Dutch Astronomy between 1921 and 1956
David Baneke, VU Amsterdam Symposium honoring Adriaan Blaauw Groningen, 7 April 2014
Leiden Observatory staff (incl. computers and graduate students), 1933
Oosterhoff Kuiper Wesselink
Oort Hertzsprung De Si er Woltjer
Leiden Observatory, 1920s: - New staff: Pannekoek, Hertzsprung, Woltjer, Oort
Willem de Si er
Adriaan Blaauw to DB: Ejnar Hertzsprung “At that me, the reputa on of Leiden Observatory was the reputa on of Hertzsprung”
Frank Schlesinger to De Si er, 1927: “I have long felt, and I think I have expressed to you, a warm admira on for the way in which you have made it possible for Hertzsprung to work effec vely.” Leiden Observatory, 1920s: - New staff: Pannekoek, Hertzsprung, Woltjer, Oort - New graduate program
Harlow Shapley to De Si er, 1928: Willem de Si er “I remember your frequent statement that one principal func on of your Observatory is to train and export highly capable young astronomers.” Meanwhile …
Marcel Minnaert, Amsterdam Utrecht
2 main research tradi ons in Dutch astronomy: Groningen, Leiden: Kapteyn, Hertzsprung, Oort & students, successors Stellar & galac c astronomy
Amsterdam and Utrecht: Pannekoek, Minnaert & students, successors Astrophysics, solar physics
Complete astronomy faculty in NL, 1920-1940:
Groningen: Minnaert Kapteyn (un l 1921) Amsterdam: Pannekoek Van Rhijn (from 1921) * Leiden: De Si er (un l 1934) * Hertzsprung * Woltjer Oort (from 1924) * Utrecht: Nijland (un l 1936) Van der Bilt *
* * GM RAS P.J. van Rhijn and P. Oosterhoff 1939 Four former Groningen assistants: Bart Bok, Jan Oort, Peter van de Kamp, Jan Schilt 1939 1945: Jan Oort emerges as uncontested leader of Dutch astronomy
Post-War plans: - Kenya expedition - ESO - Radio astronomy
NAC colloquium on radio astronomy and the 21-cm line, 15 April 1944 Minutes by Adriaan Blaauw, secretary of the NAC
Planning ahead: WSRT
Jan Oort to Blaauw, 1956: Plenty of opportuni es; plans for a new giant radio telescope, but NFRA board does not know about it yet.
Nancy Roman to Blaauw, 1957: “It sounds like an intriguing mixture of headaches and opportuni es.”
Van Rhijn Minnaert Blaauw
Oort
De Jager Van de Hulst
Nederlandse Astronomen Conferentie, 1941