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Electronic newsletter for the history of astronomy 44
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* *
* ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER FOR THE HISTORY OF ASTRONOMY *
* *
* Published by the Working Group for the History of Astronomy *
* in the Astronomische Gesellschaft *
* *
* Number 44, October 6, 2000 *
* *
* Edited by: Wolfgang R. Dick *
* *
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Contents
--------
1. The Stewart Museum Globe Symposium - Programme
2. Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin Centenary Symposium
3. Annual Meeting of the History of Science Society
4. Fifth Biennial History of Astronomy Workshop
5. SEAC 2001: Annual Meeting of the European Society for Astronomy in
Culture
6. Symposium on Michael Maestlin - short announcement
7. The Herbert C. Pollock Award
Acknowledgements
Imprint
...........................................................................
Item 1 ENHA No. 44, October 6, 2000
...........................................................................
The Stewart Museum Globe Symposium - Programme
----------------------------------------------
(From: "Elektronische Mitteilungen zur Astronomiegeschichte" Nr. 52,
6. Oktober 2000, Item 3.)
Stewart Museum, Ile Sainte-Helene, Montreal
19-22 October 2000
(Programme as of 20 July 2000)
Thursday - 19 October 2000
6:00 p.m. Registration and reception (1195 Sherbrooke Street West)
Friday - 20 October 2000
8:30 a.m. Symposium registration and opening (Grande Poudriere,
Ile Sainte-Helene)
9:15 a.m. "Looking at the Earth from Outer Space: Ancient Views
on the Power of Globes" Christian Jacob, Centre National de la
Recherche Scientifique, Paris
10:30 a.m. "'The Doctrine of the Sphere': A Forgotten Chapter in
the History of Terrestrial and Celestial Globes" Elly Dekker,
Linschoten, The Netherlands
12:00 noon Introduction to the globe exhibition, viewing and lunch
2:00 p.m. "La symbolique du globe dans les arts graphiques en
Occident, XVIe-XVIIIe siecle : la lecon des livres d'emblemes et
d'iconologie" Catherine Hofmann, Departement des cartes et
plans, Bibliotheque nationale de France (to be presented in
French; English translation will be available)
3:20 p.m. "An Art Historian's Approach to Globes" Robert Derome,
departement d'histoire de l'art, Universite du Quebec a Montreal
4:30 - 6:00 p.m. Viewing of exhibition
7:00 p.m. Dinner (Festin du Gouverneur)
Saturday - 21 October 2000
9:00 a.m. "Globe Production in the Low Countries and Its Impact
in Europe, 1525-1650" Peter van der Krogt, University of
Utrecht, The Netherlands
10:30 a.m. "Celestial Globes: Origins and Innovations" Elly Dekker,
Linschoten, The Netherlands
1:30 p.m. "La restauration des globes anciens : la reintegration des
lacunes" Alain Roger, restaurateur, chef de travaux d'art,
Bibliotheque nationale de France (to be presented in French;
English translation will be available)
4:00 p.m. Leave by bus for the Laurentian Mountains, north of Montreal
7:00 p.m. Reception and dinner
Sunday - 22 October 2000
9:30 a.m. "More than just Spheres: A Curator's Vision for a New
Globe Museum in Vienna" Jan Mokre, Curator of the Globe
Museum, Austrian National Library, Vienna
11:00 a.m. Symposium wrap-up session and discussion
12:30 p.m. Farewell lunch
The registration fee, which will include lunches and dinners during the
symposium, is $285 (Canadian). This fee also includes a complimentary copy
of the lavishly illustrated book, _Sphaerae Mundi: Early Globes at the
Stewart Museum_ (retail: $50 CDN). The registration deadline is 8
September 2000. (If space is still available after that date, the fee will
be $325).
Participation will be limited to 75 persons. English will be the principal
language of the symposium.
For further information concerning such matters as accommodation, and in
order to receive the registration form, please contact the globe symposium
secretary:
Nadia Hammadi - nhammadi@stewart-museum.org
Stewart Museum, PO Box 1200, Station A, Montreal (Qc), H3C 2Y9, Canada
Tel: (514)861-6703, ext. 260 / Fax: (514)284-0123
Please feel free to contact one of the three symposium organizers for
further information:
Ed Dahl - edahl@iosphere.net
Jean-Francois Gauvin - jfgauvin@stewart-museum.org
Eileen Meillon - emeillon@stewart-museum.org
[Text provided by Jean-Francois Gauvin.]
...........................................................................
Item 2 ENHA No. 44, October 6, 2000
...........................................................................
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin Centenary Symposium
--------------------------------------------
(From: "Elektronische Mitteilungen zur Astronomiegeschichte" Nr. 52,
6. Oktober 2000, Item 4.)
On 26-27 October 2000 a centenary symposium in honor of Cecilia
Payne-Gaposchkin will be held at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for
Astrophysics.
Cecilia Helena Payne-Gaposchkin was the second woman to become a fully
tenured professor in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard (the first
in the natural sciences), and simultaneously the first woman department
chairman. Born and educated in England, she came to America in 1923 to
seek wider opportunities in her chosen science, astronomy. At Harvard
College Observatory she wrote what the eminent astrophysicist Otto Struve
later called "the most brilliant PhD thesis ever written in astronomy," and
in 1934 the dean of American astronomers, Henry Norris Russell, wrote that
the best candidate in America to be his successor at Princeton "alas, is a
woman!", an obvious reference to Cecilia Payne in an age when neither
Harvard nor Princeton would have dared to consider a woman faculty member.
Not until the 1950s would Harvard finally have the temerity to appoint a
woman to a regular Arts and Sciences faculty position.
This autumn, in the centennial year of her birth, the Harvard-Smithsonian
Center for Astrophysics will host a symposium in her honor. The program of
speakers includes former students, family, old friends, and experts on
topics related to her astrophysical interests, which encompassed among
others stellar spectroscopy, variable stars and photometry, galactic
structure and stellar evolution. The proceedings will be published by the
L. Davis Press. The organizing committee consists of Owen Gingerich,
Andrea Dupree, Kathy Haramundanis, Dave Latham, Dave Philip, and Virginia
Trimble.
Registered participants are invited to join us for a reception and banquet
on Thursday evening at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in
Cambridge. The reception starts at 6:00 p.m. and the meal will be served
at 7:00 p.m. The meal choices are Grilled Chilean Seabass, Seared
Lambchops, or Vegetarian. This event is partially sponsored, so the cost
to participants is only $45.
Please register at http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/cpg/regform.html if you wish
to participate. The deadline is 18 October 2000.
- $5 for a name badge and Friday morning coffee
- $8 late registration for a name badge and Friday morning coffee
after 18 October
- $30 for badge, coffee, Friday box lunch, and symposium volume
- $45 for the Thursday evening reception and banquet at the American
Academy (actual cost $115)
If you have difficulty with the registration form, mail your check and
registration information to
CPG Centenary Registration MS-15
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
60 Garden Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
More information is available at the Symposium Website:
http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/cpg/
More information about Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (1900-1979) can be
found at:
http://www.astro.uni-bonn.de/~pbrosche/persons/pers_payne-gaposchkin.html
[This text is based on the symposium's website. Thanks to Larry Klaes
for drawing my attention to this symposium by sending a CfA Press Release
to HASTRO-L.]
...........................................................................
Item 3 ENHA No. 44, October 6, 2000
...........................................................................
Annual Meeting of the History of Science Society
------------------------------------------------
(From: "Elektronische Mitteilungen zur Astronomiegeschichte" Nr. 52,
6. Oktober 2000, Item 5.)
The annual meeting of the History of Science Society will be held in
Vancouver, Canada, November 2-5, 2000. Among the sessions scheduled are
three which should appeal to historians of astronomy:
"Cultures of 20th-Century Astronomy," with papers by Matthew Stanley,
Keith R. Lafortune, Abha Sur, David P.D. Munns, and JoAnn Palmeri, Friday,
November 3
"Astronomy and Its Histories: A Session in Honor of Owen Gingerich," with
papers by Robert S. Westman, Sara Schechner, James R. Voelkel / Owen
Gingerich, and Joann Eisberg, Saturday, November 4
"Theory Comes West: The Beginnings of Theoretical Astrophysics in Western
America," with presentations by David DeVorkin, Donald Osterbrock, and
Karl Hufbauer, Saturday, November 4
Contact address:
HSS Executive Office
Attn: Vancouver Meeting
University of Washington, Box 351330
Seattle, WA 98195-1330
USA
Telephone: (206) 543-9366 (during regular business hours,
Pacific Coast time)
FAX: (206) 685-9544
E-mail: hssexec@u.washington.edu
More information on the meeting can be obtained from the website at
http://depts.washington.edu/hssexec/annual/
During the History of Science Society meeting the Special Interest Group
for the history of astronomy will meet on the evening of Friday, November
3. Contacts: Marc Rothenberg, e-mail: rothenbergm@osia.si.edu
[Based on the meeting's website and on a message sent by Marc Rothenberg
to HASTRO-L.]
...........................................................................
Item 4 ENHA No. 44, October 6, 2000
...........................................................................
Fifth Biennial History of Astronomy Workshop
--------------------------------------------
The Fifth Biennial History of Astronomy Workshop will be held July 5-8,
2001 at the University of Notre Dame. The workshop is sponsored by Notre
Dame's Graduate Program in History and Philosophy of Science, Notre Dame's
Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values, the History of Astronomy
Special Interest Group of the History of Science Society, and the
Historical Astronomy Division of the American Astronomical Society.
Steven Dick and Marc Rothenberg are program co-chairs. Persons wishing to
present work in progress papers or poster papers should submit a title and
abstract of approximately 200 words to one of the program co-chairs by Feb.
15, 2001, indicating preference for oral or poster presentation. Proposals
will be accepted in a number of forms, but because the abstracts of papers
accepted for the conference will appear on the conference website, we
prefer electronic submissions. Write either Steven J. Dick, U.S. Naval
Observatory, 3450 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20392-5420,
USA, E-mail: dick.steve@usno.navy.mil, tel. 202-762-0379; or Marc
Rothenberg, Joseph Henry Papers Project, Smithsonian Institution Archives,
Washington, DC 20560-0429, USA, E-mail: josephhenr@aol.com.
The local arrangements chair for the workshop is Matt Dowd, who can be
reached at Graduate Program in History and Philosophy of Science, Univ. of
Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, or E-mail: Matthew.F.Dowd.11@nd.edu.
Persons wishing to register should contact: Astronomy, Center for
Continuing Education, Univ. of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, E-mail:
cce.cce.1@nd.edu. The registration fee of $75 includes the cost of the
banquet. Housing is available in new air conditioned dormitories at $29
per night for a single, $23 per night for a double.
The conference will include a book exhibit and display tables.
Participants are welcome to bring materials to display. Contact Matt Dowd
with regard to how much space will be needed.
Regarding transportation, flights come to the South Bend from a number of
major cities. Persons arriving via Chicago can take the United Limo Bus,
which runs from the United Terminal at O'Hare Airport directly to the Notre
Dame campus. Round-trip fare is $57. For a schedule and reservations,
call United Limo at (800)833-5555. For those driving, ample parking is
available. A campus map and parking information will be sent in the CCE
information packet.
To supply periodically updated information and a downloadable registration
form, Matt Dowd has prepared a webpage for the workshop:
http://www.nd.edu/~histast4/ndvinfo/
The sixty-five historians of astronomy who attended the Fourth Biennial
History of Astronomy Workshop, held at Notre Dame in July, 1999, praised
the lively and informed sessions, the comfortable and informal atmosphere,
and the reasonable room rates.
[Based on a message sent by Steven J. Dick to HASTRO-L.]
...........................................................................
Item 5 ENHA No. 44, October 6, 2000
...........................................................................
SEAC 2001: Annual Meeting of the European Society for Astronomy in Culture
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stockholm, August 27-30, 2001
Program and general information
Date and location: SEAC 2001 will be held 27-30 August 2001, at the Old
Observatory in the centre of Stockholm. The observatory is now a museum
run by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is within easy reach of
hotels, restaurants, cafes, pizzerias, etc., many with moderate to low
prices.
Theme for the conference: Symbols, calendars and orientations: legacies
of astronomy in culture The theme for the present conference capitalises on
the opportunity to provide deeper acquaintance with the early Swedish
evidence for astronomical knowledge: rock art representations of celestial
phenomena and also symbolic and functional orientations to celestial
events, some of which give information about early ritual calendars. At
the same time the conference, as usual, remains open for papers on new and
on-going projects.
Preliminary program: Three keynote talks are planned relating to Swedish
archaeology and history of astronomy. Aside from the keynote talks, each
paper will be allotted 25 minutes with an additional 5 minutes for
questions.
Sunday, 26 August:
arrival in Stockholm
Monday, 27 August:
registration 8:30-10:00 with coffee
morning session 10-13
lunch 13-14
afternoon session 14-19, with break for coffee
reception
Tuesday, 28 August:
morning session 9-13, with break for coffee
excursion to the Royal Burial Mounds at Old Uppsala 13-19, with lunch
Wednesday, 29 August:
morning session 9-13, with break for coffee
lunch 13-14
afternoon session 14-19, with break for
coffee
Thursday, 30 August:
morning session 9-13, with break for coffee
lunch 13-14
afternoon session 14-16, followed by coffee
SEAC business meeting 16-18
Friday and Saturday, 31 August-1 September:
two-day optional excursion to Norrkoping and Falbygden to see examples
of Swedish rock art and megalithic tombs
Proposed topics for sessions (suggestions for other topics are welcomed by
the local organising committee):
- Theoretical and methodological perspectives
- Influence of astronomy in art
- Megalithic tombs and their astronomical relationships
- Ritual calendars
- Origins of the constellations
- Reports on new and continuing research
Travel: All major European airlines fly into Arlanda Airport, which is 45
kilometres north of Stockholm. Ryan Air is a low-price alternative. Buses
leave frequently for the train station in Stockholm and, on request, the
bus drivers will order a taxi to be waiting at the station. Current fares
are SEK 60 for bus fare and SEK 160 for bus and taxi within central
Stockholm. Taxi fare from Arlanda to any of the hotels or hostels which
will be recommended by the LOC is SEK 350. This means that a taxi shared
by two or more persons is a good alternative to the bus. Train fare into
Stockholm from Arlanda is SEK 120.
Lodging: An effort will be made to offer hotels and hostels with moderate
prices. These will be announced in November when prices have been set for
2001.
Registration deadlines: The deadlines are 31 March 2001 for early
registration (with reduced registration fee) and 4 May 2001 for final
registration. Registration forms will be provided in November when hotel
prices for 2001 can be offered.
Registration fees: To cover the cost of refreshments, the excursion to Old
Uppsala and minor expenses, there will be a registration fee of 400 Swedish
crowns (SEK) for members from western European countries. Fees paid before
30 March 2001 are reduced to SEK 350. No fee will be required of members
from countries which make them eligible for reduced membership rates. All
accompanying persons will be charged a fee of SEK 400. Final date for
registration and payment of fees is 4 May 2001.
Grants: We hope to be able to offer a few grants to postgraduate students
from western Europe and to students/colleagues from eastern Europe. More
information will follow in the autumn.
Submission of abstracts: The selection of papers will be made on the basis
of an extended abstract of 500-1000 words. These are to be submitted
preferably by Friday, 30 March 2001 and at the latest by Friday, 4 May 2001
which is also the final date for registration. The language of the
conference is English.
Publication of the Proceedings: The Proceedings will be edited by the LOC.
We hope to be able to allot 12 pages to the keynote speakers and 8 pages to
the other conference participants. 1 December 2001 is a firm deadline for
manuscripts. Guide lines will be published later. All articles will be
refereed.
Local Organising Committee:
Mary Blomberg, Department of archaeology and ancient history,
Uppsala university, e-mail: mary.blomberg@antiken.uu.se
Goran Henriksson, Astronomical Observatory, Uppsala university,
e-mail: goran.henriksson@astro.uu.se
Peter Blomberg, Department of archaeology and ancient history,
Uppsala university, e-mail: mary.blomberg@antiken.uu.se
More information is available at the website
http://mikrob.com/SEAC2001/
[Based on the website. Thanks to Mary Blomberg for drawing my attention
to this.]
...........................................................................
Item 6 ENHA No. 44, October 6, 2000
...........................................................................
Symposium on Michael Maestlin - short announcement
--------------------------------------------------
On October 11-13, 2000, the Facultaty of Physics of the University of
Tuebingen in Germany organizes a symposium on Michael Maestlin with
papers presented by F. Rex, J. Hamel, M. Schramm, G. Grasshoff, F. Seck,
J. Smolka, G. Betsch, K. Reich, V. Bialas, and M. Wischnath. A tour
through the town will lead the participants to places from the life and
work of Maestlin and his contemporaries.
For the programme, see the extended announcement in EMA Nr. 52,
6. Oktober 2000, Item 2 (http://www.astro.uni-bonn.de/~pbrosche/aa/ema/).
For more information, contact: Dr. G. Betsch, Furtbrunnen 17,
D-71093 Weil i.S., Germany, Tel. 07157-64059,
E-Mail: Gerhard.Betsch@t-online.de
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Item 7 ENHA No. 44, October 6, 2000
...........................................................................
The Herbert C. Pollock Award
----------------------------
(From: "Elektronische Mitteilungen zur Astronomiegeschichte" Nr. 52,
6. Oktober 2000, Item 6.)
The Herbert C. Pollock Award was established by the Dudley Observatory to
honor the long service of Dr. Pollock as a member and past President of
the Dudley Observatory Board of Trustees.
The purpose of the Award is to provide encouragement and support for an
innovative project in the history of astronomy or astrophysics, to be
undertaken by a faculty member, research associate, or postdoctoral
associated with a college, university, nonprofit research institution or
observatory located in North America. Applications from persons meeting
the other requirements, who are not currently affiliated with any
institution will also be considered. Lists of past winners of the Pollock
Award and their project titles may be found on the next page.
Special consideration will be given to proposals that involve the use of
the Dudley Observatory Archives, the Dudley Collection of early
astronomical works housed at Union College or the Benjamin A. Gould, Jr.
library held by Dudley Observatory.
The Award consists of a maximum of $5,000 to be distributed in the year of
the Award. A recipient of the Pollock Award may not reapply for a new
award for three years.
Application Procedures
The application should include the following parts:
1.) A descriptive title with a brief account of the project, not to exceed
four pages. The description should permit a selection committee of
historians and other scholars to judge what is proposed and how completion
of the project would contribute to historical knowledge.
2.) A one-page nontechnical "executive summary" of the project to be
evaluated by non-historians.
3.) A budget showing how the Award funds would be spent, together with a
description of the applicant's current funding and the funding agency, if
any, for present work. - No Overhead Charges will be permitted.
4.) A biographical sketch and personal bibliography - not to exceed four
pages.
5.) The names and affiliations of two scientists or other scholars who may
be contacted by the Selection Committee, should the need arise, as well as
the name of the applicant's supervisor or Department Chair. Letters of
support should not be included with the application.
The complete application must be received by Dudley Observatory by
December 4, 2000.
Applications should be mailed to:
Dudley Observatory
Suite 201
107 Nott Terrace
Schenectady, New York 12308
USA
Selection Procedures
The Pollock Award Selection Committee will make recommendations to the
Board of Trustees of the Dudley Observatory following review of the
applications. The recipient of the Pollock Award will be announced in
January, 2001.
Fliers giving details for the Award will be available by the end of
September, and will be sent to all who request them. To be added to our
mailing list, contact George Wise, Administrator, Dudley Observatory, at
Dudley@union.edu.
For further information contact Dudley Observatory:
Suite 201
107 Nott Terrace
Schenectady, New York 12308
USA
Phone: (518) 382-7583
Fax: (518) 382-7584
e-mail: dudley@union.edu
URL: www.dudleyobservatory.org
[Based on http://www.dudleyobservatory.org/pollock_award.htm .
Thanks to Steve McCluskey who forwarded a message by Nancy Langford to
HASTRO-L.]
...........................................................................
Acknowledgements
----------------
For providing information for the newsletter I am indebted to
Gerhard Betsch, Mary Blomberg, and Jean-Francois Gauvin.
...........................................................................
Imprint
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Electronic Newsletter for the History of Astronomy (ENHA)
Published by the Working Group for the History of Astronomy in the
Astronomische Gesellschaft
Editor: Dr. Wolfgang R. Dick <wdi@potsdam.ifag.de>
All items without an author's name are editorial contributions.
Articles as well as information for the several sections are appreciated.
Subscription for ENHA is free. Readers and subscribers are asked for
occasional voluntary donations to the working group.
Copyright Statement:
The Electronic Newsletters for the History of Astronomy may be freely
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Non-commercial reproduction of single items in electronic or printed media
is possible only with the editor's permission.
Arbeitskreis Astronomiegeschichte / Working Group for the History of
Astronomy:
URL: http://www.astro.uni-bonn.de/~pbrosche/astoria.html
Chairman: Prof. Dr. Peter Brosche, Observatorium Hoher List der
Sternwarte der Universitaet Bonn, D-54550 Daun, Germany,
Tel.: +49(0)6592 2150, Fax: +49(0)6592 985140
Secretary: Dr. Wolfgang R. Dick, Bundesamt fuer Kartographie und
Geodaesie, Postfach 60 08 08, D-14408 Potsdam,
Germany, Tel.: +49(0)331 316 618, E-mail: wdi@potsdam.ifag.de
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Contributions from foreign countries: acct # 162 18-203, Postgiroamt
Hamburg, BLZ 200 100 20
Please sign with: "Fuer Arbeitskreis Astronomiegeschichte"
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