Search

The contribution of amateur scientists to the International Geophysical Year (IGY) was substantial, especially in the arena of spotting artificial satellites. This article examines how Fred L. Whipple and his colleagues recruited satellite spotters for Moonwatch, a program for amateur scientists initiated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) in 1956. At the same time, however, the administrators with responsibility for the IGY program closely monitored and managed--sometimes even contested--amateur participation. IGY programs like Moonwatch provided valuable scientific information and gave amateurs opportunities to contribute actively to the research of professional scientists. Moonwatch, which operated until 1975, eventually became the public face of a vast satellite-tracking network that expanded the SAO's global reach and helped further Whipple's professional goals. Understanding amateurs' interactions with the professional science community enables us better to understand the IGY as a phenomenon that enlisted broad participation and transcended traditional boundaries between professional and amateur scientists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bibliography presents recent books, articles, and papers of interest to science historians and includes such categories as mathematics, astronomy and cosmology, chemistry, and geography, cartography, and exploration.

Presents a list of articles related to the field of science and other academic disciplines published in several journals. "Give Pierce a Chance," by Anne Morgan; "Perception and Illusion: Historical Perspectives," by Nicholas J. Wade; "Countable Additivity and the de Finetti Lottery," by Paul Bartha; "Mathematics and Spiritual Interpretation: A Bridge to Genuine Interdisciplinary," by Ronald Glasberg; "The Erratic Ways of Studying Astronomy in Culture," by Stanislaw Iwaniszewski.

Examines the development of cinematographic method used in science and its alternatives in the nineteenth century in France. Historical accounts of astronomy; Discussion on the cinematographic turn in science; Differences among astronomers regarding observations of the sun and venus; Contentions on transforming photography into an evidentiary medium.

Provides information on the rhetorical principles of John Quincy Adams in the service of astronomy. Origins of the rhetoric principles of Adams; Proposal of Adams for a Smithsonian observatory; Purposes of the public speeches of Adams about astronomy; Outcome of the Smithsonian debate.

Presents a letter to the editor in response to the article "The Trouble With Ptolemy," by Owen Gingerich, which claimed to be a reply to the "Greek Mathematical Astronomy Reconsidered," by Hugh Thurston, featured in the 2002 issue of "Isis."