*************************************************************************** * * * ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER FOR THE HISTORY OF ASTRONOMY * * * * Published by the Working Group for the History of Astronomy * * in the Astronomische Gesellschaft * * * * Number 60, August 19, 2005 * * * * Edited by: Wolfgang R. Dick and Hilmar W. Duerbeck * * * *************************************************************************** Contents -------- 1. Nuncius - Journal of the History of Science 2. Historical Astronomy Division (HAD) Meeting 3. Colloquium "Entwicklung der Astrophysik" / "Development of Astrophysics" 4. 2005 Meeting of the Antique Telescope Society 5. Conference "Curating 20th century science" 6. Conference "Who needs scientific instruments?" 7. African Astronomical History Symposium (AAHS) 8. Conference on Oronce Fine and his time 9. Research project on the history of navigational teaching 10. The Newtonian Moment - Exhibition at the Huntington Library Acknowledgements Imprint ........................................................................... Item 1 ENHA No. 60, August 19, 2005 ........................................................................... Nuncius - Journal of the History of Science ------------------------------------------- (From: "Elektronische Mitteilungen zur Astronomiegeschichte" Nr. 75, 12. August 2005, Item 1.) After 20 years of successful presence on the Italian and international scene of the history of science, Nuncius - Journal of the History of Science appears with a renewed editorial board, a new layout and a new structure (www.imss.fi.it/istituto/nuncius/). Presentation: A journal open to host contributions reflecting different approaches and themes, Nuncius aims at being a high-quality reference tool for the international community of the history of science. While the scope of the journal remains general, Nuncius will occasionally devote special feature sections to monographic themes of the history of science and technology which deserve a historiographic reassessment. Contributions and proposals submitted to the editor are most welcome. Particular attention has been devoted to the review section: around 100 pages will be devoted to a comprehensive survey of the literature in the field, highlighting the most innovative contributions with essay reviews. Nuncius on-line: A new and important feature of the journal is the on-line edition; issues of the Annali dell'Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza and Nuncius are freely accessible on-line from 1976 to 2003. Following an agreement with the publisher Leo S. Olschki, the issues published in 2003 and thereafter will be freely accessible on-line after two years. The on-line publication of the digital version is supported by a sophisticated database index which enables an efficient and analytical survey of more than 3000 bibliographical records. Nuncius Newsletter: an electronic newsletter reporting on the activities of the Institute and Museum of the History of Science is available at homepage www.imss.fi.it/istituto/nuncius/ and it will be distributed under request every two month. To subscribe: http://brunelleschi.imss.fi.it/nuncius/esubscribenews.html [Source: Marco Beretta to Rete Mailing List, 21 July 2005] ........................................................................... Item 2 ENHA No. 60, August 19, 2005 ........................................................................... Historical Astronomy Division (HAD) Meeting ------------------------------------------- (From: "Elektronische Mitteilungen zur Astronomiegeschichte" Nr. 75, 12. August 2005, Item 2.) The Historical Astronomy Division (HAD) of the American Astronomical Society will meet Sept. 4 to Sept. 8, 2005 (Sun.-Thurs.), at the University of Cambridge, in England (see ENHA No. 59, March 26, 2005, Item 8). This will be a joint meeting with the Division of Planetary Sciences (DPS) of the AAS. The schedule of papers has now been posted. Schedule: http://www.aas.org/publications/baas/v37n3/dps2005/had2005block.html Registration page: http://www-outreach.phy.cam.ac.uk/dps2005/registration.html DPS meeting homepage: http://www-outreach.phy.cam.ac.uk/dps2005/ DPS accomodations page: http://www-outreach.phy.cam.ac.uk/dps2005/accommodation.html List of all sessions: http://www.aas.org/publications/baas/v37n3/dps2005/SL.htm Schedule of DPS papers: http://www.aas.org/publications/baas/v37n3/dps2005/dps2005block.html [Source: Peter Abrahams to HASTRO-L, 20 July 2005] ........................................................................... Item 3 ENHA No. 60, August 19, 2005 ........................................................................... Colloquium "Entwicklung der Astrophysik" / "Development of Astrophysics" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Colloquium of the Working Group for the History of Astronomy in the framework of the meeting of the Astronomische Gesellschaft in Cologne, Germany, Monday, September 26, 2005 Sunday, September 25, 2005: 7 p.m. come-together in a restaurant Monday, September 26, 2005, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. meeting (place to be determined) Conference fee: 20 EUR Meeting of the Astronomische Gesellschaft, September 26 - October 1, 2005, Topic: "The many facets of the universe - Revelations by new instruments", Website: http://www.ari.uni-heidelberg.de/AG/ Coordinators of the Workshop: Gudrun Wolfschmidt, IGN, Universitaet Hamburg e-mail: wolfschmidt@math.uni-hamburg.de Tel. +49-(0)40-42838-5262, Fax +49-(0)40-42838-5260 Claus Kiefer, Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, Universitaet zu Koeln, e-mail: kiefer@thp.uni-koeln.de, Tel. +49-(0)221-470-4301, +49-(0)221-470-4306 (Sekretariat), Fax +49-(0)221-470-2189 Updated website: http://www.math.uni-hamburg.de/spag/ign/events/ak5koeln.htm Most contributions will be given in German. [Source: Website, August 11, 2005] ........................................................................... Item 4 ENHA No. 60, August 19, 2005 ........................................................................... 2005 Meeting of the Antique Telescope Society --------------------------------------------- (From: "Elektronische Mitteilungen zur Astronomiegeschichte" Nr. 75, 12. August 2005, Item 4.) October 7 through 10, 2005, the Antique Telescope Society will hold its 14th annual convention at the Cincinnati Observatory Center, Cincinnati, OH. The program includes presentations and exhibits. A tour of local observatories and historical sites will occur on Monday. Observing through the 1845 11-1/4 inch Merz & Mahler refractor and the 1904 16 inch Alvan Clark & Sons refractor is scheduled for Friday and Saturday night. Registration deadline-Sept. 23, 2005. Call for Papers: Papers are welcomed on such subjects as: historical telescopes and accessories; early observatories, astronomers, and instrument makers; the history, construction, and preservation of telescopes; and related topics. 20-30 minutes is alloted for each paper. Poster papers are welcome. Please submit a brief abstract (less than 200 words) to the papers coordinator: Peter Abrahams, 1948 Mapleleaf Road, Lake Oswego, OR 97034 USA Or send it via e-mail (preferred) to: telscope@europa.com Deadline for submission of abstracts: September 7, 2005. Early applications would be helpful. Questions regarding registration: Walt Breyer, ATS Secretary, whbreyer@alltel.net Questions regarding papers: Peter Abrahams, telscope@europa.com [Source: Peter Abrahams to HASTRO-L, 26 July 2005] ........................................................................... Item 5 ENHA No. 60, August 19, 2005 ........................................................................... Workshop "Curating 20th Century Science" ---------------------------------------- 17 - 18 October 2005, Universiteitsmuseum Utrecht, the Netherlands. The Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum Amsterdam and the Universiteitsmuseum Utrecht announce a jointly organized two-days workshop titled "Curating 20th Century Science". The workshop will be organized under the auspices of the Scientific Instrument Commission. All sessions will be held at the Universiteitsmuseum in Utrecht. The workshop will provide a platform to discuss themes related to curating 20th century scientific heritage. Sessions of the workshop will focus on history, instruments, uses, and policies. The workshop wants to raise questions such as: * What is specific about 20th century science, such as globalisation, multi-disciplines, and big science, and how is this manifested in the design of technical apparatus? * How do we deal with the increasing number of complex and often new materials in our collections and how can we care for them? * How can we employ 20th century apparatus in museums, how can we open these "black boxes", and what are their uses, for example for exhibitions or research? * How can we develop a collection policy for 20th century scientific heritage and what are the criteria for making future choices on acquisitions? Session organizers will include Paolo Brenni (FST, IMSS, Firenze), Christian Sichau (Deutsches Museum), Rob Lukens (Chemical Heritage Foundation) and Roland Wittje (Universitet Trondheim). The workshop will take place on 17 and 18 October 2005 at the Universiteitsmuseum in Utrecht, the Netherlands. For registration, submission of a presentation and an abstract, please contact: Diederick Wildeman Scheepvaartmuseum Kattenburgerplein 1 1018 KK Amsterdam The Netherlands E-mail: dwildeman@scheepvaartmuseum.nl Tel: +31 (0)20 5232222 Fax: +31 (0)20 5232213 Deadline for registration, submission of a presentation and an abstract was 30 June 2005. A registration fee of 50 euro must be paid in cash upon arrival to the workshop. It includes participation and lunches. The workshop includes the following contributions: James Caplan: Have Scientific Instruments become more complex? [with examples from astronomy] Klaus Staubermann: Monument, Instrument, or Entertainment: what to do with the GDR's most Modern Planetarium? Marvin Bolt: From Astronomy to Space Science: Implications for Collections [Sources: Tiemen Cocquyt to Rete Mailing List, 17 August 2005; website] ........................................................................... Item 6 ENHA No. 60, August 19, 2005 ........................................................................... Conference "Who needs scientific instruments?" ---------------------------------------------- (From: "Elektronische Mitteilungen zur Astronomiegeschichte" Nr. 74, 29. Maerz 2005, Item 5.) Museum Boerhaave, Leiden, The Netherlands, would like to announce that it is organising a three day conference on scientific instruments, their use and their users from October 19 to 22, 2005. The centre of attention of this conference will be the users of scientific instruments. During the conference the users' role will be explored in three different topics: - The Status of Instruments, - Location & Organisation, - Innovation. These topics have been chosen because they cover a large area in the field of the instrument-based history of science. We hope that studying the interrelations of the three distinct topics will result in a new synthesis in which users and their instruments function as cornerstones in the history of science. We therefore invite historians of science as well as historians of scientific instruments to give their views and discuss the users and use of scientific instruments. Further information on registration, presentations and accommodation will be available in the first call for papers in early spring 2005. Bart Grob Hans Hooijmaijers Museum Boerhaave Leiden The Netherlands wetenschap@museumboerhaave.nl [Source: Message to Rete mailing list, 24 Feb 2005] ........................................................................... Item 7 ENHA No. 60, August 19, 2005 ........................................................................... African Astronomical History Symposium (AAHS) --------------------------------------------- (From: "Elektronische Mitteilungen zur Astronomiegeschichte" Nr. 75, 12. August 2005, Item 6.) Second Announcement Dates: 2005 November 8 & 9, Cape Town, South Africa Venue: New lecture room facility at SAAO, Observatory, Cape Town (Map: www.saao.ac.za/pr/visitingct.html) Website: www.saao.ac.za/assa/aahs Email: aahs@saao.ac.za Contact: Dr I.S. Glass, SAAO, P.O. Box 9, Observatory, 7935, South Africa Tel: 021-447 0025, Fax: 021-447 3639 Timetable: 1 August 2005 - Registration / Proposals for talks opens 15 October - Last day to notify us of proposed talks 7 November - Pre-conference wine and cheese, McClean telescope, SAAO 8 November - AAHS, Ethno-astronomy sessions Conference dinner 9 November - AAHS, Classical astronomy sessions 10 November - Opening of SALT Costs: The registration charge of R100 will cover tea, coffee, biscuits, the pre-conference reception and a copy of the proceedings. Conference Dinner: We envisage having a dinner at the Wild Fig restaurant on 8 November, at a cost of R115 per person. This is a part of the Courtyard Hotel close to SAAO, Cape Town. Opening of SALT: Many participants, especially those from up-country, may wish to visit Sutherland for the opening of the Southern African Large Telescope, which is now scheduled for 10 November. Accommodation in Cape Town: Accommodation arrangements are up to the individual except for the invited speakers. We will endeavour to help those from overseas if requested (who to contact). The local hostelries (in or near the SAAO) may be under severe pressure because of the SALT opening, so book early. Proposals for contributions: Please submit your proposals (abstracts) for talks or poster papers to aahs@saao.ac.za as soon as possible after the opening date for registration. Early submission will greatly assist the organisers in their planning. Contributed talks may be 15 minutes to 30 minutes in duration, including discussion. We intend to put short abstracts on the AAHS web site. Decisions on the acceptance of papers will be made by the Scientific Organising Committee. Please check the web site www.saao.ac.za/assa/aahs for the latest information. Invited speakers: Prof Keith Snedegar, Utah Valley State College. Desiderata for the Study of Cultural Astronomy in Southern Africa Prof John McKim Malville, Dept of Astrophysical and Planetary Science, University of Colorado. Astronomy and Stelae at Nabta Playa in the Late Megalithic Prof Jarita Holbrook, Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson. The Cultural astronomy of Africa: Recent Activities Prof Wayne Orchiston, Centre for Astronomy at James Cook University, Townsville, Australia. Amateurs in the Antipodes: the Common Denominators of South African, Australian and New Zealand astronomy During the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries Proceedings: The Proceedings will be published in African Skies/Cieux Africains, published by the Working Group on Space Sciences in Africa. See their web site www.saao.ac.za/~wgssa for further information about this journal. Papers should be submitted as soon as possible after the conference and not later than 31 December 2005. Details concerning submission of articles will be posted on the AAHS web site. The proceedings will be edited by the members of the Scientific Organising Committee. Participants will receive a copy of the relevant issue of African Skies/Cieux Africains. Funding for attendees: Funding for a limited number of South African academic researchers and post-graduate students to attend (travel and accommodation) is available. Short expressions of interest with a motivation and a very brief CV should be sent to aahs@saao.ac.za for consideration. Deadline for grants is 15 September 2005. Registration form: A registration form is available at: http://www.saao.ac.za/assa/aahs/html/aahsregister.html Please print out if desired, complete and send by email to wpk@saao.ac.za or mail to Mr W. Koorts, SAAO, P.O. Box 9, Observatory 7935, South Africa together with a cheque or proof of payment. Completed forms with proof of payment can also be faxed to 021-447 3639 (International 27 21 447 3639) clearly marked: For attention: Mr W. Koorts. [Text provided by Ian Glass] ........................................................................... Item 8 ENHA No. 59, March 26, 2005 ........................................................................... Conference on Oronce Fine and his time -------------------------------------- The Worlds of Oronce Fine: Mathematics, Instruments, and The Book in Renaissance France School of Art History, University of St Andrews, 12-13 May 2006 First call for papers Participants include: Anthony Turner, Giovanna Cifoletti, Isabelle Pantin, Adam Mosley, Jean-Marc Besse, Catherine Eagleton, Sven Dupre, Darin Hayton, Pascal Brioist Oronce Fine played an important role in the intellectual and cultural worlds of sixteenth-century France. His influence was expansive, ranging from mathematics to printing, cartography to technology. His lecturing and text books were instrumental in disseminating knowledge of the mathematical arts throughout Europe. This conference aims to shed new light on Fine and his worlds, his reception, influence, and legacy. Contributions are welcome on any aspects of Fine's life and work as well as on the subjects with which he was concerned (mathematics, astronomy, cartography, instrumentation, printing, pedagogy, humanism, etc.) in Renaissance France. Papers (no longer than twenty minutes) may be presented in either English or French, and a selection will be published as an edited volume in the series St Andrews Studies in Art History. The conference is generously supported by the French Vernacular Book Project, intended to create an analytical bibliography of all books published in the French language before 1601. See: http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/reformation/book/index.shtml For further information please contact: Alexander Marr (alexander.marr@st-andrews.ac.uk) School of Art History University of St Andrews 9, The Scores St Andrews Fife KY16 9AR SCOTLAND http://www-ah.st-andrews.ac.uk/ [Source: Stephen Johnston to Rete Mailing List, 18 July 2005] ........................................................................... Item 9 ENHA No. 60, August 19, 2005 ........................................................................... Research project on the history of navigational teaching -------------------------------------------------------- The Institute for the History of Science, Mathematics and Technology at Hamburg University has launched a research project in cooperation with the German Maritime Museum (Bremerhaven) on the history of navigational teaching. The aim of this project is a comparative study of contents and organization of navigational teaching in Northern Germany to 1871 and a biobibliographical survey of persons who taught navigation. Another objective is the development of navigation textbooks from the 18th to the end of the 19th century. Moreover, a database for the history of navigation and navigation instruments extant in Germany shall be established. Homepage: http://www.dsm.de/kds/index.html [Information provided by Guenther Oestmann ] ........................................................................... Item 10 ENHA No. 60, August 19, 2005 ........................................................................... The Newtonian Moment - Exhibition at the Huntington Library ----------------------------------------------------------- The Newtonian Moment: Science and the Making of Modern Culture July 23 - November 27, 2005 The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108, (626) 405-2100 Tuesday-Friday: noon to 4:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday: 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The second half of a major exhibition curated by Mordechai Feingold of Caltech, "The Newtonian Moment" explores the diffusion of Sir Isaac Newton's scientific ideas and their influence on all aspects of modern culture, from religion and history to art and literature. For 150 years after his death in 1727, admiration of Newton bordered on idolization; he was immortalized in verse, carved in stone. With time, Newton thus metamorphosed into science personified. It was for precisely this reason that he was vilified by 19th-century Romantics such as Shelley and Blake, who sought to remove poetry and art from under the umbrella of science, substituting mysteries and emotions for laws and reason. The exhibition features over a hundred books, prints, and reproductions drawn primarily from the Huntington's collections that illustrate Newton's influence in many areas of thought. Selections include Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels (1726); Alexander Pope's The Dunciad: An heroic poem (1728); Elemens de la philosophie de Neuton by Voltaire (1737); Goethe's Zur Farbenlehre (1810); and William Blake's engraving "Ancient of Days" (1794). The companion publication, "The Newtonian Moment: Isaac Newton and the Making of Modern Culture" by Mordechai Feingold (Oxford University Press, 2004; $22.50), is available in the Huntington's Bookstore. [Sources: http://www.huntington.org/Information/EventsCal.html ; Caltech News Release, February 16, 2005 - forwarded by Ron Baalke to HASTRO-L, 16 February 2005] ........................................................................... Acknowledgements ---------------- For directly sending us information we thank Ian Glass, Guenther Oestmann, and Gudrun Wolfschmidt. ........................................................................... Imprint ------- Electronic Newsletter for the History of Astronomy (ENHA) Published by the Working Group for the History of Astronomy in the Astronomische Gesellschaft Editors: Dr. Wolfgang R. Dick and Dr. Hilmar W. Duerbeck 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. Archives: Previous issues of ENHA are to be found at http://www.astrohist.org/aa/enha/ . Arbeitskreis Astronomiegeschichte / Working Group for the History of Astronomy: URL: http://www.astrohist.org/ Chairman: Prof. Dr. Peter Brosche, Observatorium Hoher List der Sternwarte der Universitaet Bonn, 54550 Daun, Germany, Tel.: +49(0)6592 98258-0, Fax: +49(0)6592 98258-58 Secretary I: Dr. Wolfgang R. Dick, Vogelsang 35 A, 14478 Potsdam, Germany, e-mail: wdick@astrohist.org Secretary II: Prof. Dr. Hilmar W. Duerbeck, Postfach 1268, 54543 Daun, Germany, e-mail: hduerbec@vub.ac.be Bank Acct. of the Astronomische Gesellschaft: Acct # 310 330 402, Volksbank Coesfeld-Duelmen (BLZ 401 631 23) Contributions from foreign countries: acct # 162 18-203, Postbank Hamburg, BLZ 200 100 20 Please sign with: "Fuer Arbeitskreis Astronomiegeschichte" ***************************************************************************