Bulletin Issue 27 Spring 2017
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BULLETIN ISSUE 27 SPRING 2017 It is 200 years since Charles Messier died. We look back at his observing notes GETTING STARTED IN HISTORICAL ASTRONOMY RESEARCH - FROM PAUL HALEY FLAMMARION AND THE PLANET MARS THE CHAPMAN INTERVIEW Object 42 on Messier’s list – the Orion Nebula 2017 SHA SPRING CONFERENCE The first talk is at 1015 and the Saturday 22nd April 2017 The conference registration is morning session ends at 1215 Institute of Astronomy, between 0930 and 1000 at which for lunch. The lunch break is University of Cambridge time refreshments are available until 1330. An on-site lunch Madingley Road, Cambridge in the lecture theatre. The will be available (£5.00) BUT CB3 0HA conference starts at 1000 with a MUST BE PRE-ORDERED. There welcome by the SHA Chairman are no nearby eating places. Bob Bower introduces the There is a break for refreshments After the break there is the afternoon session at 1330 from 1530 to 1600 when Tea/ final talk. The afternoon then there are two one-hour Coffee and biscuits will be session will end at 5 p.m. and talks. provided. the conference will then close. 10 00 - 1015 10 15 - 1115 1115 - 1215 SHA Chairman Bob Bower Howard Carlton MA Dr. James Hannam Welcomes delegates to the John Pringle Nichol Dancing to the Music of Institute of Astronomy for The Nebular Hypothesis the Spheres the SHA 2017 Spring and 19th Century Medieval Visions of the Conference. Cosmology. Heavens. 13 30 - 1430 14 30 - 1530 16 00 – 17 00 Dr. Simon Mitton Dr. Stewart Moore Mark Robinson The History of Planetary Charles Messier – From George With-Mirror Maker Science. Discovering the Birth to Death The life and works of Dynamic Planet Beneath The life of Charles Messier. George Henry With. our feet. 2 In this Issue Regular Features Digital Bulletin 4 The Digital Bulletin provides extra content and links for members viewing Bulletin 27 as a PDF. News Update News Items relating to the 6 History of Astronomy. Book Review 1 The Materiality of the Sky. Reviewed by Carolyn Kennett. 18 Book Review 2 Camille Flammarion's Mars Reviewed by Clive Davenhall 20 Institute of Astronomy Cambridge – Location of the SHA 2017 Spring Conference Book Review 3 Event reports Stars Night by Night by Brian Jones 24 Reviewed by Gerard Gilligan 2016 Autumn Conference Held on the 29th October 2016 at the 7 Book Review 4 Birmingham & Midland Institute The Cosmic web - Gott, J. Richard. 25 Reviewed by Rosemary Wyse Articles Nottingham Astronomical Society Celebrates 70 years 56 Astronomy in Victorian Literature 10 by Carolyn Bedwell SHA Council and Officers 63 The Allan Chapman Interview The Bulletin Editors talk to the SHA President 26 Crossword A Reunion of Astronomers SHA Bulletin Crossword 1 64 by Jeremy Shears and James Dawson 28 A Story from the Liverpool Astronomical Society Archives by Gerard Gilligan 30 The Herschel Monument in Cape Town. SPRING CONFERENCE by Ian Ridpath 34 Takes place on Saturday 22nd Astronomical Snippets from Grace's April 2017 at the Guide 38 University of Cambridge Part 4 by Paul Haley Institute of Astronomy BAA Lantern Slides of Messier Objects by John Chuter 43 Details Opposite Astro-Research 1 by Paul Haley 47 Editorial - Page 5 Messier 1: Click here to see Messier's Notes on this object or turn to Page 17 Adventures in Archeoastronomy The Bulletin welcomes new SHA Members - click here for the list or turn to Page 19 by Carolyn Kennett 59 PDF Users click at the top right of any page to return to this page. 3 Digital Bulletin 27 for online readers From the SHA Online Article Library The Digital Bulletin provides extra content and John Henry Reynolds Ruins of Millbrook House links for members viewing Bulletin 27 as a PDF. Articles that have previously appeared in the Antiquarian Astronomer are now on line. Selected articles can be read directly from this page. Key links to the latest and past issues of SHA e-News and other material can be accessed from here. Click the centre of any image to go to the content. QR codes next to each item allows the printed Bulletin reader to access the digital content. Please note that e-News is now Irish Home of John Birmingham published at the beginning of February, May, August and November. A Star in the SHA e-News Western Sky John issues can be accessed here The Birmingham telescopes Astronomer Click the QR of John and Poet Code box to link Henry to it Reynolds Lord John Wrottesley The Antiquarian George Biddell Airy Astronomer web page can be linked to here Free to download from web as a PDF file A Popular History of Astronomy during the 19th Century Agnes Clerke Lord John, 2nd Airy’s Baron Greenwich Wrottesley and Staff Wrottesley Hall Observatory Winifred Lockyer Robert Goodacre The Lockyer Some Ladies Nottinghamshire Astronomers 4 Editorial Carolyn Kennett and Len Adam Letters to the Editor Dear Len & Carolyn, I have noticed Paul Haley’s contributions to the latest issues of the SHA Bulletin with interest. Indeed I am even named in the latest issue. (p.33. bottom right corner). I believe that I am M132. In particular, as a Land Surveyor rather than an Astronomer I am involved in the surveying side of Sir David Gill’s activities while he was at the Cape. Readers may be interested to know that Gill spent a huge amount of time and effort on laying the foundations of a survey scheme that was to stretch from South Africa to Egypt and subsequently join with the work of F G W Struve through Europe to form a continuous scheme to near Hammerfest in Northern Norway. Both Struve and Gill could be rightly termed geodesists as much as astronomers. The section of the work done by Struve between 1816 and 1855 stretched through 10 countries (today’s boundaries) from Hammerfest to the Black Sea and was inscribed as a World Heritage Monument in 2005. Work is now underway to get the part initiated by Gill and carried on by many others, as an extension to that W.H.M., to become This year is the bicentenary of the death, on the one covering 105º of latitude. This is a long term and 12th of April 1817, of Charles Messier the complicated effort that goes through 12 countries in Africa comet hunter – best known for his list of 109 and 17 in Europe (including those in Struve’s work). Gill’s efforts that commenced almost as soon as he arrived at the objects that could be mistaken for new comets. Cape in 1879 and continued until his death were finally On page 43 there is an article from John completed by the Americans in 1954- a total of 75 years Chuter about Magic Lantern Slides of Messier effort. Jim Smith Petersfield Hants Objects held in the BAA Archives and scattered Ed. We are hoping to persuade Jim to produce an article throughout this issue are extracts from providing more details of the project for a future Bulletin. Messier’s catalogue of objects together with corresponding modern images. Dear Len, I thought that The Editors have interviewed the SHA President, SHA members might be Dr Allan Chapman and the interview is presented interested in in this issue. Ian Ridpath has contributed an article this pic which I about the Herschel Monument in Cape Town and took at the Paul Haley carries on his series of Extracts from Lady Lever Art Gallery at Port Grace’s Guide in Astro-Snippets Part 4. Paul also Sunlight, nr starts a new series on Astro Research as a guide to Birkenhead on anyone beginning to think about researching an the Wirral. We astronomer or astronomical topic On the back page visit quite often as we have we have SHA Bulletin Crossword Number 1. family in the Rather than trying to complete this on the back area. One such page, we suggest printing off the single page visit was the week before crossword from the PDF file that is sent to all Xmas and I members who have registered their email address. s potted something I hadn't previously seen. In their The solution to the crossword will be given in collection of Wedgewood pieces is a fine portrait of Issue 28 of the Bulletin. We continue the series on William Herschel. I noticed that above and to the right of the astronomer two orbits are depicted, one clearly being Saturn. Archeoastronomy and also have four book reviews The next one is clearly wider than that of Saturn and so must in this issue. Unfortunately, as a result of the therefore represent Uranus which he discovered in 1781. I submission of a wealth of excellent content, some thought this was a splendid way that the artist had chosen to highlight the great man's discovery. of our planned ‘regular’ features have been dropped from this issue in order to keep the size John Axtell (Non SHA Member - suggested by Ian Ridpath) and cost of the Bulletin at a reasonable level. We Ed. Part of a longer letter - John is continuing his research. will try and resume these when we can. Editorial Bulletin 27 SHA Bulletin 27 Spring 2017 5 News Reading the Hurlers Auction House Christies’ sale of Giancarlo Beltrame Astronomical Books The fine weather also ensured that there was a Reading the Hurlers great turnout, there was a lot of interest in the archaeological dig as well as the work being On Saturday 17th September 2016 a undertaken by the geologists on site and the archaeoastronomy.