DOCSLIB.ORG

Mitteilungen Zur Astronomiegeschichte

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Mitteilungen Zur Astronomiegeschichte MITTEILUNGEN ZUR ASTRONOMIEGESCHICHTE Herausgegeben vom Arbeitskreis Astronomiegeschichte in der Astronomischen Gesellschaft ISSN 0944-1999 Nummer 18, Juli 2001 Die Kepler-Gesellschaft dern durch ihre laufenden Beiträge und durch Kommission für die Weil der Stadt e.V. Spenden von Förderern aufgebracht. Die Er- Geschichte der Geophysik haltung des der Kepler-Gesellschaft gehören- den Kepler-Gedenkhauses am Marktplatz in und Kosmischen Physik Johannes Kepler, der Begründer der neuzeitli- Weil der Stadt, die Ergänzung der Museums- chen Astronomie und einer der Männer, die und Bibliotheksbestände sowie die Kosten für Unter Leitung des international bekannten Phy- zum modernen wissenschaftlichen Denken Vorträge und den Druck von Veröffentlichun- sikers Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Hans-Jürgen Treder überleiten, gehört mit in die vorderste Reihe gen erfordern heute immer größere Summen, wurde im Jahre 2000 eine spezielle Kommission der großen deutschen Naturforscher. Keplers die mehr und mehr über die finanziellen Mög- für die Geschichte der Geophysik und ihrer „Astronomia Nova“ und Galileis „Nuova lichkeiten des bisherigen Mitgliederkreises hin- Nachbardisziplinen gegründet. Ziel dieser Kom- Scienza“ bildeten das Fundament, auf dem Ge- ausgehen. Um ihre Aufgaben auch in Zukunft mission ist die internationale und interdiszipli- nerationen von Forschern aufbauten. An unse- erfüllen zu können, ist die Kepler-Gesellschaft näre Diskussion anstehender Fragen der Geo- rem großen Landsmann Johannes Kepler be- darauf angewiesen, neue, vor allem auch jün- physik. Diesem Zweck dienen die Arbeitskonfe- wundern wir besonders den immer auf das Gro- gere Mitglieder und weitere Förderer zu ge- renzen beim Vorsitzenden, die Herausgabe ei- ße gerichteten Geist und den lauteren Charak- winnen. ner eigenen Schriftenreihe „Berichte zur Ge- ter, dem zeitlebens alles Kleinliche und Egoi- Der Vorstand würde sich daher sehr darüber schichte der Geophysik und Kosmischen Phy- stische fremd blieb. freuen, wenn auch Sie sich entscheiden könn- sik“, die im Jahre 2001 mit Band 2 erscheint. „Die Kepler-Forschung zu fördern, das An- ten, die Arbeit der Kepler-Gesellschaft dadurch Ein kürzlicher Band der Schriftenreihe be- denken an den großen Astronomen zu pflegen zu unterstützen, daß Sie als Mitglied – mit handelte in autobiographischen Texten den Weg und die Kenntnisse über seine Persönlichkeit einem von Ihnen selbst bestimmten Jahresbei- bedeutender Geo- und Kosmoswissenschaftler zu verbreiten“ ist die satzungsgemäße Aufgabe trag (mindestens jedoch DM 20) – beitreten zu ihrer Disziplin: Zu den Autoren gehörten u.a. der Kepler-Gesellschaft e.V. mit Sitz in Weil oder ihr eine einmalige Spende zukommen las- Sir lan Axford FRS, Syuin-I. Akasofu, Sir Allan der Stadt. Dieser Aufgabe versucht die Kepler- sen würden. Die Mitgliedsbeiträge und Spen- Cook FRS, Helmut Moritz, früherer Präsident Gesellschaft in jeder Hinsicht gerecht zu wer- den sind bei der Lohn-, Einkommen- und Kör- der International Union for Geophysics and den: perschaftssteuer abzugsfähig. Mitglieder und Geodesy, und andere. 1. Sie hat Keplers Geburtshaus am Markt- Förderer der Kepler-Gesellschaft haben sowohl Außerdem befaßt sich die Kommission mit platz in Weil der Stadt mit Unterstützung zahl- zum Kepler-Museum als auch zu den von der der Sammlung historischer Daten, Instrumente, reicher Spender im Jahr 1938 erworben und als Gesellschaft veranstalteten Vorträgen freien der Aufbereitung wissenschaftlicher Briefwech- Kepler-Museum eingerichtet. Der seit der Er- Eintritt und genießen beim Bezug von Veröf- sel. Die Beziehungen zwischen dem Geophysi- öffnung 1940 mehrmals erweiterte Bestand zeigt fentlichungen der Gesellschaft usw. besondere ker Emil Wiechert und den theoretischen Physi- Original-Ausgaben von Keplers Werken und Vergünstigungen. kern Hendrik A. Lorentz und Arnold Sommer- Faksimiledrucke, Briefe von und an Kepler, Weil der Stadt, März 2001 feld wurden bereits veröffentlicht. Ebenso wur- Bildtafeln über seinen Werdegang, seine Le- Der Vorstand der Kepler-Gesellschaft den mehrere Bände der „Collected Papers“ des bensgeschichte und seine Reisen, Porträts von weltbekannten Geophysikers und Hydrodyna- Freunden und Lehrern Keplers und viele ande- Zusammensetzung des Vorstands der Kepler- mikers Hans Ertel veröffentlicht. Ertels berühm- re Dokumente. Außerdem sind neben Instru- Gesellschaft e.V.: tes Wirbeltheorem von 1942 (Ertel’s Potential menten und Geräten aus der Zeit Keplers mo- Prof. Dr. Manfred Fischer, Weil der Stadt (Vor- Vorticity) gehört heute zum Basiswerk der mo- derne Computersimulationen zu sehen, die Kep- sitzender); Prof. Dr. Hans-Ulrich Keller, Stutt- dernen Geo- und Kosmosphysik. Weitere Bän- lers Entdeckungen veranschaulichen. Das Mu- gart (stellv. Vorsitzender); Bürgermeister Hans- de, die sein ozeanographisches Werk, seine seum wird von in- und ausländischen Besu- Josef Straub, Weil der Stadt (geschäftsf. Vor- Beiträge zur Physikalischen Hydrographie u.a. chern wie auch von vielen Schulklassen be- standsmitglied); Bankdirektor i.R. Werner enthalten sollen, sind geplant. Weiterhin befaßt sichtigt. Riehle, Weil der Stadt (Schatzmeister); Wolf- sich die Kommission mit dem Wirken von Julius 2. Die Kepler-Gesellschaft gibt in unregel- ram Knapp, Stuttgart (Schriftführer); Frau Bartels, Hans Ertel, Leonhard Euler, Wilhelm mäßigen Abständen Schriften über Kepler und Hiltrud Bäzner-Zehender, Ottenbronn; Her- Foerster, Carl-Friedrich Gauß, Hermann von die Naturwissenschaften des 16. und 17. Jahr- mann Faber, Magstadt; Karsten Gaulke, Ess- Helmholtz, Helmut E. Landsberg, Otto Jesse, hunderts heraus und veranstaltet öffentliche lingen; Friedrich Knobloch, Weil der Stadt; Wilhelm Weber sowie Alfred Wegener. Jeweils Vorträge namhafter Forscher über einschlägige Dr. Ernst Kühn, Reutlingen werden auch die Beziehungen interdisziplinär Themen. Anschrift: diskutiert. 3. In der Bibliothek des Kepler-Archivs in Kepler-Gesellschaft Die Kommission steht allen interessierten Weil der Stadt sammelt die Kepler-Gesellschaft Geschäftsstelle Rathaus Wissenschaftlern offen, weil eine interdiszipli- Werke von Kepler (Originaldrucke, Faksimile- Postfach 1120 näre Zusammenarbeit auch mit anderen Fächern ausgaben und Übersetzungen), andere natur- D-71263 Weil der Stadt angestrebt wird. Nähere Einzelheiten finden sich wissenschaftliche Schriften aus seiner Zeit so- Spendenkonto: in der Homepage: http://huhu.franken.de/ wie Literatur über Kepler. Da die Bibliothek Kepler-Gesellschaft e.V. history-geophysics/ . Weitere Auskünfte sind Mitgliedern, aber auch Nichtmitgliedern für ihre Konto Nr. 41 276 000, BLZ 603 900 00 erhältlich bei Hans Gaab (e-mail: HansGaab@t- wissenschaftliche Arbeit zur Verfügung steht, Vereinigte Volksbank AG, Weil der Stadt online.de) oder dem Vorsitzenden Prof. Dr. Dr. fördert die Kepler-Gesellschaft auf diese Wei- h.c. mult. Hans-Jürgen Treder, Rosa-Luxem- Weitere Informationen über das Kepler- se die Kepler-Forschung. burg-Straße 17a, D-14482 Potsdam. Die für die Durchführung dieser Aufgaben Museum und den Verein: notwendigen Mittel werden von den Mitglie- http://www.kepler-museum.de/ (Text übermittelt von Dr. W. Schröder, Bremen) 2 Mitteilungen zur Astronomiegeschichte Nr. 18, Juli 2001 Kolloquium in München (1879-1958) and his contribution to the European quiums werden wir versuchen, bei genügendem Astronomy; M. Hedenus: Eugen Goldstein and Interesse am Sonnabend einen der folgenden Das Sonderkolloquium zur Geschichte der Astro- his Laboratory Work at the Berlin Observatory. Ausflüge durchzuführen. Mögliche Ziele sind: nomie „Europäische Astronomie im 20. Jahr- Außerdem wurden folgende Poster angenom- European Southern Observatory headquarters; hundert“ im Rahmen des Joint European and men: E. Bon, M. Cirkovic, I. Milosavljevic: Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Phy- National Astronomical Meeting for 2001 New Proposition for Redating of Mithraic Tau- sik; Institut für Astronomie und Astrophysik der (JENAM-2001, = 10th European and 75th An- roctony Scene; M. S. Dimitrijevic: Development Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; nual Assembly of Astronomische Gesellschaft, of Astronomy in Serbia in the 20th Century; G. Deutsches Museum; Benediktbeuern und J. 10.-14. September 2001, München, Deutsch- Petrov G., G. Pinigin: Karl Knorre - first astro- Fraunhofers Glashütte. Bitte teilen Sie uns zu- land) bietet Gelegenheit, die Geschichte der nomer of the Nikolaev Observatory; L. Pigatto, sammen mit Ihrer Anmeldung Ihren Wunsch Astronomie in Europa im letzten Jahrhundert zu V. Zanini: 433 Eros Opposition of 1900 and mit! betrachten. Der Schwerpunkt liegt dabei auf der Solar Parallax Measurement; J. F. Quintano: Weitere Informationen, inklusive eines On- Entwicklung der Ideen, Instrumente und wis- History of astronomy in the 20th century: A line-Anmeldeformulars, unter: senschaftlichen Ergebnisse, wobei aber auch die cosmo-philosophical perspective of ist advances http://www.gamma.mpe-garching.mpg.de/~hcs/ Geschichte von Institutionen sowie Astrono- and their origines; S. Rothwangl: New conside- JENAM2001MS/ menbiographien behandelt werden. Das Kollo- ration on the origin of the common yearly coun- quium wird vom Arbeitskreis Astronomie- ting in the Julian and Gregorian calendar with special attention to the ancient astronomy and geschichte in der Astronomischen Gesellschaft Kolloquium in Hamburg unter Beteiligung weiterer europäischer Astro- world view; M. Stavinschi: The Last Descendant nomen organisiert. of Tycho Brahe Lives in Romania; B. Stein- Vom 28. September bis 1.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Icha Newsletter Newsletter of the Inter-Union Commission For
    International Astronomical Union International Union of the History and Philosophy of Science DHS/IUHPS ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ THE ICHA NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER OF THE INTER-UNION COMMISSION FOR HISTORY OF ASTRONOMY* ____________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ No. 11 – January 2011 SUMMARY A. Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy: Building Bridges between Cultures – IAU Symposium S278 Report by C. Ruggles ..................................................... 1 B. Historical Observatory building to be restored by A. Simpson …..…..…...… 5 C. History of Astronomy in India by B. S. Shylaja ……………………………….. 6 D. Journals and Publications: - Acta Historica Astronomiae by Hilmar W. Duerbeck ................................ 8 Books 2008/2011 ............................................................................................. 9 Some research papers by C41/ICHA members - 2009/2010 ........................... 9 E. News - Exhibitions on the Antikythera Mechanism by E. Nicolaidis ……………. 10 - XII Universeum Meeting by M. Lourenço, S. Talas, R. Wittje ………….. 10 - XXX Scientific Instrument Symposium by K.Gaulke ..………………… 12 F. ICHA Member News by B. Corbin ………………………………………… 13 * The ICHA includes IAU Commission 41 (History of Astronomy), all of whose members are, ipso facto, members of the ICHA. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
    [Show full text]
  • The First Measurement of the Deflection of the Vertical in Longitude
    Eur. Phys. J. H. DOI: 10.1140/epjh/e2014-40055-2 The first measurement of the deflection of the vertical in longitude The figure of the earth in the early 19th century Andreas Schrimpfa Philipps-Universit¨atMarburg, Fachbereich Physik, Renthof 5, D-35032 Marburg, Germany Abstract. During the summer of 1837 Christian Ludwig Gerling, a for- mer student of Carl Friedrich Gauß’s, organized the world wide first de- termination of the deflection of the vertical in longitude. From a mobile observatory at the Frauenberg near Marburg (Hesse) he measured the astronomical longitude difference between C.F. Gauß’s observatory at G¨ottingenand F.G.B. Nicolai's observatory at Mannheim within an er- ror of 000: 4. To achieve this precision he first used a series of light signals for synchronizing the observatory clocks and, second, he very carefully corrected for the varying reaction time of the observers. By comparing these astronomical results with the geodetic{determined longitude dif- ferences he had recently measured for the triangulation of Kurhessen, he was able to extract a combined value of the deflection of the vertical in longitude of G¨ottingenand Mannheim. His results closely agree with modern vertical deflection data. 1 Introduction The discussion about the figure of the earth and its determination was an open ques- tion for almost two thousand years, the sciences involved were geodesy, geography and astronomy. Without precise instruments the everyday experience suggested a flat, plane world, although ideas of a spherically shaped earth were known and ac- cepted even in the ancient world. Assuming that the easily observable daily motion of the stars is due to the rotation of the earth, the rotational axis can be used to define a celestial sphere; a coordinate system, where the stars' position is given by two angles.
    [Show full text]
  • Staircase of Vienna Observatory (Institut Für Astronomie Der Universität Wien)
    Figure 15.1: Staircase of Vienna Observatory (Institut für Astronomie der Universität Wien) 142 15. The University Observatory Vienna Anneliese Schnell (Vienna, Austria) 15.1 Introduction should prefer non-German instrument makers (E. Weiss 1873). In spring of 2008 the new Vienna Observatory was th commemorating its 125 anniversary, it was officially During a couple of years Vienna Observatory was edit- opened by Emperor Franz Joseph in 1883. Regular ob- ing an astronomical calendar. In the 1874 edition K. L. servations had started in 1880. Viennese astronomers Littrow wrote a contribution about the new observatory had planned that observatory for a long time. Already th in which he defined the instrumental needs: Karl von Littrow’s father had plans early in the 19 “für Topographie des Himmels ein mächtiges parallakti- century (at that time according to a letter from Joseph sches Fernrohr, ein dioptrisches Instrument von 25 Zoll Johann Littrow to Gauß from December 1, 1823 the Öffnung. Da sich aber ein Werkzeug von solcher Grö- observatory of Turku was taken as model) (Reich 2008), ße für laufende Beobachtungen (Ortsbestimmung neu- but it lasted until 1867 when it was decided to build a er Planeten und Kometen, fortgesetzte Doppelsternmes- new main building of the university of Vienna and also sungen, etc.) nicht eignet, ein zweites, kleineres, daher a new observatory. Viennese astronomers at that time leichter zu handhabendes, aber zur Beobachtung licht- had an excellent training in mathematics, they mostly schwacher Objekte immer noch hinreichendes Teleskop worked on positional astronomy and celestial mechanics. von etwa 10 Zoll Öffnung, und ein Meridiankreis er- They believed in F.
    [Show full text]
  • Ice& Stone 2020
    Ice & Stone 2020 WEEK 33: AUGUST 9-15 Presented by The Earthrise Institute # 33 Authored by Alan Hale About Ice And Stone 2020 It is my pleasure to welcome all educators, students, topics include: main-belt asteroids, near-Earth asteroids, and anybody else who might be interested, to Ice and “Great Comets,” spacecraft visits (both past and Stone 2020. This is an educational package I have put future), meteorites, and “small bodies” in popular together to cover the so-called “small bodies” of the literature and music. solar system, which in general means asteroids and comets, although this also includes the small moons of Throughout 2020 there will be various comets that are the various planets as well as meteors, meteorites, and visible in our skies and various asteroids passing by Earth interplanetary dust. Although these objects may be -- some of which are already known, some of which “small” compared to the planets of our solar system, will be discovered “in the act” -- and there will also be they are nevertheless of high interest and importance various asteroids of the main asteroid belt that are visible for several reasons, including: as well as “occultations” of stars by various asteroids visible from certain locations on Earth’s surface. Ice a) they are believed to be the “leftovers” from the and Stone 2020 will make note of these occasions and formation of the solar system, so studying them provides appearances as they take place. The “Comet Resource valuable insights into our origins, including Earth and of Center” at the Earthrise web site contains information life on Earth, including ourselves; about the brighter comets that are visible in the sky at any given time and, for those who are interested, I will b) we have learned that this process isn’t over yet, and also occasionally share information about the goings-on that there are still objects out there that can impact in my life as I observe these comets.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Portraits Leonhard Euler Daniel Bernoulli Johann-Heinrich Lambert
    Portraits Leonhard Euler Daniel Bernoulli Johann-Heinrich Lambert Compiled and translated by Oscar Sheynin Berlin, 2010 Copyright Sheynin 2010 www.sheynin.de ISBN 3-938417-01-3 1 Contents Foreword I. Nicolaus Fuss, Eulogy on Leonhard Euler, 1786. Translated from German II. M. J. A. N. Condorcet, Eulogy on Euler, 1786. Translated from French III. Daniel Bernoulli, Autobiography. Translated from Russian; Latin original received in Petersburg in 1776 IV. M. J. A. N. Condorcet, Eulogy on [Daniel] Bernoulli, 1785. In French. Translated by Daniel II Bernoulli in German, 1787. This translation considers both versions V. R. Wolf, Daniel Bernoulli from Basel, 1700 – 1782, 1860. Translated from German VI. Gleb K. Michajlov, The Life and Work of Daniel Bernoullli, 2005. Translated from German VII. Daniel Bernoulli, List of Contributions, 2002 VIII. J. H. S. Formey, Eulogy on Lambert, 1780. Translated from French IX. R. Wolf, Joh. Heinrich Lambert from Mühlhausen, 1728 – 1777, 1860. Translated from German X. J.-H. Lambert, List of Publications, 1970 XI. Oscar Sheynin, Supplement: Daniel Bernoulli’s Instructions for Meteorological Stations 2 Foreword Along with the main eulogies and biographies [i, ii, iv, v, viii, ix], I have included a recent biography of Daniel Bernoulli [vi], his autobiography [iii], for the first time translated from the Russian translation of the Latin original but regrettably incomplete, and lists of published works by Daniel Bernoulli [vii] and Lambert [x]. The first of these lists is readily available, but there are so many references to the works of these scientists in the main texts, that I had no other reasonable alternative.
    [Show full text]
  • Friedrich Zöllner's Correspondence with Wilhelm Foerster
    See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/241504525 Friedrich Zöllner's correspondence with Wilhelm Foerster CHAPTER · JANUARY 2000 CITATION READS 1 8 2 AUTHORS, INCLUDING: Wolfgang R. Dick Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy 283 PUBLICATIONS 192 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Available from: Wolfgang R. Dick Retrieved on: 14 October 2015 11 Friedrich Z¨ollner’s correspondence with Wilhelm Foerster Wolfgang R. Dick Otterkiez 14 D-14478 Potsdam Federal Republic of Germany Gisela M¨unzel Fockestrasse 43 D-04275 Leipzig Federal Republic of Germany Abstract Thirty one letters by Karl Friedrich Z¨ollner to Wilhelm Foerster have sur- vived, being probably nearly all that have been written by Z¨ollner. Most of Foerster’s letters have been lost, with the exception of one preserved in original and some published (at least in parts) in 1899. An overview of the relations of Z¨ollner and Foerster and of their correspondence is given, and some quotes from Z¨ollner’s letters are presented. These give new insights into Z¨ollner’s scientific and private life. 11.1 Z¨ollner’s friend and correspondent Wilhelm Foerster Wilhelm Foerster was born on December 16, 1832 in the Silesian town of Gr¨unberg, so that he was almost two years older than Z¨ollner. His way into 121 122 ZOLLNER’S¨ CORRESPONDENCE WITH FOERSTER astronomy was more rapid and straight in comparison to Z¨ollner’s. Foerster studied first at Berlin, but after three semesters he left for Bonn, where — under the direction of Argelander — he graduated with a dissertation on the geographical latitude of Bonn Observatory.
    [Show full text]
  • Encke's Minima and Encke's Division in Saturn's A-Ring
    ENCKE’S MINIMA AND ENCKE’S DIVISION IN SATURN’S A-RING Pedro Ré http://astrosurf.com/re When viewed with the aid of a good quality telescope Saturn is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular objects in the sky. Many amateur astronomers (including the author) say that their first observation of Saturn turned them on to astronomy. Saturn’s rings are easily visible with a good 60 mm refractor at 50x. The 3D appearance of this planet is what makes it so interesting. Details in the rings can be seen during moments of good seeing. The Cassini division (between ring A and B) is easily visible with moderate apertures. The Encke minima and Encke division are more difficult to observe and require large apertures and telescopes of excellent optical quality. These two features can be observed in Saturn’s A-Ring. The Encke minima consists of a broad, low contrast feature located about halfway out in the middle of the A-Ring. The Encke division is a narrow, high contrast feature located near the outer edge of the A-Ring. Unlike the Encke minima, the Encke division is an actual division of the ring (Figure 1). Figure 1- Saturn near Opposition on June 11, 2017. D. Peach, E. Kraaikamp, F. Colas, M. Delcroix, R. Hueso, G. Thérin, C. Sprianu, S2P, IMCCE, OMP. The Encke division is visible around the entire outer A ring. Astronomy Picture of the Day (20170617) https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170617.html 1 Galileo Galilei observed the disk Saturn for the first time using one of his largest refractor.
    [Show full text]
  • January 19-25, 2020
    4# Ice & Stone 2020 Week 4: January 19-25, 2020 Presented by The Earthrise Institute This week in history JANUARY 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 JANUARY 19, 2006: NASA’s New Horizons mission is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. After a somewhat distant flyby of the main-belt asteroid (132524) APL in June 2006 and a gravity-assist encounter with Jupiter in February 2007, New Horizons encountered Pluto and its system of moons in July 2015 – providing our first detailed view of these objects in the process – and then the Kuiper Belt object (486958) Arrokoth in January 2019. New Horizons may be sent to an as-yet unidentified additional Kuiper Belt object and will eventually leave the solar system. JANUARY 19, 2020: The main-belt asteroid (12712) 1991 EY4 will occult the 6th-magnitude star 23 Leonis. The predicted path of the occultation crosses the Kashmir region of northern India and northeastern Pakistan, northeastern Afghanistan, central Turkmenistan, southwestern Russia, central Ukraine, northeastern Poland, southern Denmark, northern Scotland, the southern tip of Greenland, and northern Quebec and east central Manitoba in Canada. JANUARY 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 JANUARY 20, 2016: Konstantin Batygin and Michael Brown publish their paper “Evidence for a Distant Giant Planet in the Solar System.” In their paper Batygin and Brown propose that a hypothetical “Planet Nine” – a few times more massive than Earth – resides in the outer solar system a few hundred AU from the sun, basing their conclusions on dynamical studies of smaller objects that have been discovered in the outer solar system.
    [Show full text]
  • Degrees Celsius” a R T I
    CelsiusCoverprinterkopia1_Layout12016-11-2509:57Sida1 T h e M a n b e h i n This is a book about an unknown person with a well-known name, d Anders Celsius, a book about his life and works. It is, thereby, also a ” D book about the beginning of systematically investigating the Earth and e its changes. g r e e Celsius may be characterized as a pioneer in investigating the Earth by s means of systematic observations and by collecting long series of C numerical data. In the early 1700s he and his assistants measured and e l s studied latitude, longitude, gravity, magnetism, sea level change, land i uplift, air pressure, temperature and northern lights. Much of Celsius’ u s inspiration for his works came from his participation in an international ” expedition to the Arctic Circle, the purpose of which was nothing less than trying to confirm the theories of Newton. In many respects Celsius concentrated on utilizing Sweden’s northerly position on the Earth, promoting such investigations that could not easily be made in more southerly countries. This book is the story of the life and works of a man who started from meagre circumstances in an isolated northern university but developed into a pioneering Earth scientist with international contacts. It is also the story of a scientist who was engaged in creating an observatory and supporting an academy for the benefit of society but who died in the middle of his activities. And it is also the story of a person who made friends easily everywhere but never found someone with whom to share a common life.
    [Show full text]
  • Uranus, the Seventh Planet from the Sun, Was Discovered in the Year 1781
    Uranus, the seventh planet from the sun, was discovered in the year 1781. But Uranus was not moving the way it was supposed to. Something was wrong. Could an unknown planet be affecting its orbit? About sixty years later, two astronomers—one English, one French—tackled the problem. Working independently, they calculated the position of what they thought was a planet. In 1846, two German astronomers proved these predictions correct with the discovery of a greenish-blue planet exactly where it was supposed to be. The mystery of the motion of Uranus had been solved, and the new planet was named Neptune, after the Roman god of the sea. In the nearly 150 years since its initial sighting, astronomers have discovered many fascinating and unusual things about the eighth planet from the sun, including rings, a giant moon, and a tornado called the Great Blue Spot. Although we dont know everything there is to know about Neptune, we do know enough to give us a good idea of its nature. And we know enough to be able to pose new questions that will lead the astronomers of today and tomorrow to a more complete understanding of Neptune, the fourth and last of the great giant planets of our solar system. 1. Uranus IN ANCIENT TIMES, people noticed that most of the stars made the same pattern in the sky at all times. They moved across the sky, but all in one piece, so to speak. They were called the fixed stars, because they seemed fixed in place. They were fastened to the sky, it appeared, and turned with the sky itself.
    [Show full text]
  • Giuseppe Piazzi and the Discovery of Ceres
    Foderà Serio et al.: The Discovery of Ceres 17 Giuseppe Piazzi and the Discovery of Ceres G. Foderà Serio Universita’ di Palermo A. Manara Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera P. Sicoli Osservatorio Astronomico di Sormano In this chapter we focus on the circumstances that led Giuseppe Piazzi (1746–1826) to dis- cover the first asteroid, Ceres, on January 1, 1801. Through the examination of published and archival documentation, we shed light on the reaction of the astronomical community at the announcement of the discovery and on Piazzi’s puzzling behavior. In the end, we briefly discuss the discoveries of Pallas, Juno, and Vesta and the theories put forward to explain their nature. 1. INTRODUCTION scope made by Jesse Ramsden of London (Piazzi, 1792; Pearson, 1829; Chinnici et al., 2001). Returning to Palermo Gioacchino Giuseppe Maria Ubaldo Nicolò Piazzi was in November 1789, Piazzi was able, in a matter of months, born in Ponte, Valtellina, July 16, 1746, to one of the wealth- to have the new observatory built on top of the tower of iest families of the region. The penultimate of 10 sons, most Santa Ninfa at the Royal Palace. of whom died as children, his parents worried about his health and for this reason quickly baptized him at home. The register of baptisms of St. Maurizio Church clearly spec- ifies “ob imminens vitae periculum,” or “because of impend- ing danger of death” (Maineri, 1871; Invernizzi et al., 2001). Following the tradition that encouraged younger children of wealthy and noble families to take holy orders, Giuseppe joined the Teatine order at the age of 19.
    [Show full text]
  • Review: Richard F. Wetzell, Inventing the Criminal: a History of German Criminology, 1880-1945 (Chapel Hill and London, 2000) Andre Wakefield Pitzer College
    Claremont Colleges Scholarship @ Claremont Pitzer Faculty Publications and Research Pitzer Faculty Scholarship 3-1-2002 Review: Richard F. Wetzell, Inventing the Criminal: A History of German Criminology, 1880-1945 (Chapel Hill and London, 2000) Andre Wakefield Pitzer College Recommended Citation Andre Wakefield. Review of Wetzell, Richard F., Inventing the Criminal: A History of German Criminology, 1880-1945. Isis 93.1 (March 2002): 100-101. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/343270 This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Pitzer Faculty Scholarship at Scholarship @ Claremont. It has been accepted for inclusion in Pitzer Faculty Publications and Research by an authorized administrator of Scholarship @ Claremont. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BOOK REVIEWS Ⅲ General ical texts and related to the division of the cubit into seven palms, each of four fingers. But the Roger Herz-Fischler. The Shape of the Great close relation between these two methods of -pp., figs., tables, apps., bibl., measurement in practical terms is clear, and ei 293 ם Pyramid. xii index. Waterloo, Ontario: Wilfried Laurier Uni- ther one could have been used with ease by an versity Press, 2000. $29.95 (paper). ancient builder. Herz-Fischler states that “there simply is no The existence of a mathematical theory deter- archaeological evidence for the above three rise mining the shape of the Great Pyramid is a long- over run based theories” (p. 168). Here he is too standing assumption, and speculation on the quick to dismiss the evidence presented by Flin- subject dates back to Herodotus. Roger Herz- ders Petrie from a mastaba at Meidum (pp.
    [Show full text]