canopus@amdahl.UUCP (Alpha Carinae) (10/18/85)
I was browsing through some of my old Sky & Telescope magazines awhile
ago, and came across a series they ran about 20 years ago - publishing
anniversary dates of various astronomically significant things.
I thought it was interesting enough to post an extract for the month
of November. If there is sufficient interest, I'll continue posting
future months at the appropriate time.
Obviously this list is not complete. Feel free to send me, or post,
additions. (I purposely left off satellite launchings and other space
related activities, unless it has an obvious astronomical connection).
* * * NOVEMBER ANNIVERSARIES * * *
Nov 1, 1889: E.E. Barnard observes an eclipse of Iapetus by the
shadow of Saturn's ring with the 12 inch refractor
at Lick Observatory. No one else has ever seen this
rare satellite phenomenon.
Nov 2, 1885: Harlow Shapley born. Director of Harvard Observatory
from 1921 to 1952.
Nov 2, 1962: Dedication of the 60 inch, 300 foot long McMath solar
telescope, at Kitt Peak National Observatory.
Nov 3, 1958: Soviet Astronomer N. A. Kozyrev observed indications
of a volcanic process in the crater Alphonsus.
Nov 3, 1960: Sir Harold Spencer Jones, 10th Astronomer Royal and
Director of Greenwich Observatory, died.
Nov 4, 1934: Arthur N. Brown, outstanding English amateur observer
of variable stars, died. He contributed more than
22,000 magnitude determinations to the British Astronomical
Association between 1906 and 1934.
Nov 6, 1892: Edwin Holmes, a London amateur, discovers a remarkable
periodic comet. After having been missed on seven
successive returns, Comet Holmes was recovered in 1964.
Nov 7, 1960: Transit of Mercury across the Sun's disk, widely observed
in the U.S.
Nov 12, 1799: A. von Humboldt observes an extremely rich Leonid meteor
shower from Peru. This observation helped initiate the
scientific study of meteors.
Nov 14, 1896: J. M. Schaeberle discovered the white-dwarf companion
of Procyon, using the 36 inch Lick refractor.
Nov 16, 1835: Halley's Comet passed through perihelion.
Nov 20, 1889: Edwin P. Hubble, American expert on galaxies and cosmology,
is born.
Nov 20, 1952: Jupiter occults the star Sigma Arietis, which is observed
by both the 60 inch and 100 inch reflectors at Mt Wilson.
Nov 23, 1725: French scientist Pierre Bouguer made first determination
of atmospheric extinction, by comparing the Moon's
brightness at altitudes of 66 and 19 degrees, using
candles for a photometric standard.
Nov 23, 1864: William Struve, successively director of Dorpat and
Pulkovo Observatories, died. He founded modern double
star astronomy.
Nov 27, 1872: Great shower of Andromedid meteors.
Nov 27, 1885: First photograph of a meteor trail taken at Prague.
Nov 27, 1964: V. V. Sharonov, professor at Leningrad University,
died. He was a distinguished planetary and lunar
expert.
Nov 30, 1962: J. L. Pawsey, an Australian radio astronomer, died.
--
Alpha Carinae (408-746-6493) ...!{ihnp4,cbosgd,sun}!amdahl!canopus
Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA [This is the obligatory disclaimer..]