Charles Olivier and the Rise of Meteor Science

Charles Olivier and the Rise of Meteor Science PDF Author: Richard Taibi
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319445189
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 519

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Book Description
This fascinating portrait of an amateur astronomy movement tells the story of how Charles Olivier recruited a hard-working cadre of citizen scientists to rehabilitate the study of meteors. By 1936, Olivier and members of his American Meteor Society had succeeded in disproving an erroneous idea about meteor showers. Using careful observations, they restored the public’s trust in predictions about periodic showers and renewed respect for meteor astronomy among professional astronomers in the United States. Charles Olivier and his society of observers who were passionate about watching for meteors in the night sky left a major impact on the field. In addition to describing Olivier’s career and describing his struggles with competitive colleagues in a hostile scientific climate, the author provides biographies of some of the scores of women and men of all ages who aided Olivier in making shower observations, from the Leonids and Perseids and others. Half of these amateur volunteers were from 13 to 25 years of age. Their work allowed Olivier and the AMS to contradict the fallacious belief in stationary and long-enduring meteor showers, bringing the theory of their origin into alignment with celestial mechanics. Thanks to Olivier and his collaborators, the study of meteors took a great leap forward in the twentieth century to earn a place as a worthy topic of study among professional astronomers.

Charles Olivier and the Rise of Meteor Science

Charles Olivier and the Rise of Meteor Science PDF Author: Richard Taibi
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319445189
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 519

Get Book Here

Book Description
This fascinating portrait of an amateur astronomy movement tells the story of how Charles Olivier recruited a hard-working cadre of citizen scientists to rehabilitate the study of meteors. By 1936, Olivier and members of his American Meteor Society had succeeded in disproving an erroneous idea about meteor showers. Using careful observations, they restored the public’s trust in predictions about periodic showers and renewed respect for meteor astronomy among professional astronomers in the United States. Charles Olivier and his society of observers who were passionate about watching for meteors in the night sky left a major impact on the field. In addition to describing Olivier’s career and describing his struggles with competitive colleagues in a hostile scientific climate, the author provides biographies of some of the scores of women and men of all ages who aided Olivier in making shower observations, from the Leonids and Perseids and others. Half of these amateur volunteers were from 13 to 25 years of age. Their work allowed Olivier and the AMS to contradict the fallacious belief in stationary and long-enduring meteor showers, bringing the theory of their origin into alignment with celestial mechanics. Thanks to Olivier and his collaborators, the study of meteors took a great leap forward in the twentieth century to earn a place as a worthy topic of study among professional astronomers.

Binary Stars, Neutrinos, and Liquid Crystals:

Binary Stars, Neutrinos, and Liquid Crystals: PDF Author: Paul A. Heiney
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1669851575
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 390

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Book Description
This book traces the parallel paths of physics and astronomy at the University of Pennsylvania, starting with their genesis in the 18th century, through the rising stature of both departments in the 20th century, and concluding with their unification in 1994. Along the way we meet David Rittenhouse, who observed the transit of Venus in 1769, Charles Doolittle, whose remarkable beard would freeze to his telescope on cold nights, Gaylord Harnwell, who transformed first the physics department and then the entire university, and Raymond Davis, who uncovered a mystery in the middle of the sun. The stories are tragic (Arthur Goodspeed failed to discover X-rays through inattention), horrifying (Dicran Kabakjian poisoned an entire neighborhood), and celebratory (three Penn physicists received the Nobel Prize in the late 20th Century). The reader will gain an appreciation, not just of the history of one institution, but of the ways these two disciplines both intersect and complement each other.

William Frederick Denning

William Frederick Denning PDF Author: Martin Beech
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031444434
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 344

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Book Description
This book provides a detailed biographical account of the industrious late nineteenth-century astronomer William Frederick Denning who, in later life, rose to be a celebrated public figure and a highly respected amateur astronomer. The book also examines Denning’s many contributions to the astronomy of his time. As an indomitable promotor of amateur astronomy, Denning was closely involved in the formation of the short-lived, but historically pivotal, Observational Astronomy Society (OAS) in 1869. Readers will learn about the origins and the observational programs initiated by the OAS, and the author also presents a series of biographical sketches of its most industrious members. Furthermore, by examining Denning’s letters and publications, the author shows how he helped to nurture the growth of amateur astronomy, also teaching amateur observers how to make their efforts scientifically useful. A stalwart observer and enthusiast himself, Denning was a key player in the development of meteor astronomy in England, culminating in his being invited, in 1922, to be the first President of Commission 22 (meteors, meteorites and interplanetary dust) of the newly formed International Astronomical Union. The text follows the development and rapid growth of meteor astronomy during the nineteenth century, focusing upon the key observations and important theoretical advances. In addition, it pays tribute to pioneering practitioners, who, along with Denning, set out to unravel the story and secrets of the shooting stars. While not an openly forthright or strident figure, Denning, at the height of his career, became embroiled in two public and controversial issues. The first related to his pseudo-scientific theory of optical blurring, and his belief that large-aperture telescopes performed less efficiently than smaller-aperture telescopes when used in the study of planetary disks. The second concerned the mysterious issue of stationary meteor shower radiants—an apparent observational reduction that was completely at odds with both the standard theories of gravitational dynamics and the generally accepted notion of meteoroid stream structure. The book explores these two controversies and uses them to examine Denning’s outlook on scientific methodology.

Science News-letter

Science News-letter PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Electronic journals
Languages : en
Pages : 430

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Book Description


The Heavens on Fire

The Heavens on Fire PDF Author: Mark Littmann
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521779791
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 364

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Book Description
Highly readable account of meteors, especially the spectacular Leonid showers, due in mid-November.

Proceedings, American Philosophical Society (vol. 91, no. 5)

Proceedings, American Philosophical Society (vol. 91, no. 5) PDF Author:
Publisher: American Philosophical Society
ISBN: 9781422380963
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 112

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Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society Held at Philadelphia for Promoting Useful Knowledge

Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society Held at Philadelphia for Promoting Useful Knowledge PDF Author: American Philosophical Society
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Anthropology
Languages : en
Pages : 474

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Book Description


Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports

Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Aeronautics
Languages : en
Pages : 344

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Scientific American

Scientific American PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 584

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Book Description
Monthly magazine devoted to topics of general scientific interest.

Knowledge

Knowledge PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 382

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Book Description