Priority claims and public disputes in astronomy: E.M. Antoniadi, J. Comas i Solà and the search for authority and social prestige in the early twentieth century (original) (raw)
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Transactions of the International Astronomical Union, 2002
astronomy to investigate contemporary astronomical issues. Several members researched the early history of radio astronomy history, particularly in Australia and the USA (e.g. see Orchiston &: Slee 2002). In addition to their ongoing research programs, many ICHA members contributed essays for the Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers, edited by T. Hockey and to be published by Kluwer in 2004. C41/ICHA strongly supports this landmark project, and President, F.R. Stephenson, will contribute the Foreword.
History of Astronomy under the auspices of International Astronomical Union
International Astronomical Union was formed after the First World War although it became truly international only after the Second World War. Its Commission 41 on History of Astronomy (C41) was set up in 1948 and in a few years established itself as an active and influential unit. It has the distinction of being a joint Commission, the other partner being International Union of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (IUHPS). Since IAU is an internationally respected body of professional astronomers, its support for history of enhances the credibility of the discipline in the eyes of science establishments of individual countries. C41 is committed to advancing objective and rigorous world history of astronomy taking into account all its aspects. This paper describes the early days of IAU and highlights of the first three decades (1948-1976) of IAU Commission 41: History of Astronomy.
History of Astronomy State of the Profession
Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 2019
Author(s): Hirshfeld, Alan; Bartlett, Jennifer Lynn; DeVorkin, David; Griffin, Elizabeth; Holbrook, Jarita; Oswalt, Terry; Rothenberg, Marc; Rumstay, Kenneth; Schechner, Sara; Tenn, Joseph; Trimble, Virginia | Abstract: This State of the Profession White Paper from the American Astronomical Society’s Historical Astronomy Division (HAD) details HAD’s efforts to advance academic research in topics relating to the historical nature of astronomy, including the application of historical records to modern astrophysical problems, now and over the next decade.
The transformation of astronomical culture in the seventeenth century
Studies in History and Philosophy of Science II, 2021
There is a remarkable difference between the cultural roles of astronomy in Antiquity and in modern times. Before the scientific revolution, astronomy belonged to an intricate network of knowledges, including religion, mythology, geography, astrology, medicine and other fields. That network was broken after the seventeenth century and astronomy was thereafter regarded as just the study of heavenly phenomena, without much relevance for other fields. The Copernican revolution also entailed a complete change of astronomical terminology, with the loss of terms such as "orb", and the simultaneous substitution by other words, such as "orbit". The terminology changes are analyzed in this paper with the use of Google Books N-gram Viewer. The transformation of astronomical culture that accompanied the Copernican revolution is more substantial than a paradigm shift, because it is not limited to a scientific discipline-it encompasses a whole world view (Weltanschauung). This transformation also entailed many losses, as shown in this paper.
Applied Historical Astronomy: An Historical Perspective
Journal for the History of Astronomy, 35 (2004), 337-355
All astronomers use historical data. A large percentage of the papers presented at astronomy conferences and published in astronomical journals make use of observations made by other astronomers fi ve or ten years before and which have been published in journal articles, on-line catalogues, or through the more ambiguous 'personal communications' and 'preprints' that pervade scientifi c literature. Depending upon the circumstances, astronomers may treat such observations critically, for example by evaluating the measurement techniques used by the initial observer, or as established 'facts' with known error estimates, such as the positions given in the standard star catalogues. We can trace similar activity back through history. For example, two of the major fi gures in Renaissance astronomy, Copernicus and Kepler, made extensive use of a run of more than thirty years of careful observations by the less well-known fi fteenth-century astronomer Bernard Walther. 1 Similarly the medieval Egyptian astronomer Ibn Yunus tested contemporary astronomical tables for calculating eclipses through comparison with eclipses observed by himself and by other astronomers from the preceding two centuries. 2 But none of these activities falls into the category of applied historical astronomy, the subject of this review. 'Applied historical astronomy', as I understand the term, is concerned not just with using observations made by our astronomer predecessors, but also with using astronomical records that come from a different cultural setting to that in which we ourselves live. This manifests itself most frequently in having to deal with records written in other languages, often dead languages such as Akkadian or ancient Greek. But even where language is not an issue, applied historical astronomers have to cope with unfamiliar cultural settings, and address questions such as: Did the writer of a particular astronomical report intend it to be a faithful representation of an observation, or were other motivations, for example, literary or astrological, at play? Are particular sources containing astronomical records reliable? Can we always be sure that certain records report observations, or might they be the results of ancient calculation? Finding satisfactory answers to these important historical questions underpins all of applied historical astronomy. 4 Without them, we run the risk of constructing our theories on a foundation of sand.
viXra, 2016
This paper was written in order to examine the order of discovery of human beliefs concerning the universe. It is part of my efforts to put the study of social and cultural history and social change on a scientific basis capable of rational analysis and understanding. This has resulted in a hard copy book
Defying the Center: The Development of Astronomy through the Ages
2015
This paper aims at providing two very significant and distinct perspectives of the field of Astronomy in the Western and Eastern Worlds. The analysis will look at the heterogeneous definitions of Astronomy as a discipline in the Western and Islamic worlds. Furthermore, the essay will also look at the parallel and complementary development of the discipline. Furthermore, the paper traces the contributions made by the discipline to religion in the Western and Islamic world. Lastly, the paper will analyze the myriad developments of Astronomy in terms of scientific and observational methods that have risen over the course of several centuries in the Western and Islamic period.