*************************************************************************** * * * ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER FOR THE HISTORY OF ASTRONOMY * * * * Published by the Working Group for the History of Astronomy * * in the Astronomische Gesellschaft * * * * Number 50, August 30, 2002 * * * * Edited by: Wolfgang R. Dick * * * *************************************************************************** Contents -------- Editorial 1. History of Astronomy Working Groups 2. Paul Bunge Prize for the History of Scientific Instruments 2003 3. Meeting of the Antique Telescope Society 4. Conference Announcement: History of astronomy in Marseille and Provence 5. The Inspiration of Astronomical Phenomena - Fourth Conference 6. Forthcoming Conferences 7. Past Conferences Acknowledgements Imprint ........................................................................... Editorial --------- Dear readers, This is the 50th issue of this newsletter, the first of which appeared in early 1994. I would like to thank all those who contributed to these 50 issues, and my thanks are also to all readers for their interest. The number of subscribers has been growing permanently up to about 270 at present. Unfortunately, some subscribers change their addresses without notification. This causes a lot of work for me, because I have to handle the error messages: these have to be stored to check whether it is a permanent or a temporary problem. Sometimes the error "User not known" is due to a technical problem at the user's site. Therefore I ask you to let me know in advance about changes of your address. By the way, there is a possibility to receive notification messages instead of receiving the complete newsletter by e-mail. You may then download the new issue from the web server when it is convenient for you. This is especially of use when you have a limited quota for your mailbox. (Error messages from mailboxes being over quota are another problem for me.) All previous issues are available at http://www.astro.uni-bonn.de/~pbrosche/aa/enha/ for downloading. The "Astronomiae Historia / History of Astronomy" site http://www.astro.uni-bonn.de/~pbrosche/ , which is also accessible through http://www.astrohist.org/ , contains much more information and many thousand links on history of astronomy topics. This issue is being late for about half a year due to privat circumstances (among these a very happy one - the birth of a second boy in April this year). Therefore several conferences can only be announced as past ones (see Item 7). I ask for your understanding. I am looking forward to receiving more interesting material from you to be published in the next issues. But I also ask you for your patience when I will be late with my replies. Best regards Wolfgang R. Dick ........................................................................... Item 1 ENHA No. 50, August 30, 2002 ........................................................................... History of Astronomy Working Groups ----------------------------------- By F. Richard Stephenson and Wayne Orchiston Introduction Currently Commission 41 "History of Astronomy" of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has four active Working Groups (WGs), on archives, astronomical chronology, historical astronomical instruments and transits of Venus. The aim of each WG is to foster the exchange of information and ideas between colleagues with similar research interests, and in some instances to organise collaborative research projects. Although the WGs were set up by the IAU, membership is open to the entire international history of astronomy community. Information about the four WGs follows. If you are involved in researching any of these areas and would like to join a particular WG simply contact the relevant Committee chair person (e-mail addresses are given below). WG membership is free, and you can join immediately - there is no need to wait until the next IAU General Assembly. The Archives WG At the 1991 General Assembly in Buenos Aires the following C14 Resolution was adopted: "that the Union supports the initiatives taken by them [Commissions 41 and 5] 1. to establish a register of the whereabouts of all extant astronomical archives of historical interest; 2. to impress on observatories and other institutions their responsibility for the preservation, conservation, and where possible, cataloguing of such archives; 3. to search for an institution that will allocate space and funds for maintaining such a register and publishing it." (Proceedings of the Twenty-First General Assembly, p. 77). Commission 41 then formed an Archives WG to further the objectives of this Resolution, and in the course of the next three years some progress was made in compiling national inventories of astronomical archives. Two archival Resolutions proposed by C41 were adopted at the 1994 General Assembly in The Hague, and a number of members presented papers on their archival researches, and there were also discussions regarding the IAU archives. A further archival Resolution was adopted at the C41 Business Meeting at the 1997 General Assembly in Kyoto, and at the 2000 General Assembly in Manchester a half-day Special Session on "Inventory and Preservation of Astronomical Archives, Records and Artifacts" was held. Hopefully a WG Meeting will be held at the 2003 General Assembly in Sydney where colleagues will be able to report on their work during the triennium. The Committee members of the Archives Working Group are: Dr Suzanne Debarbat (France - Chair, e-mail: Suzanne.Debarbat@obspm.fr), Dr Dan Green (USA), and Mr Peter Hingley (UK). The Astronomical Chronology WG This WG was formed at the 2000 Manchester General Assembly specifically in order to compile a wide-ranging internationally-approved master list of the major milestones in the history of astronomy (including key instruments, astronomical phenomena, discoveries and ideas) that profoundly influenced its development. A meeting to review progress made in addressing these objectives is planned for the 2003 Sydney General Assembly. The Committee members of this WG are: Professor Alex Gurshtein (Russia - Chair, e-mail: agurshtein@hotmail.com), Professor Adriaan Blaauw (Netherlands), Dr Teije de Jong (Netherlands) and Professor Brian Warner (South Africa). The Historical Instruments WG When the Archives WG was set up in 1991 there was discussion about whether to include historical instruments within the gambut of an enlarged WG, but it was decided at that time to defer such a move until progress had been made with the archives initiative. Subsequently, a Resolution urging preservation of surviving instruments associated with the measurement of the arc of the meridian made by F.G.W. Struve was adopted at the C41 Business Meeting at the 1997 General Assembly in Kyoto. At the 2000 Manchester General Assembly members of C41 felt the time was right to form an Historical Instruments WG as a complement to the Archives WG. The objectives of this new WG are: to draw up an inventory of all internationally-significant astronomical instruments; to assemble a bibliography of existing publications relating to such instruments; and to encourage colleagues to carry out research and publish their results. A WEB Site has already been set up (www://my.dreamwiz.com/snha), and a start has been made on the listing of historically-significant astronomical instruments. Meanwhile, this WG also plans to hold a meeting at the 2003 General Assembly where colleagues can report on their research work during the triennium. Committee members of the Historical Instruments WG are: Professor Il-Seong Nha (Korea - Chair, e-mail: SLISNHA@chollian.net), Dr Wayne Orchiston (Australia) and Mr John Briggs (USA). The Transits of Venus WG At the 2000 General Assembly of the IAU in Manchester, the following Resolution was adopted at the C41 Business Meeting: "Recognizing the historical importance of previous transits of Venus and the numerous transit of Venus expeditions mounted by various countries, and Noting the rarity of the upcoming transits in 2004 and 2012 Commission 41 Recommends that the sites of previous transit of Venus expeditions be inventoried, marked and preserved, as well as instrumentation and documents associated with these expeditions." In order to take this Resolution forward, a Transits of Venus WG was formed, with the additional aims of assembling a bibliography of existing publications relating to all transits of Venus, and encouraging colleagues to carry out further research and to publish their results. A WG Meeting is planned for the 2003 General Assembly in Sydney so that colleagues can report on their work. The Committee members of this WG are: Dr Wayne Orchiston (Australia - Chair, e-mail: wo@aaoepp.aao.gov.au), Dr Steven Dick (USA), Professor Alex Gurshtein (Russia) and Professor Rajesh Kochhar (India). Source: The ICHA Newsletter, No. 1, June 2001, p. 19-21. ........................................................................... Item 2 ENHA No. 50, August 30, 2002 ........................................................................... Paul Bunge Prize for the History of Scientific Instruments 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------- The Hans R. Jenemann Foundation, administered by the German Chemical Society and the German Bunsen Society for Physical Chemistry, encourages applications or nominations for the Paul Bunge Prize, awarded for outstanding contributions to the historiography of scientific instruments, and endowed with the sum of EUR 7.500. Applications include a c.v., a complete list of publications, and inspection copies of the publications submitted. They must reach the GGCh Office by 30 September 2002. For further details see or contact . Applications should be sent to: Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker, Public Relations Dptmt, Varrentrappstr. 40-42, D-60486 Frankfurt/Main, Germany. Editor's note: In the past, the Paul Bunge Prize was awarded several times also for contributions to the historiography of astronomical instruments. See, e.g., ENHA No. 43, July 7, 2000, Item 1, and ENHA No. 47, June 21, 2001, Item 4. ........................................................................... Item 3 ENHA No. 50, August 30, 2002 ........................................................................... Meeting of the Antique Telescope Society ---------------------------------------- The Antique Telescope Society will hold its 2002 meeting in Dublin, Ireland, with trips to Birr, Armagh, and Dunsink; Friday, September 20 through Wednesday, September 25, 2002. Friday, September 20, Banquet at the Friends of the National Art Gallery with Keynote Address. Saturday, September 21, Paper sessions, Displays, Evening sessions. Sunday, September 22, Paper sessions, Displays, Evening sessions. Monday, September 23, Tour of Birr Castle, evening observing if possible. Tuesday, September 24, Tour Megalithic Monument of New Grange, Tour of Armagh Observatory, Observing at Armagh. Wednesday, September 25, Tour the National Museum Eggesdorf Collection, Tour of Dunsink Observatory, Observing at Dunsink. We will be lodging at Trinity College, Dublin, in hotel-style rooms, at a cost considerably less than hotels in the immediate area. Contacts: Peter Abrahams, e-mail: telscope@europa.com ........................................................................... Item 4 ENHA No. 50, August 30, 2002 ........................................................................... Conference Announcement: History of astronomy in Marseille and Provence ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Conference in celebration of the Tercentenary of the Observatoire de Marseille Venue: Museum d'Histoire Naturelle (part of the Palais Longchamp), about 200 m away from the present Observatoire de Marseille (Longchamp), France, lat. 43 degr. 18'16" N., long. 5 degr. 23'38" E. Dates: 3-9 October 2002 lecture and poster sessions 4-6 October optional coach excursions 7-8 October: Observatories of Nice and the Cote d'Azur Observatories and sites of Haute Provence departure 9 October Themes: Principal theme of the conference: history of astronomy in Marseille and in Provence, and connections with astronomy elsewhere. Additional emphasis: the instruments of astronomy. The leitmotiv of the conference will be a reflection concerning the future of this site and its historical heritage after the astronomical research facilities are moved to the Technopole at Chateau Gombert. The Proceedings of the conference will be published. Conference languages: English and French. Registration: There will be a registration fee. The number of participants will be limited. Contacts: Groupe Patrimoine de l'Observatoire de Marseille 2, place Le Verrier 13248 Marseille cedex 4 France e-mail: patrimoine@oamp.fr James Caplan - Tel. 04 95 04 41 89 Marie-Louise Prevot - Tel. 04 95 04 41 50 (Fax 04 91 62 11 90) URL: http://www.oamp.fr/patrimoine/om300.html What is the Observatoire de Marseille? The Observatory is the city's oldest scientific establishment. Founded by the Jesuits, near the Vieux Port, its construction was finished and observations began in 1702. The Jesuits left in the 1760s when their order was suppressed in France. In the 1860s, under the instigation of Le Verrier, the Observatory was moved - with its old instruments, library and archives - to its present site, the Plateau Longchamp, where it received the new 80-cm Foucault reflecting telescope. After a decade of operation as an observational annex of the Paris Observatory, the Marseille Observatory became autonomous again in the 1870s as part of a national structure, then including the observatories of Algiers, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse and Paris. In 1899 it was attached to the University. On 1 January 2000 the Observatory, under the enlarged name Observatoire Astronomique de Marseille-Provence, was administratively expanded to include the Laboratoire d'Astronomie Spatiale in Marseille (an offshoot of the Observatory, founded in the 1960s) and the Observatoire de Haute Provence, in Saint Michel, founded in the late 1930s. For more historical information, see the Chronology (currently only in French) and for contemporary information see the Web pages of the OAMP. Tercentenary The Tercentenary celebration is not limited to this conference. During the months of October, November and December 2002 there will be numerous events, mostly open to the general public, and in large part financed by the City of Marseille; they will be announced on the Web pages of the OAMP. Many of the staff of the OAMP are contributing to the Tercentenary celebrations in various ways. As for ourselves - the Groupe Patrimoine - our principal contribution in addition to the organization of this Conference will be an 'improved' exposition of our collection of instruments and archives as an illustration of the history of the Observatory. In addition, we are collaborating with the City's Office du Tourisme in designing a "parcours culturel" related to the history of astronomy in Marseille, and also with the Preau des Accoules, a small children's museum in the original Observatory building. ........................................................................... Item 5 ENHA No. 50, August 30, 2002 ........................................................................... The Inspiration of Astronomical Phenomena - Fourth Conference ------------------------------------------------------------- Magdalen College, Oxford (UK), August 3-9, 2003 THIRD ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR ABSTRACTS/PAPERS This is the third announcement for the Fourth International Conference on The Inspiration of Astronomical Phenomena ("INSAP IV") which is now confirmed to take place in Oxford, England, 3-9 August 2003. As at previous meetings (Castel Gandolfo, 1994; Malta, 1999; Palermo, 2001), the conference will explore humanity's fascination with astronomical phenomena as strong and often dominant elements in life and culture. The conference will provide a meeting place for artists and scholars from a variety of disciplines (including Archaeology and Anthropology, Art and Art History, Classics, History and Prehistory, the Physical and Social Sciences, Mythology and Folklore, Philosophy, and Religion) to present and discuss their studies on the influences of astronomical phenomena and address topics of common interest. The fourth meeting will be held at Magdalen College, Oxford (UK), starting Sunday 3 August, 2003. There will be a wide range of speakers, with those confirmed including: Dr Jim Bennett, Director, Museum of the History of Science, Oxford Dr David Brown, University College London (Mesopotamian astrology) Professor Allan Chapman, University of Oxford (History of Science) Professor John Heilbron, Fellow of Worcester College Oxford and former VC of UC Berkeley Professor Ronald Hutton, University of Bristol (History) Professor Kristen Lippincott, Director, Royal Observatory Greenwich Mr Ron Miller, Space Artist (www.black-cat-studios.com) Professor Paul Murdin, Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, former Director PPARC Professor John North, University of Oxford (History of Philosophy) Professor Clive Ruggles, University of Leicester (Archaeoastronomy) Opportunities will be provided for 30 minute presentations as well as poster presentations, and the new application form is now linked within the "application process" section in the INSAP IV webpage: http://ethel.as.arizona.edu/~white/insap/i4applyx.htm During the meeting there will be receptions at the Ashmolean Museum, the Christ Church Picture Gallery, and the Museum of History of Science. The traditional banquet will be held at the Magdalen College dining hall. A visit is being organised to Stonehenge (to view the site early morning prior to opening to the public) with a stop over at Avebury as well. The possibility of a related art exhibition is being explored. Applications to attend and abstracts must be submitted by 1 December 2002 to Professor Ray White (rwhite@as.Arizona.edu) and Mr Nick Campion (ncampion@caol.demon.co.uk). Details of abstracts and proceedings of previous meetings are described on the website relating to each INSAP Conference, and will give an idea of the range of subjects presented at these meetings. A similar publication is planned for the fourth meeting. Further information on INSAP IV and on the earlier conferences, can be found on the following websites: http://ethel.as.arizona.edu/~white/insap (general information) http://ethel.as.arizona.edu/~white/insap/insap4x.htm (for INSAPIV) http://ethel.as.arizona.edu/~white/insap/insap3.htm and http://www.astropa.unipa.it/INSAPIII/index.html (for INSAPIII) Attendance will be by invitation from among those applying. All presentations and discussions will be in English. This Conference is sponsored by the Vatican Observatory and the Steward Observatory. For further information, contact the above or members of the International Executive or Local Organising Committees (contact details and email addresses as provided on the INSAPIV website). ........................................................................... Item 6 ENHA No. 50, August 30, 2002 ........................................................................... Forthcoming Conferences ----------------------- Further conferences in the years 2002 to 2004 were reported in previous issues of ENHA. For a complete list of all conferences announced see the following URL: http://www.astro.uni-bonn.de/~pbrosche/hist_astr/ha_meet.html September 26-29, 2002, Tucson, AZ, USA 8th Annual conference of the North American Sundial Society Contacts: Fred Sawyer, e-mail: fwsawyer@aya.yale.edu September 27-28, 2002, Berlin, Germany Geschichte und Perspektiven der Astronomiegeschichtsschreibung [History and perspectives of the historiography of astronomy]. Colloquium of the Working Group for the History of Astronomy in the Astronomische Gesellschaft. Language: German Contacts: Dr. Klaus-Dieter Herbst, e-mail: HChicygni@aol.com URL: http://www.astro.uni-bonn.de/~pbrosche/aa/berlin2002/ April 16-18, 2004, Oxford, UK International Conference of the British Sundial Society Contacts: Douglas Bateman, Secretary, British Sundial Society, 4 New Wokingham Road, Crowthorne, Berkshire, RG45 7NR, United Kingdom, tel: +44 1344 772303, e-mail: douglas.bateman@btinternet.com ........................................................................... Item 7 ENHA No. 50, August 30, 2002 ........................................................................... Past Conferences ---------------- October 27-28, 2001, London, United Kingdom Conference "Archaeo-Astronomy, Myth and the Ancient Wisdom Tradition" Organized by: Scientific and Medical Network and Foundation for Theosophical Studies, King's College, University of London, e-mail: info@scimednet.org, URL: http://www.scimednet.org February 15, 2002, Rome, Italy Conference: "Giordano Bruno: Philosopher of Nola" Contacts: Caroline Howard, American Academy in Rome, Via Angelo Masina 5, 00153 Rome, Italy, tel. 39-06-5846459 URL: http://www.aarome.org/events_bruno.htm June 6-8, 2002, Genova-Chiavari, Italy XXII Congress of the Italian Society of Historians of Physics and Astronomy URL: http://www.brera.unimi.it/SISFA/programmacomunicazioni.html http://www.brera.unimi.it/SISFA/riassunticomunicazioni.html http://www.brera.unimi.it/SISFA/Genova-Chiavari2002.pdf June 20-22, 2002, Paris, France International colloquium "L'Art de la Renaissance. Entre Science et Magie" Organizer: Centre d'Histoire de l'Art de la Renaissance (C.H.A.R.) Themes: Les astres et la religion, L'astrologie et ses images, Alchimie et cabale, La nature et ses doubles, Astrologie et politique June 22, 2002, Oakland, CA, USA NCHALADA LXI - Northern California Historical Astronomy Luncheon and Discussion Association Contacts: Norm Sperling, 413 Poinsettia Avenue, San Mateo, California 94403, USA, tel.: 650-573-7125, e-mail: nsperling@california.com URL: http://www.nchalada.org/archive/NCHALADA_LXI.html June 26-29, 2002, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Sixth International Conference on the History of General Relativity Contacts: A.J. Kox, e-mail: kox@science.uva.nl URL: http://soliton.science.uva.nl/~kox/HGR6.html June 29, 2002, Oxford, United Kingdom Society for the History of Astronomy: Founding Meeting Contacts: Stuart Williams, e-mail: flamsteed@v21mail.co.uk URL: http://www.historyofastronomy.fsworld.co.uk/ June 29-30, 2002, Oxford, UK Do Collections Matter To Instrument Studies? Joint meeting of the British Society for the History of Science and the Scientific Instrument Commission of IUHPS/DHS. With some papers on astronomical instrument collections. Contacts: BSHS Executive Secretary, 31 High Street, Stanford in the Vale, Faringdon, Oxon, SN7 8LH, United Kingdom, e-mail: bshs@hidex.demon.co.uk July 2-5, 2002, Cheongju, Korea Astronomical Instruments and Archives from the Asia-Pacific Region Contacts: Prof. Nha Il Seong, e-mail: slisnha@chollian.net URL: http://nhamuseum.org/conference2002/ July 2-5, 2002, Prague, Czech Republic LISA IV: Library and Information Services in Astronomy Some papers on historical subjects. Contacts: Marek Wolf, e-mail: wolf@mbox.cesnet.cz URL: http://lisa4.cuni.cz/ August 27-31, 2002, Tartu, Estonia International colloquium "Cultural context in archaeoastronomical monuments and echoes of catastrophic cosmic events reflected in culture" (Annual meeting of the European Society for Astronomy in Culture, SEAC) Contacts: Estonian Literature Museum, Vanemuise 42, 51003 Tartu, Estonia, e-mail: seac@haldjas.folklore.ee URL: http://haldjas.folklore.ee/SEAC ........................................................................... Acknowledgements ---------------- For information we thank all authors and in addition: Helen Terre Blanche, James Caplan, Kairika Karsna, Nha Il Seong, Wayne Orchiston, Izold Pustylnik and Stuart Williams. Most of the information has been taken from public announcements. ........................................................................... Imprint ------- 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 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. 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 2150, Fax: +49(0)6592 985140 Secretary: Dr. Wolfgang R. Dick, Otterkiez 14, 14478 Potsdam, Germany, e-mail: wdick@astrohist.org Bank Acct. of the Working Group of the Astronomische Gesellschaft: Acct # 333 410 41, Sparkasse Bochum (BLZ 430 500 01) Contributions from foreign countries: acct # 162 18-203, Postbank Hamburg, BLZ 200 100 20 Please sign with: "Fuer Arbeitskreis Astronomiegeschichte" ***************************************************************************