***************************************************************************
* *
* ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER FOR THE HISTORY OF ASTRONOMY *
* *
* Published by the Working Group for the History of Astronomy *
* in the Astronomische Gesellschaft *
* *
* Number 47, June 21, 2001 *
* *
* Edited by: Wolfgang R. Dick *
* *
***************************************************************************
Contents
--------
1. Second Announcement: European Astronomy in the 20th Century
2. Epact Online - Scientific Instruments of Medieval and Renaissance Europe
3. Navigating Instruments Discussion Group
4. Paul Bunge Prize for History of Scientific Instruments 2001
5. Paul Bunge Prize 2002
6. Workshop "The Making of the Spectroscope"
7. Further Conferences 2001-2003
8. Past Meetings
Acknowledgements
Imprint
...........................................................................
Item 1 ENHA No. 47, June 21, 2001
...........................................................................
Second Announcement: European Astronomy in the 20th Century
-----------------------------------------------------------
Special Colloquium on the History of Astronomy
"European Astronomy in the 20th Century"
in the framework of the
Joint European and National Astronomical Meeting for 2001
J E N A M - 2001
10th European and 75th Annual Assembly of Astronomische Gesellschaft
September 10-14, 2001, Munich, Germany
Second announcement
The European meeting of astronomers to be held in September 2001 in
Munich will give the opportunity to review the development of astronomy in
Europe during the last century. Emphasis will be made on the evolution of
ideas, instruments and scientific results, although the history of
institutions and biographies of astronomers may also be considered.
For detailed information on the colloquium, please visit the Web page
http://www.gamma.mpe-garching.mpg.de/~hcs/JENAM2001MS/
or ask for the First Announcement (or see ENHA No. 45, April 11, 2001).
Scientific Organizing Committee - SOC:
Dr. Wolfgang R. Dick, Potsdam, Germany, e-mail: wdi@potsdam.ifag.de
Dr. Izold Pustylnik, Toravere/Tartu, Estonia, e-mail: izold@aai.ee
Dr. Helmut Steinle, Garching, Germany, e-mail: hcs@mpe.mpg.de
Dr. Christiaan Sterken, Brussels, Belgium, e-mail: csterken@vub.ac.be
Local Organizing Committee - LOC:
Dr. Helmut Steinle
Contact address:
Dr. Helmut Steinle
Max-Planck-Institut fuer extraterrestrische Physik
Postfach 1312
85741 Garching
Germany
E-mail : hcs@mpe.mpg.de
WWW : http://www.mpe.mpg.de/hcs/
Phone : (49) 89 30000 3374
Fax : (49) 89 30000 3569
Location: Campus of Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich,
located well in the city centre of Munich.
Time: Friday, September 14: 14.00-15.30 and 16.00-17.30
Saturday, September 15: 9.00-10.30 and 11.00-12.30
Symposium Language
English and German are working languagues of the colloquium. Usage of
other European languagues is welcome (unfortunately, the hosts are unable
to provide simultaneous translation). When not using English for your oral
paper or poster please present some help for the audiance to understand
what your paper is about: written English summary, transparencies in
English, or similar.
Call for Papers:
Please see the Web site or the First Announcement for detailed
information. Please note the deadlines for submitting abstracts:
Oral Papers: July 1, 2001
Poster Papers: July 13, 2001
The program of the meeting will be announced at the Web site
by the end of July.
Registration and Registration Fees:
For participants of the general JENAM-2001 conference who also want
to attend this Special Colloquium, please see the JENAM-2001 web site
http://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/english/conferences/jenam01/
Registration fees are:
Members of AG and EAS: 150.00 DM
Students: 80.00 DM
Other: 180.00 DM
Accompanying Persons: 60.00 DM
Reduced fee for Special Colloquium only participants (who will arrive
on Friday noon and will not take part in other parts of JENAM-2001):
50.00 DM
Participants for the Special Colloquium only:
* do not register at the JENAM-2001 conference directly
* send the Registration Form (see below) to the LOC, or register
on-line at
http://www.gamma.mpe-garching.mpg.de/~hcs/JENAM2001MS/registration.html
Deadline: June 28 !
* make your own hotel reservations soon (see Web site for
recommendations).
Events:
Friday evening: Get-together at a restaurant
If interest exists, we will try to organize a tour on Saturday
(September 15) afternooon to one of the places of interest for historians
of astronomy which are in Munich or its surroundings. Possible places are:
European Southern Observatory headquarters (ESO)
Max-Planck-Institut fuer extraterrestrische Physik (MPE)
Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Ludwig-Maximilian
University Munich (USM)
Deutsches Museum
Benediktbeuern and J. Fraunhofer's glass production site
Please indicate any preferences in the registration form!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(You may also use the on-line registration form at
http://www.gamma.mpe-garching.mpg.de/~hcs/JENAM2001MS/registration.html)
Registration Form
Special Colloquium on the History of Astronomy
"European Astronomy in the 20th Century"
in the framework of JENAM-2001
September 10-14, 2001, Munich, Germany
Title [Mrs., Mr., Dr., Prof.]:
Family name:
First name(s):
Address (please include the country):
Phone (please include country and area code):
Fax (please include country and area code):
E-mail:
Remarks:
[ ] I plan to attend the full JENAM 2001 conference and will registrate
also there and pay there the full conference fee.
or
[ ] I will only attend the Special Colloquium on the History of
Astronomy and will pay the reduced fee of DM 50 at the time of the
Special Colloquium.
[ ] The will attend the get-together on Friday evening
I am interested in the following excursions (please mark one or more):
[ ] European Southern Observatory headquarters
[ ] Max-Planck-Institut fuer extraterrestrische Physik
[ ] Institut fuer Astronomie und Astrophysik der
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen
[ ] Deutsches Museum
[ ] Benediktbeuern und J. Fraunhofers Glashuette
Please send this form by 28 June 2001 to:
Dr. Helmut Steinle
Max-Planck-Institut fuer extraterrestrische Physik
Postfach 1312
D-85741 Garching
E-mail : hcs@mpe.mpg.de
Tel. : (49) 89 30000 3374, Fax : (49) 89 30000 3569
...........................................................................
Item 2 ENHA No. 47, June 21, 2001
...........................................................................
Epact Online - Scientific Instruments of Medieval and Renaissance Europe
------------------------------------------------------------------------
In March 2001, The Museum of the History of Science, Oxford, Istituto e
Museo di Storia della Scienza, Florence, The British Museum, London, and
Museum Boerhaave, Leiden, launched the online version of "Epact:
Scientific Instruments of Medieval and Renaissance Europe", available at
www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/epact
Epact is an electronic catalogue of all the Medieval and Renaissance
scientific instruments in the four museums. It is aimed at both the
general public and the connoisseur of scientific instruments. Each
instrument in the catalogue is described by an overview text and a detailed
technical description as well as being illustrated by photographs.
Supporting material for the catalogue includes an essay on the Medieval and
Renaissance mathematical arts and sciences, articles describing the
function of different instrument types, entries on makers and places
represented, a glossary of technical terms, and a bibliography.
Epact was first published in stand-alone form in the four museums in
September 1998. The current online version reproduces the contents of the
stand-alone edition with pictures of slightly lower resolution as befits an
Internet resource. Corrections and additions are currently being compiled,
and in the meantime any problems with the online version and suggestions
for further improvements should be directed to giles.hudson@mhs.ox.ac.uk
The cooperating museums believe that Epact is one of the highest quality
resources of its kind and hope that it will prove to be of value to
researchers as well as bringing the material remains of our scientific
heritage to the attention of a wider public audience.
[Source: Scientific Instrument Commission, Newsletter No. 22, May 2001,
http://www.sic.iuhps.org/news_txt/news2001.htm]
...........................................................................
Item 3 ENHA No. 47, June 21, 2001
...........................................................................
Navigating Instruments Discussion Group
---------------------------------------
A new discussion group which specializes in navigating instruments, called
Sextants, is hosted on a free (advertising-supported) group service
operated by the American Web index Yahoo.
The group is not restricted to sextants; it also deals other instruments
for measuring visual dihedral angles at sea, aloft, or in the field; the
use of such instruments for navigation, surveying, and like purposes; and
other related matters including marine and air navigation, surveying, and
the industry and technology that produced these instruments. Everyone is
welcome to post information and questions regarding history, specific
instruments, sales, wants, etc. Most of the present members are collectors
or enthusiasts, but some have serious interests in these instruments.
If you are interested, you can subscribe to the group in either of two
ways. You can send an e-mail message to:
Sextants-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
The other way is to visit the following URL:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sextants
If you are not already signed up with Yahoo! Groups for some of their
other groups, you will be asked to sign up. They will ask you for some
information (of which only your e-mail address actually has to be correct).
There is no other way to get access to this group except via Yahoo!
Groups. If you find that the group is not to your taste, it is easy to
unsubscribe.
One of the benefits of the Yahoo! Groups format is that storage is
provided, open to access by group members. Advantage has been taken of
this to post a variety of information, including a bibliography, scanned
copies of hard-to-find basic articles, and some analyses and data bases.
Complete details on how to access this are provided in the welcome message
automatically sent to joining group members.
Questions regarding 'Sextants ' may be e-mailed to Will O'Neil at
w.d.oneil@pobox.com .
[Source: Rete Message 5974, 03 Feb 2001, by W. D. O'Neil]
...........................................................................
Item 4 ENHA No. 47, June 21, 2001
...........................................................................
Paul Bunge Prize for History of Scientific Instruments 2001
-----------------------------------------------------------
The Paul Bunge Prize of the Hans R. Jenemann Foundation is awarded each
year for special achievements in the history of scientific instruments.
This year the prize is awarded to Dr. Jim Bennett, Keeper of the Museum of
the History of Science, Oxford (Great Britain), who will receive the prize
for his complete historical works on scientific instruments (including
astronomical). The prize is endowed with DM 15,000 and will be presented
on 25 September 2001 in Wuerzburg on the occasion of the Annual Meeting
Chemistry 2001 of the German Chemical Society (Gesellschaft Deutscher
Chemiker).
The Paul Bunge Prize is offered by the Hans R. Jenemann Foundation which
is jointly administered by the German Chemical Society (Gesellschaft
Deutscher Chemiker) and the German Bunsen Society for Physical Chemistry
(Deutschen Bunsen-Gesellschaft fuer Physikalische Chemie). Hans R.
Jenemann (1920 - 1996), a chemist at the Schott Glaswerken in Mainz, became
known for his work on the history of the balance (weighing scale). Paul
Bunge (1839 - 1888) set new standards as a precision mechanic and engineer
in the construction of balances. The aim of the foundation is to support
research in the field of historical scientific instruments as well as to
sponsor talented young scientists in this area.
[Sources: Scientific Instrument Commission, Newsletter No. 22, May 2001,
http://www.sic.iuhps.org/news_txt/news2001.htm ;
GDCh - Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker, Press Release 08a/01,
http://www.gdch.de/pubrelat/wpd08a01.htm]
...........................................................................
Item 5 ENHA No. 47, June 21, 2001
...........................................................................
Paul Bunge Prize 2002
---------------------
The German Chemical Society extends an international invitation for
applications for the Paul Bunge Prize 2002 of the Hans R. Jenemann
Foundation, which is administered by the German Chemical Society
(Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker) and the German Bunsen Society for
Physical Chemistry (Deutsche Bunsen-Gesellschaft fuer Physikalische
Chemie). The 2002 award consists of 7.500 Euro and should honour
outstanding publications in German, English or French in all fields of the
history of scientific instruments. Besides the scientific work,
applications should also include a curriculum vitae and - if available - a
list of publications of the applicant. The deadline for applications is
September 30, 2001. Applications for one's own work as well as proposals
for honouring other persons' work can be submitted. The Advisory Board of
the Hans R. Jenemann Foundation will decide the prize-winner. The
awarding will be on May 10, 2002, on the occasion of the Annual Meeting of
the German Bunsen Society for Physical Chemistry in Potsdam (Germany). The
prize is named after the most important designer of analytical, assay and
high-performance precision balances in the second half of the 19th century,
Paul Bunge. Information for applicants is available at the German Chemical
Society, Public Relations Department, P.O. Box 900440, D-60444 Frankfurt
am Main, Germany, phone +49 69/7917-325, fax +49 69/7917-322,
e-mail: pr@gdch.de
[Source: GDCh - Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker, Press Release 14a/01,
http://www.gdch.de/pubrelat/wpd14a01.htm]
...........................................................................
Item 6 ENHA No. 47, June 21, 2001
...........................................................................
Workshop "The Making of the Spectroscope"
-----------------------------------------
A workshop on the history and sociology of spectroscopy will take place at
the Deutsches Museum, Munich, on 1-2 September 2001. It is being organized
by Klaus Staubermann (Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation) and Charlotte Bigg
(University of Cambridge and Max Planck Institut fuer
Wissenschaftsgeschichte, Berlin) in collaboration with the Scientific
Instrument Commission.
In their multiple and various forms, spectroscopes have, for more than a
century, populated most scientific workplaces, ranging from chemical,
metrological, physical and biological laboratories to astrophysical
observatories. They were and are applied for research and the testing and
control of processes in many industrial contexts, e.g. the optical,
metallurgical and pharmaceutical industries. They were and are also an
indispensable component in the teaching of optics, and as such may be found
in educational institutions. This workshop will bring together scholars
interested in one or more of the spectroscope's many incarnations to
discuss material, historical and sociological perspectives on spectroscopy
and the artifacts involved in its practice. The contexts in which
spectroscopes were designed, constructed, employed and modified will be
investigated; the interactions between various communities connected to the
instrument in different locations will be considered, alongside with the
evolution over the past two centuries of spectroscopic devices and of their
meanings and significance.
On the preliminary programme are the following twelve speakers: Klaus
Hentschel, Ilaria Meliconi , Charlotte Bigg, Frank James, David Aubin, Dana
A. Freiburger, Andrea Loettgers, Anna M. Lombardi, Sean F. Johnston,
Paolo Brenni, Jochen Hennig and Susan Gamble. There will also be a visit
to the restorated Fraunhofer workshop at the Munich Stadtmuseum and a tour
of the Deutsches Museum's spectroscope collection.
The workshop will take place on the basis of pre-circulated papers. There
is no registration fee for the attendance, but accomodation has not been
arranged. Requests for information and registration by e-mail to Klaus
Staubermann: Stb@AvH.de or Charlotte Bigg: bigg@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de
[Source: Scientific Instrument Commission, Newsletter No. 22, May 2001,
http://www.sic.iuhps.org/news_txt/news2001.htm]
...........................................................................
Item 7 ENHA No. 47, June 21, 2001
...........................................................................
Further Conferences 2001-2003
-----------------------------
More conferences in the years 2001 and 2003 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 20-22, 2001, Crete, Greece
5th Hellenic Astronomical Conference
Among topics: 8.Infrastructure, History and Teaching of Astronomy
(Convenor: E. Kontizas)
Contacts: Joseph Ventura, University of Crete, Department of Physics,
P.O. Box 2208, Heraklion, Crete, GR-71003, Greece,
Phone: +30 31 394216 or 394200, Fax: +30 31 394201,
e-mail: ventura@physics.uch.gr
http://astrophysics.physics.uoc.gr/conf/
September 26-29, 2001, Vincenza, Italy
Il sole e la luna. Teorie, immagini, simboli
[The Sun and the Moon. Theories, Imaginings, and Symbols]
Contacts: Agostino Paravicini Bagliani,
Section d'histoire, BFSH 2, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland,
phone ++41 21 6922934, fax ++41 21 6922935,
e-mail: agostino.paravicini@hist.unil.ch
URL: http://sismel.meri.unifi.it/micrologus/Pubblicazioni/projects2.html
September 28-30, 2001, Philadelphia, PA, USA
2001 Joint Atlantic Seminar in the History of the Physical Sciences:
"Historical Interactions Between the Physical Sciences, Business, and
Technology"
Submitted papers should be concrete historical investigations on any topic
in the history of physics, chemistry, astronomy, biophysics, or the
geosciences.
Contacts: Thomas C. Lassman , Chemical Heritage Foundation,
315 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA,
e-mail: toml@chemheritage.org
http://www.chemheritage.org/HistoricalServices/2001jashps.html
April 11-13, 2002, Tempe, AZ, USA
Annual Meeting of the Renaissance Society of America
Session: Ancient Science in the Renaissance
All scientific fields are considered, from natural and physical sciences
to mathematics and astronomy, for example, including medicine and
pharmacy, as well as astrology and alchemy.
Contacts: Alan Touwaide, e-mail: atouwaide@hotmail.com
Announcement: http://depts.washington.edu/hssexec/meetings/rensociety.html
May, 2002, Brest, France
L'histoire du calcul des longitudes
[History of the Calculation of Longitudes for Navigation]
Contacts: Prof. Vincent Jullien, UBO, UFR sciences et techniques,
6 av. Le Gorgeu, BP 809, 29285, Brest Cedex, France,
e-mail: vjullien@wanadoo.fr
Announcement (in French):
http://depts.washington.edu/hssexec/meetings/longitude.html
August 10-13, 2003, Philadelphia, PA, USA
2003 Annual Meeting of the Lewis & Clark Trail Heritage Foundation
Among possible topics: Surveying, Celestial Navigation, Astronomy
Contacts: Philadelphia Chapter, LCTHF, P.O. Box 54803,
Philadelphia, PA 19148, USA, e-mail: papers@lewisandclarkphila.org
Announcement:
http://depts.washington.edu/hssexec/meetings/philadelphia.html
...........................................................................
Item 8 ENHA No. 47, June 21, 2001
...........................................................................
Past Meetings
-------------
May 11, 2001, Cambridge, Mass., USA
The Menzel Centennial Symposium - Donald H. Menzel: Scientist, Educator,
Builder
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Contacts: Owen Gingerich, e-mail: ginger@cfa.harvard.edu
URL: http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/menzel/
June 4-7, 2001, Pasadena, CA, USA
AAS 198th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society
Session 1. Walter Baade: Father of the Two Stellar Populations and
Pioneer Supernova Researcher
URL: http://www.aas.org/publications/baas/v33n2/aas198/SL.htm
June 8-9, 2001, Nantes, France
Colloque "Observatoires et Patrimoine Astronomique Francais"
[Colloquium "Observatories and French Astronomical Heritage"]
Contacts: Jacques Gapaillard, Centre Francois Viete, Faculte des Sciences
2, rue de la Houssiniere, BP92208, 44322 Nantes Cedex 3, France,
e-mail: jacques.gapaillard@irem-hst.univ-nantes.fr
...........................................................................
Acknowledgements
----------------
For information we thank: Guy Boistel, Colette Le Lay, Helmut Steinle.
...........................................................................
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.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, Otterkiez 14, D-14478 Potsdam,
Germany, e-mail: wdi@potsdam.ifag.de
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, Postgiroamt
Hamburg, BLZ 200 100 20
Please sign with: "Fuer Arbeitskreis Astronomiegeschichte"
***************************************************************************
top of page
list of all Electronic Newsletters
