Folded Frontispiece from a History of Astronomy by Walter Bwant (London: Methuen & Co.) 1907 Commission the Manchester General Assembly of the IAU

News

The Newsletter of the Historical Astronomy Division of the American Astronomical Society

Number 54 November 2000

Folded Frontispiece from A History of Astronomy by Walter Bwant (London: Methuen & Co.) 1907 Commission the Manchester General Assembly of the IAU

Steven J. Dick (USNO)

The 24th General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union was held in Manchester, UK from 9-16 August, 2000. Commission 41 (History of Astronomy) held three sessions: a business meeting, Joint Discussion 6 on Applied Historical Astronomy, and a special session on "Inventory and Preservation of Astronomical Archives, Records and Artifacts."

At the business meeting on August 15 the following officers were installed for the 2000-2003 triennium:

President: F. Richard Stephenson (UK) Vice-president: Alex Gurshtein (Russia) Immediate Past President: Steven Dick (USA) Organizing Committee: Wolfgang Dick (Germany) Ra jesh Kochhar (India) Tsuko Nakamura (Japan) 11-Seong Nha (Korea) Wayne Orchiston (Australia) Woodruff T. Sullivan (USA) Brian Warner (S. Africa)

Friday, August 11 was devoted to JD 6 "Applied Historical Astronomy." More than 100 people in attendance heard wide-ranging papers on Babylonian observations (D. Brown), East Asian observations (F. R. Stephenson), Southern Hemisphere observations (W. Orchiston), Practical astronomy in Indo-Persian sources (S. M. R. Ansari), Early observations and modern ephemerides (E. M. Standish) Secular variation of planetary orbital elements (Y. B. Kolensik), Ancient eclipses and the Earth's rotation (L. V. Morrison), Earth orientation since AD 1600 (D. D. McCarthy), Creating modern cometary models using ancient Chinese data (D. K. Yeomans), Historical variability of the interplanetary complex (M. E. Bailey), Early telescopic sunspot records (D. V. Hoyt), Recorded long-period comet fluxes as an indicator of historic astronomical activity (D. W. Hughes), Scientific interpretation of historical auroral records (D. M. Willis), and Remnants of historical supernovae (D. A. Green). A final overview was given by W. T. Sullivan.

Poster papers included "Exiguus: The Father of the Christian Era" (M. Stavinschi) , "History of Cometary Exploration at Kyiv University" (K. I.Churyumov), "Akademische Sternkarten, Berlin 1830-59" (D. Jones), "History of Astronomy in Ukraine" (A. Korsun), and "Sunspot records: 1853 - 1996" (J. M. Brooke et al.)

One of the purposes of the session on the inventory and preservation of archives was to serve as input to the Working Group on Archives reactivated at this meeting, by gaining insight into what is being done in individual countries, where progress is being made thanks to individual and institutional efforts. At the same time, the session is part of an IUHPS initiative to encourage preservation and inventory of scientific archives in general. The session was chaired by S. Dick, and included Adriaan Blaauw (Netherlands) on the Inventory of IAU Archives, and the ESO Archives, Peter Hingley (UK) on the Royal Astronomical Society Library and Archives; George Wilkins (UK) on the Norman Lockyer Observatory Archives; Suzanne Debarbat (France) and Jean-Pierre Cressent (France) on 'Alidadef and the Iconographic Base for Astronomical Archives Preserved in France; Wolfgang Dick (Germany) on German Archives; Andreas Verdun (Switzerland) on the Status of the Euler Edition and Archives; Alexander Gurshtein (Russia) on Russian Archives; Brenda Corbin (USA) and Donna Coletti (USA) on Preservation and Digitization of Observatory Publications; W. Orchiston (Australia) on Inventory and Preservation of Archives in Australia and New Zealand, 11-Seong Nha (Korea) on The Nha 11- Seong Museum of Astronomy, and S. M. R. Ansari (India) on Archives in India. Prof. Hasegawa summarized T. Nakamurafs paper on Astronomical Archives in Japan. Also emphasized was the importance of the International Catalog of Sources of the American Institute of Physics, Center for the History of Physics, accessed online at www.aip.ora.

The Commission passed two new resolutions: 1) recommending that the sites of previous transit of Venus expeditions be inventoried, marked and preserved, as well as instrumentation and documents associated with these expeditions and 2) recommending that concerted efforts be made to preserve the buildings and instruments associated with the observatories of the International Latitude Service and predecessor observatories, especially the associated geodetic monuments or pillars.

The Commission established the following four Working Groups: Archives, Astronom.ica1 Chronology, Historical Instruments, and Transits of Venus. Each has a chairperson and a clearly defined program of work for the next 3 years.

In other activities, the Commission sponsored IAU Colloquium 178 "Polar Motion: Historical and Scientific Problems," held in Cagliari, Sardinia on September 27-30, 1999. The Proceedings, edited by S. Dick, D. McCarthy, and B. Luzum appeared as volume 208 of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference series. In conjunction with the U. S. Naval Observatory, the .Commission sponsored an around-the-world time ball drop on New Yearfs Eve to usher in the year 2000, involving 20 sites in 8 countries on 6 continents. The event will be repeated for the beginning of the new millennium on January 1, 2001.

The next General Assembly will be held in Sydney in 2003, followed by Prague in 2006. The Commission's Newsletters and notices of other activities are found at its web site, which may be accessed under 'Commissions" from the IAU home page www.iau.org.

IAU Joint Discussion on tablets exist in the British Museum together with millions Applied Historical of fragments. Most of these Astronomy records are from the period 651 to 60 BCE, when a Don Yeomans (NASA/JPL) centralized Assyrian control of Mesopotamia allowed the A Joint Discussion on Applied ruler to employ a large number Historical Astronomy was held of professional astrologers. during the 24th meeting of the While most of these tablets General Assembly of the are predictive, some actual International Astronomical observations were recorded in Union in Manchester England the form of daily watchings. (August 11, 2000). The These were often subsequently following comments on this recorded in annual diaries. Joint Discussion do not reflect all the interesting F. Richard Stephenson papers given--only those for (University of Durham) spoke which the undersigned was able on East Asian Observations. to take notes. After The approximate date range for welcoming remarks by the reliable Chinese astronomical moderators, F. Richard data is from about 720 BCE to Stephenson and Steven Dick, AD 1911. While astronomical the session began with a few records date back to about papers on the available source 1300 BCE, the first reliable material for ancient solar eclipse record is in 720 observations. BCE. It was not until the arrival of a stable government In his paper on Babylonian in about 200 BCE that detailed Observations, David Brown Chinese astronomical records (Oxford University) noted that survive. Richard noted that about 130,000 cuneiform clay astrological predictions were Earth's surface (i. e., the the ultimate goal for these Earth has become less oblate detailed observations and that due to the melting of the the existence of these polar caps) . observational records may well be the only useful result of Dennis McCarthy (U. S. Naval astrology. Observatory) also made use of Earth orientation observations Beginning a series of talks on since AD 1600. He pointed out the use of historical data for that there is a secular effect defining modern solar-system in the Earth's polar motion models, Myles Standish due to the re-distribution of (NASA/JPL) provided a lively ground water, core-mantle talk on Early Observations and interactions, and atmospheric Modern Ephemerides. Myles effects. noted that both Galileo in 1613 and Lalande in 1795 The discussions then shifted inadvertently recorded to cometary phenomena when the positional information for the undersigned outlined his work yet-to-be discovered planet, on the efforts to use ancient Neptune. Unfortunately, both Chinese comet and meteor sets of observations probably shower observations to contain accidental systematic constrain the orbital and biases and thus are not physical models for comets particularly helpful in Halley, Swift-Tuttle, and defining the orbital motion of Tempel-Tuttle. Yeomans this planet beyond what can be (NASA/JPL) concluded that the achieved using more modern nucleus of comet Halley was observations. not tumbling with time and that, unlike the case for L. V. Morrison (Eastbourne, U. comet Halley, the nucleus of K.) and F. R. Stephenson, Swift-Tuttle is too massive to related how ancient solar- be affected by the rocket-like eclipse data have been used to thrusting of the vaporizing track the history of the ices of the nucleus. In Earth's rotation. Using timed addition, the Leonid meteor and untimed Babylonian and showers are most likely when Chinese observations, it can the Earth runs through the be determined that the Earth's dust that is positioned rotational period is closely behind and outside the increasing by 1.8 orbital track of comet Tempel- milliseconds/century. This Tuttle. amount has a contribution of 2.3 ms/cy due to tidal braking Mark E. Bailey (Armagh and a contribution of -0.5 Observatory) made a ms/cy due to the re- presentation on the Historical distribution of mass upon the Variability of the Interplanetary Complex. He do not always correlate with noted that researchers should sunspot/magnetic records. In be vigilant for the discovery addition, some Korean records of data that would support the are a bit suspicious in that likely impacts of comets upon there appears to be an excess the Earth during the period of of auroral records for recorded history. certain intervals and the preferred direction of red David W. Hughes (University of aurora seen in Korea is not in Sheffield) concluded from the the North, as expected, but historical records that the rather in the South. flux of comets entering the Solar System has been roughly David A. Green (Mullard Radio constant for the last two Astronomy Observatory, U. K.) millennia. In addition, he drew attention to about ten noted that out to 2.4 AU, the supernova explosions within number of long period comets our Galaxy that have been reaching perihelion within an recorded over the last two interval, q + dq, is millennia. As well as those independent of the perihelion observed by Tycho Brahe in distance (q). 1572 and the one observed by Johannes Kepler in 1604, there In a report of ongoing work, are several more records of Douglas V. Hoyt and Kenneth guest stars chronicled earlier Schatten (Raytheon Corp.) in China, Japan, or Korea. reported they had collected a Once identified with data file of telescopic observable supernova remnants, sunspot records over the past these historical records four centuries. An impressive provide the start times for 450,000 sunspot observations modern-day computer models have been cataloged and used that trace the expansion of to improve the existing the remnants with time. history of sunspot numbers versus time. Woodruff Sullivan (University of Washington) closed the D. M. Willis (University of session with a short overview Warwick, U. K.) and F. R. noting the obvious synergism Stephenson reported on their between the astronomy and the efforts to secure ancient history-of-astronomy auroral records. Auroral communities. He left the records are available from 193 group with the plea that we BCE, and the authors concluded should redouble our efforts to that while the oriental preserve the existing archives auroral records exhibit a and begin to utilize the many clear 27-day recurrence untapped sources of material tendency at particular periods within this field. of time, the auroral records Huntington Library life elsewhere in the Universe, the invention of the Exhibition of telescope, and studying the Astronomical Works heavens in "invisible" light. This exhibition will truly Ronald Brashear (Smithsonian give us a greater appreciation Institution) of how we fit in with the rest of the Universe, how we came The Huntington Library, Art to realize this, and how much Galleries, and Botanical farther we have to go. Gardens in San Marino, California, is planning an The exhibition, curated by exhibition of its astronomical Daniel Lewis, Huntington collections, titled: "Star, Library, and Ronald Brashear, Struck: One Thousand Years of Smithsonian Institution the Art and Science of Libraries, will be on display Astronomy." The exhibition is in the newly renovated Mary scheduled to run from Dec. 1, Lou and George Boone Gallery. 2000 to May 14, 2001. (The Some of the items on exhibit opening date may be subject to will include: change, so please check first at www.huntington.org or call 4 Marcus Manilius's 626-405-2100) . Using rare Astronomicon (1473-1474), an books, manuscripts, celestial incomplete poem on astrology globes, and accompanying and astronomy, the first graphic images, the exhibition printed astronomical book. will look at the ways astronomers have learned more 4 Ptolemy ' s Almagest about the Universe by [manuscript] (1279). This developing and extending the work is one of the most theoretical models of the important in the history of Universe and by producing astronomy and represents the ingenious devices to better culmination of Greek observe the heavens, as well astronomical thought. Its as take a closer look at the influence was remarkable and stars and planets themselves. pervasive up to the time of Copernicus in the sixteenth Some specific items will look century. This version is an more closely at key events and illuminated manuscript concepts in the history of produced in France in 1279. astronomy: Copernicus's idea that the Earth travels around 4 Nicolaus Copernicus's De the Sun, that the planets Revolutionibus (1566) might have an astrological showing his revolutionary effect on our lives, the idea scheme with the Earth that the Universe is orbiting a central Sun. expanding, the possibility of This book was once owned by J Peter Apian's Astronomicon the astronomer Edwin Hubble. Caesarium (1540), without doubt the most spectacular J Albert Einstein's 1913 book produced during the letter to George Ellery Hale sixteenth-century. It is a in which he diagramed how large book dedicated to the the Sun's gravity would bend Holy Roman Emperor, colored the light from stars behind by hand, filled with the it. most ingenious rotating paper discs used by J Johann Bayer ' s Uranometria astronomers to determine the (1603), the influential positions of the planets, illustrated star atlas that phases of the Moon, and helped perpetuate the times of eclipses, along ancient constellations for with a variety of modern astronomy. calendrical and astrological information. J J. Blaeu's Grooten Atlas, vol. 1 (1664) is a superb J and many more . . . atlas, brilliantly colored, which shows in great detail The Huntington is open Tuesday Tycho Brahe's famous through Friday, noon to 4:30 observatory in Denmark with p. m.; Saturday and Sunday all its massive observing 10:30 a. m. to 4:30 p. m. It instruments. is closed Mondays and most holidays. Admission is $8.50 J Francesco Bianchini's adults, $8 seniors (65+), $6 Hesperi et phosphori (1728) students (ages 12-18 or with illustrates some of the student I. D. ) , and free for incredible long-focus children under 12. The group telescopes of the eighteenth rate (10 or more) is $7. century. Members are admitted free. Admission is free to all J Galilee's Sidereus Nuncius visitors on the first Thursday (1610), the first published of every month. views of the moon and stars as seen through the newly- invented telescope.

J Edwin Hubble's 1924 notes with a dramatic diagram showing how he used the light from variable stars to determine the distance to the nearby Andromeda Galaxy. Fifth Biennial History E-mail : [email protected], tel. of Astronomy Workshop 202-762-0379; or Marc Rothenberg, Joseph Henry Call for Papers Papers Project, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Steven J. Dick Washington, DC 20560-0429, E- mail: [email protected]. The Fifth Biennial History of Astronomy Workshop will be The local arrangements chair held July 5-8, 2001 for the workshop is Matt Dowd, at the University of Notre who can be reached at Graduate Dame. The workshop is Program in History and sponsored by Notre Dame's Philosophy of Science, Univ. Graduate Program in History of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN and Philosophy of Science, 46556, or E-mail: Notre Dame's Reilly [email protected]. Center for Science, Technology, and Values, the Persons wishing to register History of Astronomy Special should contact: Astronomy, Interest Group of the History Center for Continuing of Science Society, and the Education, Univ. of Notre Historical Astronomy Division Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, E- of the American Astronomical mail: [email protected]. The Society. registration fee of $75 includes the cost of the Steven Dick and Marc banquet. Housing is available Rothenberg are program co- in new air conditioned chairs. Persons wishing to dormitories at $29 per present work in progress night for a single, $23 per papers or poster papers should night for a double. submit a title and abstract of approximately 200 words to one The conference will include a of the program co-chairs by book exhibit and display Feb. 15, 2001, indicating tables. Participants preference for oral or poster are welcome to bring materials presentation. Proposals to display. Contact Matt Dowd .will be accepted in a number with regard to how much space of forms, but because the will be needed. abstracts of papers accepted for the conference Regarding transportation, will appear on the conference flights come to the South Bend website, we prefer from a number of major cities. electronic submissions. Write Persons arriving via Chicago either Steven J. Dick, U. S. can take the United Limo Bus, Naval Observatory, 3450 which runs from the United Massachusetts Ave. NW, Terminal at O'Hare Airport Washington, D.C. 20392-5420, directly to the Notre Dame Three honour former Presidents campus. Round-trip fare is of the London-based Royal $57. For a schedule and Astronomical Society: Sir Fred reservations, call United Limo Hoyle, Professor Carole at (800)833-5555. For those Jordan, and Sir Bernard driving, ample parking is Lovell. Their asteroids will available. A campus map and be known as Hoyle, parking information will be Carole jordan, and sent in'the CCE information Bernardlovell. packet. Two have been inspired by the To supply periodically updated recent restoration by the 7th information and a downloadable Earl of Rosse of the great registration form, Matt Dowd reflecting telescope at Birr has prepared a webpage for the Castle in Ireland, completed workshop. The URL is given by the 3rd Earl in 1845. One below. is to be called 'Leviathan' http://www.nd.edu/-histast4/ the popular nickname of the ndvinfo telescope, which was for 75 years the largest in the The sixty-five historians of world. The other is astronomy who attended the 'RossevenV--acontraction of Fourth Biennial History of 'Rosse Seven' for the present Astronomy Workshop, held at Seventh Earl. Notre Dame in July, 1999, praised the lively and Danish astronomer Dr. Johannes informed sessions, the Andersen, who has served as comfortable and informal General Secretary of the IAU atmosphere, and the reasonable from 1997 to 2000, has also room rates. been honoured with an asteroid to be called 'Johannes.' Asteroids Named for Astronomers and a Asteroids are named by their Historic Telescope discoverers, and all six of these were discovered by Dr. [An IAU Press Release] Edward Bowel1 of the Lowell Observatory. Often, Several asteroid names very discoverers name asteroids for recently approved by the friends, colleagues, family International Astronomical members, places, famous people Union have been announced at (poets, musicians, writers, this time specially to etc. ) . Originally, asteroids coincide with the IAU's were named after female General Assembly in deities, but the supply of Manchester. such names ran out in the 19th usually a pool of asteroids century. ready to be named. Suggestions can be sent to the Minor Under the procedures of the Planet Center at IAU, discoverers submit names [email protected]. for asteroids to Dr. Brian G. Marsden, Director of the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Moons And Craters Named Massachusetts. They are then passed on to the Small Bodies [An IAU Press Release] Names Committee of Division I11 of the IAU. Characters from the Tempest, the late Carl Sagan, and the Asteroids are eligible for 18th century Astronomer Royal naming when they have been Nathaniel Bliss are among numbered. On discovery, dozens of new names assigned asteroids are accorded a to moons and features on moons preliminary designation and planets in the Solar (e. g., 1997 BF3). Then, when System and approved today at the asteroid's orbit has been the General Assembly of the sufficiently well determined International Astronomical that its position can be very Union (IAU) in Manchester. accurately predicted for many The IAU is the only body with decades, it can be numbered. international authority to name astronomical bodies and There are rules for the features on them. Names are acceptability of names. They confirmed every three years, must not be too similar to at each General Assembly. existing names. They must not be obscene or objectionable; The Working Group for they must not pertain to Planetary System Nomenclature politicians, religious (WGPSN, which includes the UK leaders, or military leaders-- astronomer and broadcaster, unless long dead. Dr. Patrick Moore) examines every proposal. The committee IAU Commission 20, which deals selected the names after with the motions of asteroids submissions from the and comets, along with their discoverers, cartographers, discovery, is always seeking and spaceflight engineers suggestions for asteroid investigating new satellites, names. (Comets are named for asteroids, and craters their discoverers.) In throughout the Solar System. particular, asteroid Along with Earth-based discoverers lose their right observatories, space probes to name their discoveries when such as Galileo and Clementine 10 years have passed from the have discovered a plethora of date of numbering. There is new moons, craters and other features, all of which need the honour of a named body or names for the benefit of feature. present-day astronomers and any future explorers. The late Carl Sagan, who is remembered for his Shakespeare's play "The contributions to planetary Tempest" had already been the research and as one of the inspiration for the names of most successful popularisers some of the moons of Uranus of astronomy, will be honoured discovered earlier, such as with a 95-km-wide crater near Ariel and Miranda. They will the equator on the planet now be joined by Prospero, Mars. the magician master of the island in the play, Setebos Features on the near-Earth who enslaves Ariel, and asteroid Eros, currently being Stephano, the ship's butler. observed by the orbiting NEAR- These names replace the less Shoemaker spacecraft, are to interesting temporary be named after great lovers in designations, S/1999 U3, U1 history and literature. They and U2, respectively. The include Cupid, Lolita, and Don names Caliban and Sycorax, Quixote. Galileo, the first provisionally given to two astronomer to use a telescope, moons of Uranus discovered in probably would not have 1997, were also formally approved. In the 17th century confirmed. he refused to accept the proposed names of Jupiter's In the asteroid belt, largest satellites as they Eugenia's recently discovered commemorated the illicit satellite is named Petit- lovers of Jupiter in classical Prince after the son of mythology. Eugenie, the empress of Napoleon 111. Craters on the dark asteroid Mathilde are named after coal basins around the world.

Nathaniel Bliss, the 4th Astronomer Royal, who died after just 18 months in his post at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, will give his name to a lunar ring between the lunar crater Plato and Mt. Piton. Bliss, who served from 1762-1764, was until now the only Astronomer Royal without From the Upcoming Meetings

[Source = Working Group for Secretary the History of Astronomy in the Astronomische Gesellschaft (Wolfgang Dick, Secretary) ] The HAD will tour the Zinner Collection (at San Diego State July 5-8, Notre Dame, Indiana, University) during January's USA HAD meeting. (See HAD News The Fifth Biennial History of #53 for details. ) If you wish Astronomy Workshop to join us, see the notice in Contacts: Steven Dick, December's AAS Newsletter or [email protected], and contact the HAD Secretary. Marc Rothenberg, There will be a slight fee for [email protected] "lunch and such." URL : http://www.nd.edu/-histast4/ The following HAD Members had See also the announcement in their last copy of HAD News ENHA 42, Item 3. returned by the post office because their address was no July 8-14, Mexico City, Mexico longer valid. Does anybody XXIst International Congress have the current address for: of History of Science Theme: Science and Cultural Martin Burgdorf? Diversity Nicholas Contopoulos? If you are interested in Lorenzo Sepulveda? receiving the Call for Papers Richard Wilds? and other information on the congress, please contact: Thomas Hockey (address on Prof. Juan Jose Saldana, the cover) Chairman of the Organizing Phone: 319-273-2065 Committee, of the XXIst ICHS, FAX: 319-273-7124 I: [email protected] Apartado postal 21-873, 04000 Mexico D. F., Mexico, e-mail:

Clearance URL: http://www.cilea.it/history/ DHS/mexico.htm Extra copies of HAD News #45 are available. Topics include August 19-25, Nanyang, China the Palomar Observatory Silver The Fourth International Anniversary, the Astronomical Conference on Oriental Journal Sesquicentennial, and Astronomy (ICOA) a Ruth Freitag Bibliography. Contacts: Conference Contact the Secretary. Secretariat, Chinese Institute for Zhang Heng of Nanyang, Administration Building of Phases? People's Congress, Horizon Dip People North Road, 473000, Iliad as Astronomical P.R. China, Tel. 0086-377- Allegory? 3311552, Fax 0086-377-3311302 Pulsars and "Little Green For further information, see Men" the announcement in ENHA 40, Item 3. Lascaux Sky Map? Halley's Comet in 1301 August 19-31, Hanoi, Vietnam Friedrich Ginzel History of Geornagnetics, Catastrophic Encounters with Solar-Terrestial Physics and Comets Space Physics and Related Old Almanacs Disciplines Musica Ficta Half-day session during the Herschellfs Deep Sky Objects IAGA-IASPEI Joint Scientific Assembly. The topics are the development of solar- terrestrial physics, space physics and related disciplines during the last 2001-2003 decades. It welcomes papers/posters as biographical notes, research programs, and Candidates international cooperation, including all aspects of the [from #53] problems of a general history HAD News of geosciences and its related disciplines (physics, Vice-Chair (Vote for One) The astronomy, geography, meteorology) Vice-Chair assumes the office . of Chair, at the end of the Contact: Dr. Wilfried Schroeder, Hechelstrasse 8, D- present Chairfs term. 28777, Bremen, Germany Alan Fiala: "My 40 years in URL (for the Assembly) : professional astronomy have http://www.IAGAandIASPEI.org. been spent at three vn / institutions of historical significance in astronomy: Goodsell Observatory (Carleton Recent Discussion College), Yale University, and "Threads" on the History the U. S. Naval Observatory of Astronomy Discussion in Washington. In June, I Group (HASTRO-L) retired from a 38-year career at USNO, having been for the last four years Chief of the 1900 Total Solar eclipse Nautical Almanac Office as Alphabet Linked to Lunar successor to LeRoy Doggett. Williams writes: "Obituary plan to continue research on notices for deceased members the solar radius that depends are published in the Bulletin on analysis of historical of the AAS and play an observations taken at solar important part of our eclipses, and I also have organization's institutional interests in the history of memory. The AAS Council almanacs, navigation, and delegated the responsibility positional astronomy. to prepare these notices to HAD. As a HAD member I have "In the last decade I have participated in this important served as the Vice-Chair, service to the AAS. I feel Chair, and past-Chair of the that I can make a contribution DDA; served a three-year term as the HAD Vice Chairman, by on the Brouwer Prize supervising the preparation of Committee; and was local host such obituary notices as may of one annual meeting. I have be required. As an served in an executive independent scholar and leadership capacity in several otherwise retired individual, other civic and social I will have the time and organizations, and, if resources to ensure that this elected, will contribute my important task is carried out experience and time to the effectively for the AAS while HAD. participating in the other HAD leadership activities as required." Tom Williams: After enjoying the benefits of membership for over fifteen years, Tom Secretary/Treasurer (Vote for Williams feels it is about one)' The S/T is a four-year time he gave something back to term. the organization by serving HAD in some capacity, and has h his is an appointed office. agreed to be nominated for the Your vote will serve as a position Vice Chairman. His referendum on the Committee's special interest is the appointment. history of amateur astronomy, a topic on which he recently successfully defended a Ronald Brashear is the Curator dissertation at Rice of Rare Books in the University. He is also Smithsonian Institution's interested in the history of Dibner Library of the History astronomical institutions, of Science & Technology. particularly observatories and Prior to this, he was Curator organizations. of History of Science, Technology, and Medicine, and Institutional Archivist at the Huntington Library in San Huntington, we contracted with Marino, California, from 1988 a private company to do the to 1998 where he oversaw the mailings. We provided the Edwin Hubble Papers and the newsletters and an Excel file Archives of the Observatories with the mailing list and they of the Carnegie Institution of did the rest. I don't know if Washington. In graduate we could do something like school he was a research this maybe? It's usually assistant at The Johns Hopkins worth the expense (usually a University and served briefly very reasonable expense) not on the Space Telescope History to tie ourselves up with the Project at the National Air details of mailings. And I and Space Museum. Ron might be able to get the received his B.A. and M.S. Libraries to host a web site from the University of where we can put up an Louisville and spent four electronic version of the years at Hopkins studying for newsletter if we're interested his Ph.D. in the history of in doing that." science.

Recent publications include Committee (Vote for Two) "The Astrophysical Journal: A Committee members may be New Journal for a New Science" Division Affiliates. ApJ 455 (1995): 403-411, and Ron has contributed Brenda Corbin, librarian at encyclopedia entries for the U. S. Naval Observatory, History of Astronomy (1997), has held this position since Instruments of Science (1998), 1973. Her objectives have and American National always been to maintain and Biography (1999). He is enhance the library's currently co-curator for an collection, keeping it as one exhibition, "A Millennium of of the most complete Stargazing: One Thousand Years astronomical libraries in the of the Art and Science of world. One of her prime Astronomy," opening in interests is the preservation November 2000 at the of 19th and early 20th century Huntington Library. publications from observatories around the "I've worked for many years world. In 1979, she began now with newsletters, mail noting the importance of this merges, and mailing lists in series of publications and its both Microsoft Word and preservation. After many Wordperfect, so I feel pretty years this project has come to comfortable with that. Plus I fruition as Harvard University usually get laser printed is now microfilming the series mailing labels if I have to thanks to the collaboration of print them. When I was at the Wolbach librarian Donna Coletti. There are plans to the "terrestrial" and "jovian" digitize the microfilm so that planets. He hopes to extend full texts of these volumes this study to include will be available via the evolution of the planet- Astrophysics Data System concept in light of historical (ADS). searches for planets orbiting other stars. Brenda enjoys assisting historians of astronomy in Since 1997, Hockey has been finding "hidden" resources via Secretary/Treasurer of the careful bibliographic HAD. In this capacity he sleuthing. She has published administers the paperwork papers on various astronomy associated with the modest library topics, and history of growth of the Division. One astronomy papers relating to accomplishment he considers to Simon Newcomb and Etienne be important is returning the Trouvelot. redesigned HAD News, which he edits, to a regular, quarterly publication cycle. Thomas Hockey studied planetary astronomy (under Hockey has served on the HAD Professor Reta Beebe) and the committee that selected the History of Science (under first two recipients of the Professor William Eamon) at LeRoy Doggett Prize. As HAD New Mexico State University. Treasurer, he saw to it that He undertook his first project the principal donated to the in the history of astronomy at Doggett Prize fund was not NMSU: an oral-history spent. (Prize expenses were videotape with Clyde Tombaugh. budgeted out of general Hockey is presently Professor operating accounts.) Thus, of Astronomy at the University the fund can continue to grow of Northern Iowa, where he through further donations and teaches astronomy and the interest accumulation. history & philosophy of science. This summer he is a As an elected member of the Faculty Associate at Arizona HAD Committee, Hockey would State University West, like to improve interaction teaching archeoastronomy. between the HAD and the DPS, in order to advance the The focus of Hockey's history of solar-system historical research has been science. As for other future the development of the modern plans, he intends to present, idea of "planet," specifically at an appropriate upcoming how paradigms from meeting, his fieldwork on stellar/solar astrophysics, astronomical motifs in Easter and from the geosciences, Island rock art. resulted in the archetypes of studies of the American Karl Hufbauer (Ph.D., U. C. professional and amateur Berkeley, 1970; Prof. astronomical communities. He emeritus, U. C. Irvine, 1999-; was a chapter contributor to Adj. Prof., U. of Washington, the AAS Centennial History, a 2000). contributor to the 150th anniversary issue of the AJ, "My research in the history of and is widely known for his astronomy has focused on the leadership in the Notre Dame ways in which astronomers and workshops and as editor of physicists have various Garland series cooperated/competed in the bibliographies and astrophysical arena. This was encyclopedias in the history a major theme in my Exploring of science. He has been the Sun: Solar Science since associated with the Henry Galileo (1991) and in Papers Project since 1975 and archivally-based articles on has been Editor since 1985. the stellar-energy problem, Edlen's solution of the Rothenberg is the Treasurer coronal-line problem, Lyot's and member of the Executive development of the Committee of the History of coronagraph, and the Science Society. He also help genesis of the Ulysses establish the Special Interest mission. I am currently Group in the History of working on a monograph on the Astronomy for the History of stellar-energy problem from Science Society. Among his 1900 to 1940." current projects is a study of Henry's research on solar surface temperature in the Marc Rothenberg, Editor of the 1840s. Joseph Henry Papers at the Smithsonian Institution Archives is a charter member of HAD. A former undergraduate astronomy major at Villanova University who switched to history of science, his dissertation at Bryn Mawr College focused on Contributors: The submission the education of 19th-century deadline for issue #55 is American astronomers. January 5, 2001.

Rothenberg has researched 19th-century American history, The HAD News is supported in studied the history of science part by the Department of and scientific institutions, Earth Science, University of and has contributed numerous Northern Iowa. BALLOT: 2001-2003 Officers

All HAD members, Full and Affiliate, are eligible to vote. Consult HAD News, issue #54, for statements written by the candidates. Please mail this ballot to the Secretary (Department of Earth Science, UNI, Cedar Falls, IA 50614 USA), postmarked or Faxed (319-273-7124) by the December Solstice (12/21/00). The poll will close after that date. Results will be announced at January's Annual Business Meeting in San Diego.

Vice-Chair (Vote for One)

Alan Fiala

Tom Williams

Secretary/~reasurer (Vote for One) *

Ronald Brashear

Committee (Vote for Two)

Brenda Corbin

Thomas Hockey

Karl Hufbauer

Marc Rothenberg

* Note: The results of this election are non-binding upon the Committee.