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Electronic newsletter for the history of astronomy 60
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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 60, August 19, 2005 *
* *
* Edited by: Wolfgang R. Dick and Hilmar W. Duerbeck *
* *
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Contents
--------
1. Nuncius - Journal of the History of Science
2. Historical Astronomy Division (HAD) Meeting
3. Colloquium "Entwicklung der Astrophysik" / "Development of
Astrophysics"
4. 2005 Meeting of the Antique Telescope Society
5. Conference "Curating 20th century science"
6. Conference "Who needs scientific instruments?"
7. African Astronomical History Symposium (AAHS)
8. Conference on Oronce Fine and his time
9. Research project on the history of navigational teaching
10. The Newtonian Moment - Exhibition at the Huntington Library
Acknowledgements
Imprint
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Item 1 ENHA No. 60, August 19, 2005
...........................................................................
Nuncius - Journal of the History of Science
-------------------------------------------
(From: "Elektronische Mitteilungen zur Astronomiegeschichte" Nr. 75,
12. August 2005, Item 1.)
After 20 years of successful presence on the Italian and international
scene of the history of science, Nuncius - Journal of the History of
Science appears with a renewed editorial board, a new layout and a new
structure (www.imss.fi.it/istituto/nuncius/).
Presentation: A journal open to host contributions reflecting different
approaches and themes, Nuncius aims at being a high-quality reference tool
for the international community of the history of science. While the scope
of the journal remains general, Nuncius will occasionally devote special
feature sections to monographic themes of the history of science and
technology which deserve a historiographic reassessment. Contributions and
proposals submitted to the editor are most welcome.
Particular attention has been devoted to the review section: around 100
pages will be devoted to a comprehensive survey of the literature in the
field, highlighting the most innovative contributions with essay reviews.
Nuncius on-line: A new and important feature of the journal is the on-line
edition; issues of the Annali dell'Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza
and Nuncius are freely accessible on-line from 1976 to 2003. Following an
agreement with the publisher Leo S. Olschki, the issues published in 2003
and thereafter will be freely accessible on-line after two years. The
on-line publication of the digital version is supported by a sophisticated
database index which enables an efficient and analytical survey of more
than 3000 bibliographical records.
Nuncius Newsletter: an electronic newsletter reporting on the activities of
the Institute and Museum of the History of Science is available at homepage
www.imss.fi.it/istituto/nuncius/ and it will be distributed under request
every two month. To subscribe:
http://brunelleschi.imss.fi.it/nuncius/esubscribenews.html
[Source: Marco Beretta to Rete Mailing List, 21 July 2005]
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Item 2 ENHA No. 60, August 19, 2005
...........................................................................
Historical Astronomy Division (HAD) Meeting
-------------------------------------------
(From: "Elektronische Mitteilungen zur Astronomiegeschichte" Nr. 75,
12. August 2005, Item 2.)
The Historical Astronomy Division (HAD) of the American Astronomical
Society will meet Sept. 4 to Sept. 8, 2005 (Sun.-Thurs.), at the University
of Cambridge, in England (see ENHA No. 59, March 26, 2005, Item 8). This
will be a joint meeting with the Division of Planetary Sciences (DPS) of
the AAS. The schedule of papers has now been posted.
Schedule:
http://www.aas.org/publications/baas/v37n3/dps2005/had2005block.html
Registration page:
http://www-outreach.phy.cam.ac.uk/dps2005/registration.html
DPS meeting homepage:
http://www-outreach.phy.cam.ac.uk/dps2005/
DPS accomodations page:
http://www-outreach.phy.cam.ac.uk/dps2005/accommodation.html
List of all sessions:
http://www.aas.org/publications/baas/v37n3/dps2005/SL.htm
Schedule of DPS papers:
http://www.aas.org/publications/baas/v37n3/dps2005/dps2005block.html
[Source: Peter Abrahams to HASTRO-L, 20 July 2005]
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Item 3 ENHA No. 60, August 19, 2005
...........................................................................
Colloquium "Entwicklung der Astrophysik" / "Development of Astrophysics"
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Colloquium of the Working Group for the History of Astronomy in the
framework of the meeting of the Astronomische Gesellschaft in Cologne,
Germany, Monday, September 26, 2005
Sunday, September 25, 2005: 7 p.m. come-together in a restaurant
Monday, September 26, 2005, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. meeting (place to be
determined)
Conference fee: 20 EUR
Meeting of the Astronomische Gesellschaft, September 26 - October 1,
2005, Topic: "The many facets of the universe - Revelations by new
instruments", Website: http://www.ari.uni-heidelberg.de/AG/
Coordinators of the Workshop:
Gudrun Wolfschmidt, IGN, Universitaet Hamburg
e-mail: wolfschmidt@math.uni-hamburg.de
Tel. +49-(0)40-42838-5262, Fax +49-(0)40-42838-5260
Claus Kiefer, Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, Universitaet zu Koeln,
e-mail: kiefer@thp.uni-koeln.de, Tel. +49-(0)221-470-4301,
+49-(0)221-470-4306 (Sekretariat), Fax +49-(0)221-470-2189
Updated website:
http://www.math.uni-hamburg.de/spag/ign/events/ak5koeln.htm
Most contributions will be given in German.
[Source: Website, August 11, 2005]
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Item 4 ENHA No. 60, August 19, 2005
...........................................................................
2005 Meeting of the Antique Telescope Society
---------------------------------------------
(From: "Elektronische Mitteilungen zur Astronomiegeschichte" Nr. 75,
12. August 2005, Item 4.)
October 7 through 10, 2005, the Antique Telescope Society will hold its
14th annual convention at the Cincinnati Observatory Center, Cincinnati,
OH. The program includes presentations and exhibits. A tour of local
observatories and historical sites will occur on Monday. Observing through
the 1845 11-1/4 inch Merz & Mahler refractor and the 1904 16 inch Alvan
Clark & Sons refractor is scheduled for Friday and Saturday night.
Registration deadline-Sept. 23, 2005.
Call for Papers:
Papers are welcomed on such subjects as: historical telescopes and
accessories; early observatories, astronomers, and instrument makers; the
history, construction, and preservation of telescopes; and related topics.
20-30 minutes is alloted for each paper. Poster papers are welcome. Please
submit a brief abstract (less than 200 words) to the papers coordinator:
Peter Abrahams, 1948 Mapleleaf Road, Lake Oswego, OR 97034 USA Or send it
via e-mail (preferred) to: telscope@europa.com
Deadline for submission of abstracts: September 7, 2005.
Early applications would be helpful.
Questions regarding registration: Walt Breyer, ATS Secretary,
whbreyer@alltel.net Questions regarding papers: Peter Abrahams,
telscope@europa.com
[Source: Peter Abrahams to HASTRO-L, 26 July 2005]
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Item 5 ENHA No. 60, August 19, 2005
...........................................................................
Workshop "Curating 20th Century Science"
----------------------------------------
17 - 18 October 2005, Universiteitsmuseum Utrecht, the Netherlands.
The Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum Amsterdam and the Universiteitsmuseum
Utrecht announce a jointly organized two-days workshop titled "Curating
20th Century Science". The workshop will be organized under the auspices of
the Scientific Instrument Commission. All sessions will be held at the
Universiteitsmuseum in Utrecht.
The workshop will provide a platform to discuss themes related to curating
20th century scientific heritage. Sessions of the workshop will focus on
history, instruments, uses, and policies.
The workshop wants to raise questions such as:
* What is specific about 20th century science, such as globalisation,
multi-disciplines, and big science, and how is this manifested in the
design of technical apparatus?
* How do we deal with the increasing number of complex and often new
materials in our collections and how can we care for them?
* How can we employ 20th century apparatus in museums, how can we open
these "black boxes", and what are their uses, for example for exhibitions
or research?
* How can we develop a collection policy for 20th century scientific
heritage and what are the criteria for making future choices on
acquisitions?
Session organizers will include Paolo Brenni (FST, IMSS, Firenze),
Christian Sichau (Deutsches Museum), Rob Lukens (Chemical Heritage
Foundation) and Roland Wittje (Universitet Trondheim).
The workshop will take place on 17 and 18 October 2005 at the
Universiteitsmuseum in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
For registration, submission of a presentation and an abstract, please
contact:
Diederick Wildeman
Scheepvaartmuseum
Kattenburgerplein 1
1018 KK Amsterdam
The Netherlands
E-mail: dwildeman@scheepvaartmuseum.nl
Tel: +31 (0)20 5232222
Fax: +31 (0)20 5232213
Deadline for registration, submission of a presentation and an abstract was
30 June 2005.
A registration fee of 50 euro must be paid in cash upon arrival to the
workshop. It includes participation and lunches.
The workshop includes the following contributions:
James Caplan: Have Scientific Instruments become more complex?
[with examples from astronomy]
Klaus Staubermann: Monument, Instrument, or Entertainment: what to do
with the GDR's most Modern Planetarium?
Marvin Bolt: From Astronomy to Space Science: Implications for
Collections
[Sources: Tiemen Cocquyt to Rete Mailing List, 17 August 2005; website]
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Item 6 ENHA No. 60, August 19, 2005
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Conference "Who needs scientific instruments?"
----------------------------------------------
(From: "Elektronische Mitteilungen zur Astronomiegeschichte" Nr. 74,
29. Maerz 2005, Item 5.)
Museum Boerhaave, Leiden, The Netherlands, would like to announce that it
is organising a three day conference on scientific instruments, their use
and their users from October 19 to 22, 2005. The centre of attention of
this conference will be the users of scientific instruments. During the
conference the users' role will be explored in three different topics:
- The Status of Instruments,
- Location & Organisation,
- Innovation.
These topics have been chosen because they cover a large area in the field
of the instrument-based history of science. We hope that studying the
interrelations of the three distinct topics will result in a new synthesis
in which users and their instruments function as cornerstones in the
history of science. We therefore invite historians of science as well as
historians of scientific instruments to give their views and discuss the
users and use of scientific instruments.
Further information on registration, presentations and accommodation will
be available in the first call for papers in early spring 2005.
Bart Grob
Hans Hooijmaijers
Museum Boerhaave
Leiden
The Netherlands
wetenschap@museumboerhaave.nl
[Source: Message to Rete mailing list, 24 Feb 2005]
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Item 7 ENHA No. 60, August 19, 2005
...........................................................................
African Astronomical History Symposium (AAHS)
---------------------------------------------
(From: "Elektronische Mitteilungen zur Astronomiegeschichte" Nr. 75,
12. August 2005, Item 6.)
Second Announcement
Dates: 2005 November 8 & 9, Cape Town, South Africa
Venue: New lecture room facility at SAAO, Observatory, Cape Town
(Map: www.saao.ac.za/pr/visitingct.html)
Website: www.saao.ac.za/assa/aahs
Email: aahs@saao.ac.za
Contact: Dr I.S. Glass, SAAO, P.O. Box 9, Observatory, 7935, South Africa
Tel: 021-447 0025, Fax: 021-447 3639
Timetable:
1 August 2005 - Registration / Proposals for talks opens
15 October - Last day to notify us of proposed talks
7 November - Pre-conference wine and cheese, McClean telescope, SAAO
8 November - AAHS, Ethno-astronomy sessions
Conference dinner
9 November - AAHS, Classical astronomy sessions
10 November - Opening of SALT
Costs:
The registration charge of R100 will cover tea, coffee, biscuits,
the pre-conference reception and a copy of the proceedings.
Conference Dinner:
We envisage having a dinner at the Wild Fig restaurant on 8 November, at a
cost of R115 per person. This is a part of the Courtyard Hotel close to
SAAO, Cape Town.
Opening of SALT:
Many participants, especially those from up-country, may wish to visit
Sutherland for the opening of the Southern African Large Telescope, which
is now scheduled for 10 November.
Accommodation in Cape Town:
Accommodation arrangements are up to the individual except for the invited
speakers. We will endeavour to help those from overseas if requested (who
to contact). The local hostelries (in or near the SAAO) may be under severe
pressure because of the SALT opening, so book early.
Proposals for contributions:
Please submit your proposals (abstracts) for talks or poster papers to
aahs@saao.ac.za as soon as possible after the opening date for
registration. Early submission will greatly assist the organisers in their
planning. Contributed talks may be 15 minutes to 30 minutes in duration,
including discussion. We intend to put short abstracts on the AAHS web
site. Decisions on the acceptance of papers will be made by the Scientific
Organising Committee.
Please check the web site www.saao.ac.za/assa/aahs for the latest
information.
Invited speakers:
Prof Keith Snedegar, Utah Valley State College.
Desiderata for the Study of Cultural Astronomy in Southern Africa
Prof John McKim Malville, Dept of Astrophysical and Planetary Science,
University of Colorado.
Astronomy and Stelae at Nabta Playa in the Late Megalithic
Prof Jarita Holbrook, Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology,
University of Arizona, Tucson.
The Cultural astronomy of Africa: Recent Activities
Prof Wayne Orchiston, Centre for Astronomy at James Cook University,
Townsville, Australia.
Amateurs in the Antipodes: the Common Denominators of South African,
Australian and New Zealand astronomy During the Nineteenth and Early
Twentieth Centuries
Proceedings:
The Proceedings will be published in African Skies/Cieux Africains,
published by the Working Group on Space Sciences in Africa. See their web
site www.saao.ac.za/~wgssa for further information about this journal.
Papers should be submitted as soon as possible after the conference and not
later than 31 December 2005. Details concerning submission of articles will
be posted on the AAHS web site. The proceedings will be edited by the
members of the Scientific Organising Committee. Participants will receive a
copy of the relevant issue of African Skies/Cieux Africains.
Funding for attendees:
Funding for a limited number of South African academic researchers and
post-graduate students to attend (travel and accommodation) is available.
Short expressions of interest with a motivation and a very brief CV should
be sent to aahs@saao.ac.za for consideration. Deadline for grants is 15
September 2005.
Registration form:
A registration form is available at:
http://www.saao.ac.za/assa/aahs/html/aahsregister.html
Please print out if desired, complete and send by email to
wpk@saao.ac.za or mail to Mr W. Koorts, SAAO, P.O. Box 9, Observatory
7935, South Africa together with a cheque or proof of payment.
Completed forms with proof of payment can also be faxed to 021-447
3639 (International 27 21 447 3639) clearly marked: For attention: Mr
W. Koorts.
[Text provided by Ian Glass]
...........................................................................
Item 8 ENHA No. 59, March 26, 2005
...........................................................................
Conference on Oronce Fine and his time
--------------------------------------
The Worlds of Oronce Fine:
Mathematics, Instruments, and The Book in Renaissance France
School of Art History, University of St Andrews, 12-13 May 2006
First call for papers
Participants include: Anthony Turner, Giovanna Cifoletti, Isabelle Pantin,
Adam Mosley, Jean-Marc Besse, Catherine Eagleton, Sven Dupre, Darin Hayton,
Pascal Brioist
Oronce Fine played an important role in the intellectual and cultural
worlds of sixteenth-century France. His influence was expansive, ranging
from mathematics to printing, cartography to technology. His lecturing and
text books were instrumental in disseminating knowledge of the mathematical
arts throughout Europe. This conference aims to shed new light on Fine and
his worlds, his reception, influence, and legacy. Contributions are welcome
on any aspects of Fine's life and work as well as on the subjects with
which he was concerned (mathematics, astronomy, cartography,
instrumentation, printing, pedagogy, humanism, etc.) in Renaissance France.
Papers (no longer than twenty minutes) may be presented in either English
or French, and a selection will be published as an edited volume in the
series St Andrews Studies in Art History.
The conference is generously supported by the French Vernacular Book
Project, intended to create an analytical bibliography of all books
published in the French language before 1601. See:
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/reformation/book/index.shtml
For further information please contact:
Alexander Marr (alexander.marr@st-andrews.ac.uk)
School of Art History
University of St Andrews
9, The Scores
St Andrews
Fife
KY16 9AR
SCOTLAND
http://www-ah.st-andrews.ac.uk/
[Source: Stephen Johnston to Rete Mailing List, 18 July 2005]
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Item 9 ENHA No. 60, August 19, 2005
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Research project on the history of navigational teaching
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The Institute for the History of Science, Mathematics and Technology at
Hamburg University has launched a research project in cooperation with the
German Maritime Museum (Bremerhaven) on the history of navigational
teaching. The aim of this project is a comparative study of contents and
organization of navigational teaching in Northern Germany to 1871 and a
biobibliographical survey of persons who taught navigation. Another
objective is the development of navigation textbooks from the 18th to the
end of the 19th century. Moreover, a database for the history of navigation
and navigation instruments extant in Germany shall be established.
Homepage: http://www.dsm.de/kds/index.html
[Information provided by Guenther Oestmann <oestmann@nord-com.net>]
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Item 10 ENHA No. 60, August 19, 2005
...........................................................................
The Newtonian Moment - Exhibition at the Huntington Library
-----------------------------------------------------------
The Newtonian Moment:
Science and the Making of Modern Culture
July 23 - November 27, 2005
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108, (626) 405-2100
Tuesday-Friday: noon to 4:30 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday: 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The second half of a major exhibition curated by Mordechai Feingold of
Caltech, "The Newtonian Moment" explores the diffusion of Sir Isaac
Newton's scientific ideas and their influence on all aspects of modern
culture, from religion and history to art and literature.
For 150 years after his death in 1727, admiration of Newton bordered on
idolization; he was immortalized in verse, carved in stone. With time,
Newton thus metamorphosed into science personified. It was for precisely
this reason that he was vilified by 19th-century Romantics such as Shelley
and Blake, who sought to remove poetry and art from under the umbrella of
science, substituting mysteries and emotions for laws and reason.
The exhibition features over a hundred books, prints, and reproductions
drawn primarily from the Huntington's collections that illustrate Newton's
influence in many areas of thought. Selections include Jonathan Swift's
Gulliver's Travels (1726); Alexander Pope's The Dunciad: An heroic poem
(1728); Elemens de la philosophie de Neuton by Voltaire (1737); Goethe's
Zur Farbenlehre (1810); and William Blake's engraving "Ancient of Days"
(1794). The companion publication, "The Newtonian Moment: Isaac Newton and
the Making of Modern Culture" by Mordechai Feingold (Oxford University
Press, 2004; $22.50), is available in the Huntington's Bookstore.
[Sources: http://www.huntington.org/Information/EventsCal.html ;
Caltech News Release, February 16, 2005 - forwarded by Ron Baalke to
HASTRO-L, 16 February 2005]
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Acknowledgements
----------------
For directly sending us information we thank Ian Glass, Guenther Oestmann,
and Gudrun Wolfschmidt.
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Imprint
-------
Electronic Newsletter for the History of Astronomy (ENHA)
Published by the Working Group for the History of Astronomy in the
Astronomische Gesellschaft
Editors: Dr. Wolfgang R. Dick <wdick@astrohist.org> and Dr. Hilmar
W. Duerbeck <hduerbec@vub.ac.be>
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
re-distributed in the case that no charge is imposed. Public offer in
WWW servers, BBS etc. is allowed after the editor has been informed.
Non-commercial reproduction of single items in electronic or printed media
is possible only with the editor's permission.
Archives: Previous issues of ENHA are to be found at
http://www.astrohist.org/aa/enha/ .
Arbeitskreis Astronomiegeschichte / Working Group for the History of
Astronomy:
URL: http://www.astrohist.org/
Chairman: Prof. Dr. Peter Brosche, Observatorium Hoher List der
Sternwarte der Universitaet Bonn, 54550 Daun, Germany,
Tel.: +49(0)6592 98258-0, Fax: +49(0)6592 98258-58
Secretary I: Dr. Wolfgang R. Dick, Vogelsang 35 A, 14478 Potsdam,
Germany, e-mail: wdick@astrohist.org
Secretary II: Prof. Dr. Hilmar W. Duerbeck, Postfach 1268,
54543 Daun, Germany, e-mail: hduerbec@vub.ac.be
Bank Acct. of the Astronomische Gesellschaft:
Acct # 310 330 402, Volksbank Coesfeld-Duelmen (BLZ 401 631 23)
Contributions from foreign countries: acct # 162 18-203, Postbank
Hamburg, BLZ 200 100 20
Please sign with: "Fuer Arbeitskreis Astronomiegeschichte"
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