The Journal of Astronomical Data 2004, Volume 10 ABSTRACTS =============================================================== [JAD 10, 1] Photometry of 20 eclipsing and ellipsoidal binary systems R.R. Shobbrook A total of almost 2000 V observations of 20 eclipsing and ellipsoidal bright binary stars was collected between 1991 and 2001 for the purpose of determining more recent epoch ephemerides for the light curves than are available in the literature. The original purpose was to provide the Sydney University Stellar Interferometer (SUSI) with orbital periods and particularly the accurate times of minimum separation (light curve minima), so that the SUSI observations need not be used to determine them. This paper provides the periods, the times of primary minima and the phases of secondary minima for the 20 stars at an epoch as near as possible to the year 2000. No attempt has been made in this report to determine other parameters such as {apsidal motion} or stellar radii. Since the program was started in 1991, data for these stars taken in the period from late 1989 to early 1993 has also been available from the Hipparcos satellite; the light curves shown here include both sets of observations. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [JAD 10, 2] High-resolution spectroscopy of the eclipsing beta Cephei star HD92024 H. Hensberge, C. Sterken, L.M. Freyhammer, K. Pavlovski, S. Ilijic, A. Smette We present spectroscopic data from a recent orbital analysis of the eclipsing SB-1 type binary system HD92024 which has a beta Cephei component. Fully reduced spectra are given together with technical details from the analysis, published elsewhere. In addition, a high-S/N time-averaged spectrum with line identifications is provided in graphical and digital form. The spectra show pronounced pulsational variability, which is essential for application in asteroseismology but disturbing for the dynamical analysis. Orbital elements derived from the spectra with a procedure devised to minimise influence from these line-profile variations are found to be more precise than orbital parameters resulting from classical methods. A line-variability indicator is described and then used to guide a selection of spectral line-regions rich in information on the stellar beta Cephei oscillations. Two lines are examined as examples. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [JAD 10, 3] Spectroscopic Binary Solver D.O. Johnson Spectroscopic Binary Solver is a Microsoft Visual Basic software application used to determine the orbital parameters of a binary star system based on observed radial velocities. SBS is an interactive process facilitated by the use of real-time graphical controls and data presentation, as opposed to a computer solution that simply produces a numerical output. This paper describes the software functions, and is accompanied by an installer and example data for various case studies. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [JAD 10, 4] A movie of the 1882 Transit of Venus assembled from plates taken at Lick Observatory by David P. Todd Anthony Misch and William Sheehan We present a series of 141 photographic plates of the 1882 Transit of Venus, taken by David P. Todd at Lick Observatory. To our knowledge, the plates - which were recently rediscovered on Mount Hamilton - are by far the most complete photographic record of the transit. We also present the plates in the form of a high-resolution time-lapse movie, showing nearly all of the more than four hours of the transit visible from Mount Hamilton. The movie is notable for making visible an event that no living person has seen, but that has been lying dormant in the Lick archive for 120 years. The series also has a place of importance in the history of photography, and especially in the then-emerging art of chronophotography, the serial recording of a moving event. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [JAD 10, 5A] Some notes on "Leaves of Memory", the autobiography of Hermann Kobold Reinhart Vollmer, Hildegard Vollmer, and Hilmar W. Duerbeck We briefly describe the life of the astronomer Hermann Kobold, who lived from 1858 to 1942. He worked at the observatories of O'Gyalla, Strasbourg and Kiel, and was also involved in the observations and reductions of the German Venus transit project, 1874/82. His autobiography spans the time between his youth and his leave from Strasbourg in 1902. The subsequent time as observer and professor in Kiel and long-time editor of the Astronomische Nachrichten is not covered. The autobiography "Blaetter der Erinnerung" (Leaves of Memory), presented in the subsequent article, was written in his late age when he was already blind, using a special device. We also present some photographs of Kobold and his contemporaries, taken in Goettingen, O'Gyalla, Aiken (South Carolina), and Strasbourg. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [JAD 10, 5B] Blaetter der Erinnerung - Leaves of Memory - an autobiography Hermann Albert Kobold The following notes of the blind author, entitled "leaves of memory" were written in 1940, two years before his death. The notes, which were written by hand with the aid of a special deskpad, were later transcribed. The present edition contains the complete text; only incorrectly written or transcribed names of persons or geographical places were corrected. The autobiography covers Hermann Kobold's youth and education in Hannover (1858-1877), his scientific studies at Goettingen University (1877-1880), the time as an assistant at Nicolaus von Konkoly's private observatory (1880-1883), his participation in the Venus transit expedition to Aiken, South Carolina (1882), his work for the German Venus Transit Commission in Berlin (1883-1886), and his years as an observer and professor at the University Observatory in Strasbourg (1886-1902). The notes come to a close with Kobold's departure from Strasbourg to accept a position at Kiel University Observatory. The autobiography give a subjective view of scientific and university life in the last decades of the 19th century, a view which is, however, free from any "self-censured" texts like annual reports or obituaries. The notes offer rare insights, e.g. in the behaviour of Kobold's contemporaries and the influence exercised in the case of appointments. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [JAD 10, 6] The historical record of eta Carinae I. The visual light curve, 1595-2000 David J. Frew Eta Carinae is one of the most massive luminous blue variable stars (LBVs) in the Milky Way. Here a new historic light curve is presented which supersedes earlier works, and is based almost completely on a critically-assessed compilation of primary sources. Only observations made relative to unambiguously identified comparison stars are used and, unlike earlier efforts, the data are reduced homogenously to the V scale. The light curve is extended through to the present using a database of photoelectric and CCD measures compiled elsewhere, and totals about 1500 points, including about 500 before 1950. A primary motivation for this work is to provide a definitive light curve for eta Car over the maximum time-line possible, to be used as a resource for further investigation.The observation by Keyser leads to an inferred magnitude of mV = 3.5 ± 0.5 in 1595-96, while new magnitude estimates for 1677, 1687, and 1752 are mV = 3.3 ± 0.3, mV = 3.4 ±0.4, and mV = 2.3 ± 0.3 respectively. Contrary to accepted wisdom, there is only weak observational evidence to show that eta Car was varying markedly prior to the Great Eruption beginning in the 1830s, though this is not ruled out. A slow rise from mV approx. 3.5 at the start of the 17th century to mV approx. 2.3 around 1750, with a further slow brightening to around 1830, is also a tenable hypothesis. There is, however, no evidence for a long-duration eruption having occurred between 1500 and1800. The well-known Great Eruption commenced in 1837 and lasted until at least 1856. The brightness declined rapidly between 1858 and 1868, before a small brightening or plateau occurred in 1869-71; there is some evidence for a change in the spectrum in Feb 1871. The Lesser Eruption occurred in 1887-95, the onset of which was within two months of a predicted spectroscopic event, suggesting a causal link. A preliminary look at the photographic magnitudes suggests a marked change in colour index during the Lesser Eruption. Another increase in the integrated brightness is generally believed to have occurred circa 1940, but the exact time and quantum still needs to be ascertained. There is no compelling evidence to suggest there was an eruptive event at this time, but there is good, albeit circumstantial, evidence to indicate that this brightening is simply due to the lobes of the Homunculus becoming visible for the first time. Such a brightening would increase the integrated magnitude by a measurable amount. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [JAD 10, 7] ASTRONOMICAL HERITAGES: ASTRONOMICAL ARCHIVES AND HISTORIC TRANSITS OF VENUS Christiaan Sterken and Hilmar W. Duerbeck (eds.) [JAD 10, 7A] Astronomical Archives in India S.M. Razaullah Ansari A brief overview is given of the activities of nine observatories (located at Madras, Lucknow, Trivandrum, Poona, Calcutta, Dehra Dun, Kodaikanal, and Hyderabad) which were established in India in the 19th century. A bibliography of publications of these observatories, sorted according to type of astronomical data, and some notes on observational material, is also presented. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [JAD 10, 7B] Archives at the U.S. Naval Observatory - Recent Projects Brenda G. Corbin In 1874, like many other astronomical institutions, the U.S. Naval Observatory sent eight expeditions to different parts of the globe to observe the Transit of Venus. After all results were in, William Harkness was placed in charge of preparing the results and observations for publication. Page proofs of these observations appeared in 1881, but due to lack of funds and other reasons, these volumes were never published. Recently funds became available to have photocopies made on acid-free paper. The Astrophysics Data System (ADS) agreed to scan the photocopied pages and has made this publication available via the ADS so it now may be seen by anyone with access to the web. The compilation of a historical photograph archive at the USNO is continuing. Photographs and glass plates are being scanned by students and placed on the web. As the Naval Observatory has many thousands of plates and photographs, this project will take quite some time to complete. The images are of instruments, buildings, and staff members. The URL for this collection is http://www.usno.navy.mil/library/search.shtml ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [JAD 10, 7C] The French Astronomical Archives Alidade Project Suzanne Debarbat and Laurence Bobis The present state of Alidade, an archival project of Paris Observatory, including not only archival papers, but also instruments, documents, iconography, paintings etc., of various institutions, is described. Documents and collections, e.g. from donations or purchases, are still integrated into the archives, and selected material is displayed in temporary exhibits at the Observatory. Modern uses of old material are briefly mentioned ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [JAD 10, 7D] Documents Related to Astronomy in German Archives Wolfgang R. Dick A short account of holdings of documents related to astronomy in German archives is given. Several online and printed inventories are indicated. The appendix contains a list of selected collections. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [JAD 10, 7E] The Sound Archive of Archenhold Observatory - An Overview Dieter B. Herrmann A short overview of the sound archive of the Archenhold Observatory in Berlin-Treptow is given. Among the more than 250 records, there are many semi-popular lectures of astronomers from the Berlin area, Jena, and visitors from abroad, spanning the years 1966-1990. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [JAD 10, 7F] The Crawford Collection at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh Karen Moran and M. T. Brück The Crawford Collection of books and manuscripts at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh contains the first editions of nearly every book important in the history of astronomy and related fields. It is especially rich in early literature on comets (a collection of over 1000 tracts, described as unrivalled anywhere, including 19th century observations) and many treatises on astrology. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [JAD 10, 7G] The Japanese Astronomical Archives Project Tsuko Nakamura Due to recent activities of local libraries and museums in Japan for collecting and cataloguing historical books and documents and their increased efforts to publicize such information via Internet services, we are now in a position to have a much easier and better access to the historical resources preserved than in the past. With this background, we started in 2002 a project under governmental support for four years, to make a general inventory of Japanese archives in astronomy and relating disciplines written or published before 1870. Since in pre-modern Japan astronomical knowledge and books were circulated mainly in hand-written form so that they have been apt to be lost in wars and fires, there are good reasons for us to now compile such an inventory through extensive and systematic surveys of both domestic and overseas sources. In April 2003, we published an inventory book of 250 pages, which is intended to be a basis for our survey, including about 4600 titles collected from known source materials. We expect that by March 2006 the number of titles will be increased by 30-35%. This paper briefly introduces the current status of this project and presents the characteristics and problems of Japanese astronomical archives. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [JAD 10, 7H] An Introduction to the Astronomical Archives of Australia and New Zealand Wayne Orchiston After summarising key elements in the astronomical histories of Australia and New Zealand, we provide master lists of the principal astronomical records found in the archives, libraries, museums, observatories and government research institutes of these two Oceanic nations. In preparing these two national inventories, we address one of the primary objectives of the IAU's Working Group on Astronomical Archives. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [JAD 10, 7J] Highlighting the History of 19th Century Australian Astronomy: The Tebbutt Collection in the Mitchell Library, Sydney Wayne Orchiston After providing a biographical sketch of John Tebbutt, Australia's foremost nineteenth century astronomer, this paper summarises the collection of Tebbutt archives in the Mitchell Library, Sydney, and discusses some individual record lost in detail. The `Tebbutt Collection' is an indispensable resource for those studying nineteenth and early twentieth century Australian astronomy, but it also throws light on the state of British, South African and New Zealand astronomy at this time. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [JAD 10, 7K] The Lorenzoni-Tacchini Correspondence at Padova Observatory Archives:the "True" History of Italian Astronomy of the Second Half of the Nineteenth Century Luisa Pigatto, Maurizio Salmaso and Valeria Zanini The correspondence between Giuseppe Lorenzoni and Pietro Tacchini covers the period from 1870 to 1905. Two hundred and ninety original letters written by Tacchini to Lorenzoni and 177 rough copies of letters by Lorenzoni to Tacchini are preserved at the Padova Observatory Archives. Their friendship, which started in 1870 during the expedition to the total solar eclipse in Sicily, as well as their astronomical ability, were of great importance for many events in Italian astronomy during the 2nd half of the 19th century. We are able to gather from this correspondence the following things: 1) the hard work that was put into the founding of the `Societa degli Spettroscopisti Italiani' which succeeded in 1871 mainly thanks to the willingness of three astronomers, Secchi, Tacchini and Lorenzoni; 2) important details about the preparation for the Italian party to India to observe the transit of Venus in 1874; 3) the role of both Lorenzoni and the workshop of the Observatory of Padova in successfully making two large equatorial mountings for the new Catania Observatory and the Bellini Observatory on Mount Etna, and later those for the Italian Observatories of Turin, `Collegio Romano' in Rome, and Arcetri in Florence. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [JAD 10, 7M] Old Georgian Astronomical Manuscripts Irakli Simonia A general overview of Georgian astronomical manuscripts is given, and the contents of a few, dating from the 12th to the 19th centuries, are given. A partial translation and commentary of manuscript A883, entitled "Cosmos", and dating from the 18th century, is presented. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [JAD 10, 7N] Storing Astronomical Information on the Romanian Territory Magda Stavinschi and Vasile Mioc Romanian astronomy has a more than 2000-year old tradition, which is, however, little known abroad. The first known archive of astronomical information is the Dacian sanctuary at Sarmizegetusa Regia, erected in the first century AD, having similarities with that of Stonehenge. After a gap of more than 1000 years, more sources of astronomical information become available, mainly records of astronomical events. Monasteries were the safest storage places of these genuine archives. We present a classification of the ways of storing astronomical information, along with characteristic examples. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [JAD 10, 7P] The Archives of the Norman Lockyer Observatory George A. Wilkins The archives of the Norman Lockyer Observatory are held in the library of the University of Exeter and comprise two distinct groups of documents. Firstly, correspondence and other papers of the astronomer Sir Joseph Norman Lockyer (1836-1920) and secondly, correspondence and working papers of the Norman Lockyer Observatory at Sidmouth, Devon; these are mainly for the period 1921 to 1961. A catalogue of the letters received by Lockyer from over 900 correspondents has been prepared and the listing of the other papers is in progress. In addition, the Observatory holds a collection of over 8000 photographic plates, of which over 6000 are of stellar spectra, especially of variable stars, some of which are from the 19th century. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [JAD 10, 7Q] Maximilian Hell and the Northernmost Transit of Venus Expedition of 1769 Elvira Botez A short biography of the Jesuit astronomer Maximilian Hell (1720-1792), founder and director of the Astronomical Observatory in Vienna and editor of the Viennese Astronomical Almanac is presented. He was the leader of the expedition to Vardö Island for observing the transit of Venus of 1769. The journey of the participants, the preparations for observing the important phenomenon and its successful observations are described. Hell's scientific merits won him the membership in several European Academies, and his name is found on the lunar maps. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [JAD 10, 7R] Austria's Scientific Contribution to the Observation of the 1874 Transit of Venus Martin Kopper Already since the mid-19th century, it was a task of the Imperial-Royal Austro-Hungarian Navy not only to take part in military actions, to train sea cadets, to strengthen diplomatic relations, and to protect the coasts, the sea trade, and Austrian citizens in far countries, but also to carry out coast surveys and soundings, as well as scientific observations during their missions. On a trip around the earth, Tobias von Österreicher, commander of the corvette "Erzherzog Friedrich", was instructed to observe the Venus transit of December 8, 1874 in Yokohama. This order was only one out of many that he had to fulfill: to train the Navy cadets, to explore the possibility of the installation of a colony on the island of Borneo, to meet diplomats and consulate representatives, to carry out soundings and coast surveys to improve sea-charts, and to make meteorological observations. The "qualification list" indicates that all these tasks were fulfilled according to expectations. However, an incident on Borneo in 1875 took the life of two of his sailors. In its aftermath he did not react according to rules, he was reproached by the Navy Section of the Imperial War Ministry, and his career as a ship commander came to an end. Besides the Austrian expedition to observe the Venus transit of 1874 in Yokohama, a second one was carried out by the astronomers Eduard Weiss and Theodor Oppolzer in Jassy (Romania), which was supported by the Vienna Academy of Sciences. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [JAD 10, 7S] A Remarkable Series of Plates of the 1882 Transit of Venus Anthony Misch and William Sheehan We discuss a series of photographic plates of the 1882 Transit of Venus, taken by David P. Todd at Lick Observatory. These plates are by far the most complete photographic record of the transit and have been lying dormant in the Lick archive for 120 years. The plates also have a place of importance in the history of photography. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [JAD 10, 7T] The Nineteenth Century Transits of Venus: an Australian and New Zealand Overview Wayne Orchiston Because of their fortuitous locations, Australia and New Zealand hosted overseas expeditions, various local government-funded observing teams and a plethora of dedicated amateur astronomers intent on observing the 1874 and 1882 transits of Venus. Even though the ingress phase occurred before local sunrise in 1882, and inclement weather foiled some New Zealand-based observers in 1874 and many sited in Australia in 1882, these trans-Tasman nations collectively were able to play an important role in the quest to determine one of astronomy's fundamental yardsticks: the mean distance from the Earth to the Sun. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [JAD 10, 7U] Jean-Charles Houzeau and the 1882 Belgian Transit of Venus Expeditions Christiaan Sterken, Hilmar W. Duerbeck, Jan Cuypers and Hilde Langenaken In 1871, the Belgian astronomer Jean-Charles Houzeau developed a new approach to determine the solar parallax. His ``heliometer with unequal focal lengths" produces a large and a small solar image, as well as a large and small image of Venus. Making the small solar and the large Venus image coincide yields a measure of the distance of the centers of both objects. Two such instruments were build. After being appointed director of the Royal Observatory of Belgium in 1876, Houzeau obtained support to organize two Belgian expeditions to observe the Venus transit of December 6, 1882: one to San Antonio, Texas, and another one to Santiago de Chile. That enterprise was the first major expedition in the history of Belgian science. This paper describes the expeditions, gives some biographical information about the team members, and clarifies the principal instrument and its present-day whereabouts. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [JAD 10, 8] BOOK REVIEW: Astronomie und Anschaulichkeit. Die Bilder der populaeren Astronomie des 19. Jahrhunderts Susanne Utzt (Reviewed by Hilmar W. Duerbeck) Today, popularisation of science also means "pretty pictures": images that accompany articles in magazines and webpages, or are squeezed between the covers of so-called coffee-table books, and the reviewer pleads guilty to having added to this growing pile. But how did this "disease" came into existence? Susanne Utzt, a manager, journalist and student in the history of sciences, has dedicated her master thesis to the investigation of the growing influence of such pictures in the popularisation of astronomy. She has analyzed French and German popular texts by Arago, Guillemin, Flammarion, as well as Littrow, Maedler and Max Wilhelm Meyer that mainly appeared in the second half of the 19th century. Earlier astronomy books just had a few foldout pages with mathematical figures, as the author exemplifies by Littrow's first edition of "Die Wunder des Himmels" of 1834-36. But Flammarion with his "Astronomie Populaire", changed everything: 51 "art pages" and more than 300 figures in the text made it a true picture book, and about a third of Utzt's work is dedicated to its analysis. (In passing, it should be noted that the first 1880 edition of Flammarion's book did not yet contain the "art pages"; the author quotes such pages and text figures according to a German edition of 1907). Besides sober diagrams illustrating the solar system, and telescope drawings showing planetary surfaces and the structure of the solar photosphere, Flammarion includes poetic illustrations like a couple at the seashore at sunset; a scene showing dying Copernicus, already flanked by two angels, as he receives a copy of his De Revolutionibus; or a painting showing a flock of mammoths in an ancient landscape. In most cases, the images are chosen to illustrate the text, but sometimes the text "makes a detour" to permit the inclusion of a pretty picture. Flammarion's book contains drawings illustrating the sphericity of the earth, which appeared in almost identical form in Apian's Cosmography of 1539, and it includes images that became only a reality after space travel to the planets of the solar system became possible: thus Flammarion's images probe the past and the future, they cover a time interval of about 450 years! I think that there is a direct route from Flammarion's images "Jupiter, as seen from one of its moons" or "The rings of Saturn, as seen from Saturn", to the space art of Chesley Bonestell, as it appeared in the early 1950s in the book "The Conquest of Space" by Willy Ley, as well as in popular journals. Besides national prestige to be superior in rocketry and space travel, it was the fantasy and enthusiasm of the general public, as spurred by paintings like those of Bonestell, that made the space missions and the planetary exploration of the last decades possible. In 1880, a certain Father Schlosser (1880) expressed his fear that the flood of images would lead to a loss of fantasy, to sensationalism and superficiality. In modern society, illustrated newspapers, magazines and television may really have caused such a scientific analphabetism and superficial knowledge in wide circles. On the other hand, Wilhelm Foerster (1889) expressed the hope that the layman can be stimulated by sensual pleasures in his pursuit of insight, and even to a collaboration in science, and his hope was also fulfilled: nowadays, more hobby and professional scientists are active than in past times; "hobby science", if done in a professional way, can form a valuable supplement to astronomical science; and honestly, how many present-day astronomers have arrived at their profession by watching astronomical TV programs, reading science fiction novels, or illustrated astronomy books that they once received as a gift? Utzt states that knowledge is generated and transmitted more and more by images, and propagated to the public by means of visualisations. Thus, a critical investigation of the influence of such images is needed, and the historical knowledge of the practice of visualisations in science and popularisation can form a basis for such a study. The somewhat slim volume of this series is embellished with 35 illustrations. It offers interesting insights in the development of illustrations in popular scientific books, their use, and also sometimes their failure. It also inspires the reader to embark on further studies where the author, because of lack of source material, because of self-imposed limits of investigation, or perhaps simply because of lack of time, has halted.