Miklós Konkoly Thege (1842-1916). 100 Years of Observational Astronomy and Astrophysics - A collection of papers on the history of Observational Astrophysics.

Details Miklós Konkoly Thege (1842-1916). 100 Years of Observational Astronomy and Astrophysics - A collection of papers on the history of Observational Astrophysics. Miklós Konkoly Thege (1842-1916). 100 Years of Observational Astronomy and Astrophysics - A collection of papers on the history of Observational Astrophysics.

Oct 2001

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001mkt..book.....s&link_type=abstract

Miklós Konkoly Thege (1842-1916). 100 Years of Observational Astronomy and Astrophysics - A collection of papers on the history

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

Scientific paper

This book results from presentations and discussions by a group of astronomers and historians during a three-day workshop held at Tihany (Hungary), on 13-15 August 1999. This meeting - the second forum dedicated to the rise of observational astrophysics in the nineteenth and early twentieth century - coincided with the centenary of Hungary's national observatory. The basic principle of this series of meetings is to reflect on the work and personality of a single individual or of a group of persons, at the same time avoiding the really dominant figures that typify the age. The series focuses on key people who epitomize a way of thinking and working, that has in turn formed many of the ideas by which we do astrophysical research today. Hence the evocation of the scientific spirit of the era under consideration is attempted. Such a leading key person undoubtedly was Miklós Konkoly Thege. A superb instrumentalist and observer, Konkoly became the founding father of Hungarian astronomy through the establishment of his private observatory that later became the Royal Hungarian Ógyalla Observatory, the precursor of the modern Konkoly Observatory. The workshop was organized at the occasion of the centennial anniversary of Konkoly Observatory. The book outlines five major themes. The first part describes the birth of observational astrophysics in Hungary and focuses on historical aspects of 19th century Hungarian astronomy from three different viewpoints: the historical narrative based on historical facts, the perspective as seen by an expert in historical instrumentation, and a discussion of the socio-political consequences of nineteenth-century developments for our present times. The second part analyses the birth of observational astrophysics in countries with which Konkoly and his collaborators had close contacts: Japan, South Africa and France. The third part of the book discusses the establishment of the discipline of photometry worldwide. An important aspect of 19th century science - and of observational astrophysics in particular - is the role played by female scientists. This aspect is profoundly reviewed in the fourth part of the book. The last part analyses interpretations of early observations, with emphasis on early research on the expansion of the universe. In spite of a certain level of inhomogeneity which is the unavoidable consequence of the wide range in the scientific and historical backgrounds of the participants, this book embraces an appreciable degree of coherence, since it illustrates the rise of the `new astronomy' in the 19th century in different countries with very different cultures, across the limits of social status, wealth and gender. All speakers - whether they are librarians, observational or theoretical astrophysicists, or historians of science - approach the question why a wealthy noblemam who maintained a vast network of international scientific contacts succeeded in establishing a leading scientific institution, while at the same time similar institutions in other countries - in spite of financial support by their governments - barely could develop. This is the reason why this collection of papers has been presented in book form where figures, citations and information are easily cross-referenced.

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