection of other astronomical works on paper.
Collections
-----------
The Adler's Antique Instrument collection contains almost 2000
artifacts dating from the 12th through the 20th centuries, ranging from
medieval sundials and armillary spheres to Scientific Revolution planetaria
and telescopes to modern optical and navigational equipment. Although the
collection contains examples of almost every type of astronomical
instrument, it represents one of the most important collections of:
astrolabes
celestial globes
planetaria
sundials
telescopes
armillary spheres
mathematical instruments
The Adler's collections of rare books and works on paper also offer
an extensive historical resource. The Rare Book Collection, numbering
around 2500 printed and manuscript titles, includes early works on
instrument makers and manufacturing; astronomical and cosmological texts
and tables; celestial atlases and star charts; treatises on mathematics and
its practical applications; works on optics, physics, astrology, geography
and navigation; and early encyclopedias and dictionaries. The Works on
Paper collection contains about 350 individual maps, prints, portraits,
pamphlets and broadsides, including a large number of early printed comet
broadsides.
Exhibits
--------
The antique instrument and works on paper collections are displayed
in several of the Planetarium's exhibits. A recently opened exhibit
explores medieval astronomy from the European and Islamic worlds, with an
emphasis on astrolabes, sundials, and armillary spheres. Other permanent
exhibits investigate topics such as early and modern navigation and
Herschel's discovery of Uranus. Temporary exhibits have presented parts of
the collection while exploring the eighteenth century revolution in
measurement, early American surveying, Galileo's telescopes, and Babylonian
astronomy.
Access to the Collection
------------------------
Scholars and other visitors may request access to the collection by
contacting the History of Astronomy Department. Visits may be made to the
department weekdays from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., and the exhibits are open
daily. Visitors may also purchase photographs, slides and transparencies
of the instruments as well as photographs, slides and xeroxes of many of
the works on paper. The department's curatorial and collections staff also
welcome inquiries about the collections and the history of astronomy.
For more information, please contact:
Bruce Stephenson, Ph.D., Director
cbs3@midway.uchicago.edu
Roderick and Marjorie Webster, Curators Emeriti
Kate Desulis, Collections Manager
kdesulis@midway.uchicago.edu
Department of the History of Astronomy
Adler Planetarium
1300 South Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60605
(312) 322-0594 phone
(312) 322-2257 fax
http://astro.uchicago.edu/adler/
...........................................................................
Item 2 ENHA No. 12, Nov 17, 1995
...........................................................................
Sir Joseph Norman Lockyer and his 'Hill Observatory'
-----------------------------------------------------
By Christof Plicht, Sibbesse, BRD
Joseph Norman Lockyer was born at Rugby on May, 17th 1836 to Mr. Joseph
Hooley Lockyer, a lecturer on scientific subjects at Rugby School and his
wife Anne Norman. He was educated at private schools on the Continent, and
starting in 1857 worked at the War Office. In 1870 he was appointed the
Secretary of the Duke of Devonshire's Royal Commission on Scientific
Instruction and the Advancement of Science. When the work of the
Commission was completed he was offered an appointement in the Science and
Art Departement, South Kensington, by Mr. Disraeli, the Prime Minister,
which he accepted in 1875.
While at the war office his leisure was devoted to the study of astronomy,
and while there he erected an observatory at his home in Hampstead. His
first observations were on the planet Mars, and he communicated them in
1863 to the Royal Astronomical Society, having been elected a Fellow of
that Society two years previously.
In 1861 Lockyer bought his first telescope, a refractor made by Thomas
Cooke (of 3.75 inch objective diameter). Cooke encouraged Lockyer's
interest in astronomy and in 1862 lent him a 6.25 inch objective to build a
telescope with which he was to make important observations during the next
10 years. This telescope has recently (1993) been returned to the Norman
Lockyer Observatory. In 1864, probably as a result of discussions with
William Huggins, he obtained a spectroscope of small dispersion, and turned
his attention to the sun. It was not until 1868 that Lockyer was able to
confirm the suggestion, wich he had made in 1866, that bright emission
lines from prominences of the sun could be seen at times other than during
total eclipses. The same technique had been demonstrated independently by
the french astronomer Jules Janssen, and the french Academy of Sciences
commemorated the discovery by striking a medal in honour of them both.
At the College of Chemistry in Oxford Street, London, tests were made to
reproduce the observed emission lines in the spectrum of the sun. It was
then impossible to find a source for the strong yellow line, which Lockyer
had first noticed together with Edward Franklandin in 1868, and in 1870 he
put forward the suggestion that it was due to an hypothetical element to
which he gave the name 'Helium'. It was 25 years before Ramsay was able to
find Helium in a terrestial source in the year 1895. Lockyer was knighted
in 1897 for this discovery.
Lockyer had the idea for a regular journal to report the latest advances in
all branches of science. In Messrs. Macmillan & Co he found support to
publish NATURE in 1869 with himself as its editor for half a century. The
journal with this name is still in print.
Lockyer retired from his professoral post in 1902 when the Solar Physics
Observatory was moved from Kensington to Cambridge. He was strongly
against a relocation to Cambridge since he considered that the new site
should be on a hill and away from city lights. By this time he was 76, but
then he put his energies into the establishment of the Hill Observatory at
Salcombe Regis, near Sidmouth, Devon, where his wife owned land on which
they had recently built their house.
Sir Norman Lockyer died August 16th, 1920, at Salcombe Hill, Devon.
The Hill Observatory still exists. After some years under the control of
Exeter University it is now run by amateurs as the 'Norman Lockyer
Observatory'. A lot of time and effort is spent on educating interested
persons as well as keeping the place in a good condition. School classes
are regular visitors on Salcombe Hill. Beginning in 1994 an extension to
the already existing buildings was attached, a planetarium seating more
than 40 persons is the center part. Moving the planetrarium projector to
the new building will clear the 'Mond Dome'. This dome is planned to house
a telescope again.
The Planetarium was reopened on September 29th 1995 as the 'James Lockyer
Planetarium' by Patrick Moore. James Lockyer was the youngest son of Sir
Norman and the second director of the 'Hill Observatory'.
At the NLO there are two telescopes in use at the moment. The Kensington
Telescope was brought to Salcombe Hill by Norman Lockyer from Kensington
after retiring from his post there. It is a double instrument, both are
refracting telescopes, with a 10" (25 cm) and a 9" (23 cm) lens,
respectively. The smaller instrument is equipped with an objectiv prism
for stellar spectroscopy. The mount is driven by a mechanic clockwork as
it was 80 years ago. It requires rewinding the weight every 1.5 hours
The second telescope is known as the 'McClean Telescope'. It was built
originally in 1889 by Howard Grubb for Frank McClean and was erected at his
home 'Rusthall' near Tunbridge Wells, England. Frank McClean's son, Sir
Frances McClean, presented this instrument plus 9.000 pounds to Norman
Lockyer for his 'Hill Observatory'. The brother of Frances, W.N. McClean,
designed both domes. This instrument was refurbished in 1988 by Sinden
Optics, Newcastle upon Tyne, after the District Council had taken
responsibilities from the Exeter University. Both main lenses were stored
in the office building of the council and could not be found after the
return of the tube from the workshop. The optics most probably were
stolen, the insurance company payed for replacement manufactured by Sinden
Optics. Years later a brass mounted 10" achromat was sold by auction for
US$ 1.900 in New York. It could have been the lost McClean lens.
These two telescopes may be joined by another telescope in the coming
years. If funding allows some of the members of the NLO plan to build a
Newtonian employing a 30" (75 cm) mirror which was owned by Sir Norman.
The mirror for the scope was finished by A.A. Common, presumably in the
year 1889.
Comments by the editor:
Christof Plicht is a member of the Sidmouth and District Astronomical
Society. The idea for this contribution to "Electronic Newsletter for the
History of Astronomy" arose from the notice about Norman Lockyer
Observatory in ENHA No. 11 (Item 3: Museums, exhibits, and memorials).
...........................................................................
Item 3 ENHA No. 12, Nov 17, 1995
...........................................................................
Fifth Oxford Conference on Archaeoastronomy - Updated Announcement
------------------------------------------------------------------
By Rolf M. Sinclair, Arlington, VA, USA
Fifth Oxford Conference on Archaeoastronomy
in
CULTURAL ASPECTS OF ASTRONOMY:
An Intersection of Disciplines
An international meeting to study the importance of astronomical
phenomena in understanding human cultures.
St. John's College in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, August 3-9, 1996.
"Oxford V" will be the fifth in a series of triennial meetings that have
focused on the role that astronomical phenomena have played in human
societies, ranging from the applied (such as the basis for calendrics and
orientations) to the ceremonial (the significance given the "ritual
landscape" of the sky). This conference will serve as a meeting place for
those working in anthropology, archaeology, history and prehistory,
archaeoastronomy, and other studies of human cultures who share a common
interest in the importance of astronomical phenomena to traditional
societies of the past and present. We invite inquiries from those studying
specific societies who include aspects of astronomy in their
investigations, as well as those interested in comparative studies of the
reaction across societies to common astronomical phenomena. In all cases,
the emphasis will be on the reaction of human societies to these
astronomical phenomena as part of the world view of each society.
General Format
The meeting will consist of invited lectures, a number of oral
presentations (15-30 minutes) and poster presentations, and several special
evening events. There will be no parallel sessions. We will publish a
selection of papers presented at the conference. Attendance will be by
invitation, and will be limited to approximately one hundred. Most
attendees will be selected from those wishing to present new results in the
general area of the conference; however, some people who wish to attend the
meeting without making formal presentations can also be included.
The Conference will start Saturday evening, August 3, 1996, at 6:00 PM with
registration, dinner, and invited talks. Oral presentations will start
Sunday August 4 at 8:30 AM, and will finish Friday August 9 at 5:00 PM.
One day will be devoted to an excursion to nearby points of interest,
including visits to several outstanding sites and collections not generally
open to the public.
The meeting will be held at St. John's College in Santa Fe, where housing
and meals will be provided. This is approximately three miles [five
kilometers] from the center of the city of Santa Fe, which can be reached
conveniently by frequent air service to Albuquerque International Airport
(1 1/4 hours distant) or by occasional rail service (Amtrak) to Lamy (1/4
hour distant).
Registration and Fees
A registration fee of approximately US$300 per attendee will be charged, as
well as approximately US$400 per person for room (double occupancy) and
meals (Aug. 3 dinner through Aug. 10 breakfast) for those staying at St.
John's. Attendees must register for the entire conference. A
post-conference tour to the area of Chaco Canyon is being planned. This
trip will involve several nights camping and will be charged for separately
from the conference
Initial applications and abstracts must be received by February 1, 1996.
Invitations will be issued, along with further details of fees,
accommodations, and tours, about April 15, together with a preliminary
program. Attendees will be expected to complete their registration,
including payment of fees, by June 1, 1996.
Please note: Updated information will be available on the WWW Home Page of
Oxford V, which can be reached at http://www.phys.unm.edu/~zeilik/oxfordV/.
Those interested in the meeting should check this Home Page frequently for
further information and updates, and in particular for more exact values of
the above charges. AN ON-LINE APPLICATION FORM WILL BE AVAILABLE VIA THIS
HOME PAGE.
For further information contact the officers of the National Organizing
Committee:
Rolf M. Sinclair, Chair
Division of Physics
National Science Foundation
4201 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington VA 22230 USA
(phone) (703) 306-1809
(fax) (703) 306-0566
Internet: rsinclai@nsf.gov
Raymond E. White, Secretary
Steward Observatory
University of Arizona
Tucson AZ 85721 USA
(phone) (602) 621-6528
(fax) (602) 621-1532
Internet: rwhite@as.arizona.edu
Other members of the committee are: Suzanne Chippindale, Santa Fe
Community College, Treasurer (schippi@rainbo.santa-fe.cc.nm.us); George
Gumerman, Santa Fe Institute (jorge@santafe.edu); Ed Krupp, Griffith
Observatory (ekrupp@cello.gina.calstate.edu); Bill Longacre, University of
Arizona (wlongacre@anthro.arizona.edu); Steve McCluskey, West Virginia
University (scmcc@wvnvm.wvnet.edu); Peter Pesic, St. John's College
(ppesic@shadow.stjohns-nm.edu); Ray Williamson, George Washington
University (rwill555@aol.com); Michael Zeilik, University of New Mexico
(zeilik@chicoma.la.unm.edu)
...........................................................................
Item 4 ENHA No. 12, Nov 17, 1995
...........................................................................
International Symposium: Mysterium Cosmographicum 1596 - 1996
-------------------------------------------------------------
By Jaroslav Folta and Vladimir Vanysek, Prague, Czech Rep.
****************************
* INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM *
****************************
Mysterium Cosmographicum
1596 - 1996
FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT
Dear Colleague,
Next year the scientific community will commemorate 400
years anniversary of Johannes Kepler's finishing his Mysterium
Cosmographicum. The same year we commemorate also the 450 anniversary of
Tycho Brahe s birthday. The Society for the History of Sciences and
Technology in Prague, together with Czech Astronomical Society,
Astronomical Institutions of Charles University and Academy of Sciences of
Czech Republic, the Union of Czech Mathematicians and Physicists, National
Tecnical Museum and the Astronomical Observatory of Prague will organize a
symposium devoted to the history and present status of our ideas about the
structure and evolution of the Universe since a concept of cosmological
research was formulated by Kepler in his Mysterium.
The symposium will be held at Prague, National Technical
Museum, August 19 - 22, 1996. Topics include: The conceptual role of
Mysterium Cosmographicum in the Kepler's own work and its influence on the
scientific ideas of 17th century. Development of Newtonian cosmology. New
approaches in 18th - 19th century from insular Universe up to the modern
contemporary cosmological theories.
The aim of the Conference will be to encourage intensive
discussions, and to develope interactions and exchanges between
participants. The sessions will be devoted to the individual oral
contribution, with ample time for discussion.
All participants who wish to submit a contribution will be
asked to send an abstract before April 15, 1996. A booklet of abstracts
will be distributed at the time of the Conference. Proceedings will be
published in a form of PC floppy disk in a commonly acceptable editor
format. Detailed information with preliminary program will be distributed
in February 1996.
We should appreciate if you could be able to attend this
meeting which will certainly benefit from your presence. To receive
subsequent mailings concerning this Conference, please return the enclosed
form before October 31, 1995. For a better organization of the meeting, it
is important for the organizers to know, as soon as possible, about
expected number of participants. We thank you in advance for your
cooperation.
Jaroslav Folta Vladimir Vanysek
Society for the History Astronomical Institute
of Science and Technology Charles University
and of Prague
National Technical Museum E-mail: VANYSEK@EARN.CVUT.CZ
Prague
Mysterium Cosmographicum 1596 - 1996
Prague, Czech Republic
August 19-22, 1996
Indication of interest form :
---------------------------
Name: ..........................................
Address: ..........................................
..........................................
..........................................
..........................................
Telephone: ....................
Fax: ....................
E-mail: ....................
- I plan to attend the conference
and to contribute with topics:.....................................
...................................................................
...................................................................
- I am not sure I can attend, but I wish to
remain on your mailing list.
- I suggest to sent this information to Ms/Mr :
........................................................................
........................................................................
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please send this form before October 31, 1995, to :
Dr J. Folta
Mysterium Cosmographicum
National Technical Museum
Kostelni 42
170 78 Praha 7
Czech Republic
fax: 00 42 2 379151
...........................................................................
Item 5 ENHA No. 12, Nov 17, 1995
...........................................................................
450 anniversary of the birth of Tycho Brahe - a project
-------------------------------------------------------
By Alena Hadravova and Petr Hadrava, Prague, Czech Rep.
Dear colleagues,
It is well known that in 1996 (December 14) there will be 450 anniversary
of the birth of Tycho Brahe.
As members of Czech astronomical community we feel that we owe a
particular tribute to Tycho Brahe, who contributed significantly to the
golden age of our science in our country. To bring the personality of
Tycho and his work from the world of legends closer to the understanding of
our contemporary society, we decided to translate from the Latin original
into Czech his complete book "Astronomiae instauratae mecanica" (frankly
speaking, the initial impulse was the fascination with this marvelous
treatise).
Recently, the project was enriched by the idea to publish the translation
together with a facsimile of the first coloured edition of Mecanica
(Wandesburgi in arce 1598). This idea could, in principle, cross the
border of our country. This is why we are approaching you with the
following questions: 1. Do you think that the new facsimile would be
useful in your country or elsewhere? If yes, could you give us your
estimate how many copies will be needed? 2. Do you think that a
translation into English (new or a revision of that 50 years old) or into
another language should be published at this occasion? If yes, could you
join us with a person able and willing to take part in it?
Please be so kind and let us know your opinion on the above outlined
project or forward this letter to other colleagues, whom it may concern.
Yours faithfully
Alena Hadravova, Inst. for Classical Studies
& Petr Hadrava, Astronomical Inst.
E-mail: had@sunstel.asu.cas.cz
Malostranske nam. 27, 118 00 Praha 1, Czech Rep.
...........................................................................
Item 6 ENHA No. 12, Nov 17, 1995
...........................................................................
A search for help and those who are interested
----------------------------------------------
Dr. med. Friedrich Wilhelm Baehrens (Mozartstr. 23, 12247 Berlin, Tel.
030/771 73 34)) is searching for the whereabouts of the combined compass
instrument (boussole) from the time-period around 1790, that Dr. Joh.
Chr. Fr. Baehrens from Schwerte/Ruhr in Westfalen built. The instrument
was assembled from a magnetic compass, quadrant, astronomical telescope
with level, ringed sundial, sight rule and tripod.
Reference: J.Chr.F. Baehrens, Beschreibung einer neuen
astronomisch-geometrischen Boussole ..., Halle 1793.
The University Observatory (Universitaets-Sternwarte) at Jena, with the
support of the Heinrich-Schuetz-Haus Bad Koestritz, will build a model of
Kepler's "Mysterium cosmographicum". The outer diameter should comprise at
least one meter, and the outer shell will be transparent. If there is any
further interest in obtaining such a model, please contact R. Schielicke
(for address see Imprint).
...........................................................................
Item 7 ENHA No. 12, Nov 17, 1995
...........................................................................
Exhibits
--------
Within the framework of the exhibit being put forth by the University of
Regensburg "Scholarly Regensburg - City of the sciences" documents to the
history of astronomy will be shown in the "Leerer Beutel" building of the
Museums of the City of Regensburg from 6 October to 29 November 1995.
Topics on display will be the controversy about Wilhelm von Hirsau's
astronomy in the 11th century, the mathematical-astronomical studies of the
Emmeram Group of learned monks around Fridericus Amann, and also the topic
of 'Salon astronomy' during the 18th century. Among the components on
display will be original instruments from the earlier collection of the
monestary St. Emmeram. To better understand the exhibit there will be an
guide book on hand (see section 'New Books').
Place: "Leerer Beutel", Regensburg, Bertoldstrasse 9
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 10am - 4pm, entrance is free
Those interested may contact: Prof. Dr. Christoph Meinel,
Lehrstuhl fuer Wissenschaftsgeschichte, Universitaet Regensburg,
D-93040 Regensburg, E-mail: Christoph.Meinel@psk.uni-regensburg.de
'The Measurers: a Flemish Image of Mathematics in the Sixteenth Century'
is a Special Exhibition running at the Museum of the History of Science in
Oxford until the 15th of December, 1995. The exhibition is centered around
a very unusual and important painting in the Museum's collection, known
simply as 'The Measurers'. The painting depicts a range of practical
activities, foremost among them mathematical instrument making, and is used
in the context of the exhibition both as a starting point for a discussion
of the practical mathematics movement of Renaissance Europe and as a means
of organizing the display of a large number of scientific instruments,
texts and other related objects. The exhibition included also some history
of astronomy items.
A virtual version of the exhibition has been derived from the printed
catalogue that accompanies the exhibition and includes over 6000 words of
text together with some 150 or so images illustrating a selection of the
objects on display. This virtual exhibition can be found in the Internet
(WWW) at URL
http://info.ox.ac.uk/departments/hooke/measurers/text/contents.htm .
Opening hours: 12 noon - 4 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday, free admission.
Location of the museum: at the very centre of Oxford, on Broad Street,
next to the Sheldonian Theatre and directly opposite Blackwell's Bookshop.
[Source: Sphaera - the newsletter of the Museum of the History of Science,
Oxford, Issue No. 1, Spring 1995, p. 1; No. 2, Autumn 1995, p. 3.
Internet (WWW): http://info.ox.ac.uk/departments/hooke/ and subpages]
'The Artist and the Moon: an exhibition to mark the 250th anniversary of
the birth of John Russell, R. A.' opens at the Museum of the History of
Science, Oxford, UK, on the 16th of October and continues until the 28th of
January, 1996. Royal Academician and Painter to George III, John Russell
was a specialist in crayon portraits. He became London's leading
pastellist of the late eighteenth century. Like that other fashionable
artist of the day, the musician William Herschel, Russell was a dedicated
and enthusiastic astronomer. He concentrated his efforts on the moon,
working tirelessly to make an accurate record of the lunar surface. The
Museum of the History of Science has the major collection of work relating
to Russell's lunar observations - material formerly in the possession of
the Radcliffe Observatory.
Opening hours and location of the museum: see above
[Source: Sphaera - the newsletter of the Museum of the History of Science,
Oxford, Issue No. 2, Autumn 1995, p. 2. Internet (WWW):
http://info.ox.ac.uk/departments/hooke/sphaera/issue2/text.htm#Article4]
...........................................................................
Item 8 ENHA No. 12, Nov 17, 1995
...........................................................................
Conference Calendar 1996
------------------------
24 - 30 July 1996, Braga, Portugal
"Historia e Educado Matematica" - international conference on using history
of mathematics in mathematics education
Among the proposed themes: Navigational mathematics and the age of
discoveries
Languages: English, French and Portuguese
Please register your interest and request a second announcement of the
meeting by sending a note with your name, address, phone, fax and e-mail
to: Eduardo Veloso, APM, Escola Superior de Educado de Lisboa, Rua
Carolina Michaelis de Vasconcelos, 1500 Lisboa, PORTUGAL.
Fax: 351 1 7166424, e-mail: veloso@telepac.pt.
Please specify the language of your preference - English, French or
Portuguese - for the second announcement.
...........................................................................
Item 9 ENHA No. 12, Nov 17, 1995
...........................................................................
New Books
---------
Beck, Friedrich; Henning, Eckart (Eds.): Die archivalischen Quellen.
Eine Einfuehrung in ihre Benutzung [The archival sources, An introduction
in their use.] 2nd edition. Weimar: Verlag Hermann Boehlaus Nachfolger,
1994. 298 pp., 79 illus., ISBN 3-7400-0882-2, Hb DM 38.00
(= Veroeffentlichungen des Brandenburgischen Landeshauptarchivs Potsdam,
Bd. 29)
[Instructions for usage of archival sources from the time period from the
Middle Ages to the present day: original documents, papers, administration
books, letters, wittnesses, maps, new mediums; scientific help: scripts
and writing materials, styles, seals, arms, dating, names, coins,
measures and weights]
Broughton, Peter: Looking up: a history of the Royal Astronomcial Society
of canada. Dundurn Press, 1994. Pp. xiv, 288, ISBN 1-55002-208-3,
Can$34.95 (hb) + $5 shipping
[distribution: RASC, 136 Dupont Street, Toronto, Ontario M5R 1V2]
Chapman, Allan: Jeremiah Horrocks and Much Hoole. [Much Hoole], 1994.
Pp. 12, GBP 3.00 incl. p&p. (pb)
[distribution: The Rev. H. Pugh, The Rectory, 69 Liverpool Old Road,
Much Hoole, Preston PR4 4GA, Great Britain]
Review: D.Stickland: The Observatory 115 (1995) 1125, 99
Science with a vengeance: How the military created the US space sciences
after World War II. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1993. Pp. xxii, 404,
ISBN 0-387-94137-1, $ 39.95 (pb)
[paperbound edition of 1992 hardcover]
Fantoli, Annibale: Galileo. For copernicanism and for the church.
Vatican City: Vatican Observatory and University of Notre Dame, IN, 1994.
Pp. 540, ISBN 0-268-01029-3, $ 21.95 (pb)
Review: A.Blair: The Observatory 115 (1995) 1126, 140-141
Ferrara, A.; McKee, C.F.; Heiles, C.; Shapiro, P.R. (Eds.): The physics of
the interstellar medium and intergalactic medium. A meeting in honor of
Professor George B. Field. EIPC, Marciana Marina, Isola d'Elba, Italy,
20-24 June 1994. San Francisco, Ca.: Astronomical Society of the Pacific,
1995. Pp. xx, 593, ISBN 0-937707-99-6
(= Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series, Vol. 80)
[Contains also biographic notes in the introduction, a scientific
genealogy of George B. Field (b. 1929), and music and words to "When
George Was a Lad"]
Freitag, Ruth S.: The battle of the centuries : a list of references.
Washington, DC: Library of Congress, 1995. Pp. xi, 57, ill., bibl. ref.,
index, ISBN 0-8444-0809-3
[bibliography of the dispute as to when a century ends, 1697-1992]
Gelehrtes Regensburg. Staetten der Forschung im Wandel der Zeit.
[Scholarly Regensburg. Places of research during the changing times.]
Regensburg: Universitaetsverlag Regensburg, 1995. 228 pp., illus.,
ISBN 3-930480-62-X, DM 39.80
[Guide book to the exhibit in Regensburg, 6th October - 19th November
1995, see section "Exhibits"; also on the History of Astronomy in
Regensburg]
Goddard, Dorothy E.; Milne, D.K. (Eds.): Parkes - thirty years of radio
astronomy. East Melbourne: CSRIO [Australian Commonwealth Scientific and
eIndustrial Research Organisation] Publications, 1994. Pp. ix, 161,
ISBN 0-643-05547-9, $A 40.00, $US 40.00
Review: E.R.Seaquist: J. Roy. Astron. Soc. Can. 89 (1995) 3, 129-131
R.D.Davies: The Observatory 115 (1995) 1125, 101-102
Harrison, Hilda Mary: Voyager in time and space: the life of John Couch
Adams, Cambridge astronomer. Lewes: The Book Guild, 1994. Pp. xii, 282,
ISBN 0-86332-918-7, GBP 15.00 (hb)
Review: A.Chapman: J. Brit. Astron. Assoc. 105 (1995) 4, 188
R.McKim: The Observatory 115 (1995) 1125, 110
Heitzer, Elisabeth: Das Bild des Kometen in der Kunst. Untersuchungen zur
ikonographischen und ikonologischen Tradition des geschweiften Sterns in
der Kunst vom 14. bis zum 18. Jahrhundert. [Pictures of comets in art.
Studies on the iconography and iconological tradition of comets in art
forms ranging from the 14th to the 18th century.] Berlin: Verlag Ullstein,
1995. 224 pp., 17 x 24 cm, 75 illus., ISBN 3-7861-1726-8, Hb DM 74.00
(= Studien z. profanen Ikonogr., 4)
Ilgauds, Hans-Joachim; Muenzel, Gisela: Die Leiziger
Universitaetssternwarten auf der Pleissenburg und im Johannistal.
Astronomische Schulen von Weltruf. [The Leipzig University observatories
at the Pleissenburg and in Johannistal. Astronomical schools of worldwide
fame.] Beucha: Sax-Verlag 1995. 55 pp., ISBN 3-930076-11-X, Pb DM 12.00
(= Leipziger Hefte)
Iven, Mathias (Ed.): 3 x Foerster. Beitraege zu Leben und Werk von
Wilhelm Foerster, Friedrich Wilhelm Foerster und Karl Foerster.
[3 x Foerster. Contributions to the life and work of Wilhelm Foerster,
Friedrich Wilhelm Foerster and Karl Foerster.] Milow: Schibri-Verlag,
1995. 267 pp., ISBN 3-928878-29-8, Pb DM 24.80
[with contributions on the astronomer Wilhelm Foerster by M.Iven,
G.Porikys, K.Foerster, R.Feyl, O.Luehrs, K.-H.Tiemann, A.Zenkert,
E.Buschmann, H.-J.Kummer und W.R.Dick and letters by Wilhelm Foerster]
Jahresbericht des Physikalischen Vereins zu Frankfurt am Main fuer die Zeit
vom 1.1.1991 bis zum 31.12.1991, 166. Vereinsjahr. [Yearly report of the
Physics Association in Frankfurt am Main for the time from 1 Jan. 1991 up
until 31 Dec. 1991, 166th year.] Frankfurt a.M., 1994. 267 pp.
[with contributions on Karl Schwarzschild by E.Geyer, H.H.Voigt, B.Baschek
and H.Oleak]
Langkavel, Arno: Astronomen auf Reisen wiederentdeckt. Denkmaeler,
Gedenktafeln und Graeber bekannter und unbekannter Astronomen.
[Astronomers rediscovered during travels. Memorials, commemorative plaques
and graves of known and unknown astronomers.] Quakenbrueck: Verlag
Theodor Thoben, 1995. 223 pp., 157 illus., ISBN 3-921176-75-1, Hb DM 27.80
[157 memorials for 95 astronomers in 63 towns]
Levy, David H.: The quest for comets: An explosive trail of beauty and
danger. Plenum Press, 1994. Pp. xvii, 280, $ 23.95 (hb)
[personal view of the history and attraction of comet discovery]
Review: J.Lancashire: J. Brit. Astron. Assoc. 105 (1995) 2, 91
D.Chapman: J. Roy. Astron. Soc. Can. 89 (1995) 1, 36-37
McCurdy, Howard E.: Inside NASA: high technology and organizational change
in the U. S. space program. Baltimore, London: The Johns Hopkins
University Press, 1993. Pp. 215, ISBN 0-8018-4452-5, $ 32.95
Moore, Patrick: The great astronomical revolution: 1534-1687 and the space
age epilogue. Chichester: Albion Publishing, 1994. Pp. 258,
ISBN 1-898563-18-7, GBP 17.50 (hb), ISBN 1-898563-19-5, GBP 9.95 (pb)
[revised edition of "Watchers of the stars" (1973); no bibliography]
Review: R.Baum: J. Brit. Astron. Assoc. 105 (1995) 2, 91
North, John D.: The Norton history of astronomy and cosmology.
New York, London: W.W.Norton & Co., 1995. ISBN 0-393-03656-1, $ 35.00
[new edition of the "Fontana history of astronomy and cosmology", 1994]
Peterson, Ivars: Newton's clock: chaos in the solar system.
W.H.Freeman and Co., 1995. Pp. 317, ISBN 0-7167-2724-2, $ 15.95 (pb)
[paperbound edition of the 1993 hardback]
Roettel, Karl (Ed.): Peter Apian. Astronomie, Cosmographie und
Mathematik zu Beginn der Neuzeit. [Astronomy, cosmography and mathematics
at the beginning of the new ages.] Buxheim: Polygon Verlag, 1995.
c. 400 pp., c. 250 illus., ISBN 3-928671-12-X, Hb c. DM 40.00
[In the jubilee edition with exhibit catalog over 30 authors describe Peter
Apian's life, his works and his milieue.]
Ruggles, Clive L.N.; Saunders, Nicolas J. (Eds.): Astronomies and cultures.
University Press of Colorado, 1993. Pp. 344, ISBN 0-87081-319-6, $ 39.95
[papers from the third Oxford conference on Archaeoastronomy, 1990]
Sagdeev, Roald Z.: The making of a Soviet scientist : my adventures in
nuclear fusion and space from Stalin to Star Wars. Edited by Susan
Eisenhower. Foreword by Carl Sagan. New York, Chichester, Brisbane,
Toronto, Singapore: John Wiley & Sons, 1994. Pp. xi, 339,
ISBN 0-471-02031-1, $ 24.95 (hb)
[classic memoir of a top-ranked international scientist, former
director of the Soviet Space Resarch Institute, leader of the joint
U.S.-Soviet Apollo-Soyuz mission, the Venera series to Venus, and the
international missions to Halley's Comet]
Schroeder, Daniel J. (Ed.): Selected papers on astronomical optics.
Bellingham, WA, USA: SPIE Optical Engineering Press, 1993. Pp. 630,
ISBN 0-8194-1123-X, $125.00 (hb), ISBN 0-8194-1124-8, $110.00 (pb)
[65 papers from Ritchey and Chretien (1927) and Bernhard Schmidt (1930)
to the present]
Tanford, Charles; Reynolds, Jacqueline: A travel guide to scientific sites
of the British Isles: a guide to people, places and landmarks of science.
Chichester, New York, Brisbane, Toronto, Singapore: John Wiley & Sons,
1995. Pp. viii, 344, ISBN 0-471-95270-2, $ 16.95 (pb)
[museums, homes, churches, memorials, laboratories, including those of
astronomy]
Warner, Brian (Ed.): John Herschel 1792-1992. Cape Town: Royal Society of
South Africa, 1994. Pp. iv, 140, ISBN 0-958-39581-0, GBP 12, $ 20 (pb)
Review: R.H.Koch: The Observatory 115 (1995) 1127, 221
Warner, Brian: Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope, 1820-1831. The
founding of a colonial observatory. Dordrecht, Boston, London: Kluwer
Academic Publishers, 1995. Pp. 256, ISBN 0-7923-3527-9,
NLG 165.00 / GBP 75.00
Wolfschmidt, Gudrun: Milchstrasse - Nebel - Galaxien. Strukturen im
Kosmos von Herschel bis Hubble. [Milky Way - Nebula - Galaxies:
structures in the cosmos from Herschel to Hubble.] Muenchen:
R. Oldenbourg Verlag, 1995. 186 pp., ISBN 3-486-26308-0, Pb DM 35.00
(= Deutsches Museum, Abhandlungen und Berichte, Neue Folge, Band 11)
...........................................................................
Item 10 ENHA No. 12, Nov 17, 1995
...........................................................................
New special issue of "Mitteilungen zur Astronomiegeschichte"
------------------------------------------------------------
Together with Number 6 of "Mitteilungen zur Astronomiegeschichte" (June
1995) the members of the Working Group for the History of Astronomy
received Special Issue No. 4 free of charge. Non-members in Germany may
order this issue by sending DM 2.00 in stamps to the secretary of the WG
(address see Imprint). Those outside Germany who are interested may get it
free of charge. The new issue contains a bibliography of publications of
the members of the WG in the year 1993 as well as personal bibliographies
of Lajos Bartha (Budapest) and Gisela Muenzel (Leipzig).
...........................................................................
Acknowledgements:
-----------------
For information we thank:
Jim A. Bennett (Oxford), Peter Brosche (Daun), Peter Broughton (Toronto),
Ruth S. Freitag (Washington, DC), Arno Langkavel (Loeningen), Christoph
Meinel (Regensburg), Gisela Muenzel (Leipzig), Joseph S. Tenn (Rohnert
Park, CA), Gudrun Wolfschmidt (Muenchen).
...........................................................................
Imprint
-------
Electronic Newsletter for the History of Astronomy (ENHA)
Published by the Working Group for the History of Astronomy in the
Astronomische Gesellschaft
A translation of "Elektronische Mitteilungen zur Astronomiegeschichte"
Editor: Dr. Wolfgang R. Dick <wdi@potsdam.ifag.de>
Translated by: Mr. Donald Bellunduno <76450.1741@compuserve.com>
All news which is not mentioned by name are editorial contributions.
Articles as well as information for the several sections will be gladly
received.
Copyright Statement:
Reproduction of single items permitted when source is indicated.
Subscription for the ENHA is free. In order to obtain a subscription
inside Germany, one must first obtain a subscription for the
printed Mitteilungen zur Astronomiegeschichte (MA).
[Mitteilungen zur Astronomiegeschichte:
Price: DM 1.50 / issue plus postage and packing costs
outside Germany: free
Subscription: Send in DM 2.50 (one issue) or DM 5.00 (Nos. 4-5) in
stamps to the editor
Editor: Dr. W. R. Dick, Otterkiez 14,
D-14478 Potsdam, Germany, Tel.: (+331) 863199
]
Astronomische Gesellschaft / Astronomical Society:
Chairman: Prof. Dr. Hanns Ruder, University of Tuebingen, Theoretical
Astrophysics and Computational Physics, Auf der Morgenstelle 10, D-72076
Tuebingen
Secretary: Dr. G. Klare, Landessternwarte, Koenigstuhl,
D-69117 Heidelberg
Arbeitskreis Astronomiegeschichte / Working Group for the History of
Astronomy:
Chairman: Prof. Dr. Peter Brosche, Observatorium Hoher List der
Sternwarte der Universitaet Bonn, D-54550 Daun, Germany,
Tel.: (+6592) 2150, Fax: (+6592) 2937
Secretary: Dr. Wolfgang R. Dick, Institut fuer Angewandte Geodaesie,
Aussenstelle Potsdam, Postfach 60 08 08, D-14408 Potsdam, Germany,
Tel.: (+331) 316 619, E-mail: wdi@potsdam.ifag.de
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address: dick@gfz-potsdam.de)
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E-mail: schie@georg.astro.uni-jena.de
Secretary for Public Relations: Dr. Gudrun Wolfschmidt, Deutsches
Museum, Museumsinsel 1, D-80538 Muenchen, Germany, Tel.: (+89) 2179 277,
Fax: (+89) 2179 324, E-mail: t7911ac@sunmail.lrz-muenchen.de
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