APOLOGIES FOR CROSS-POSTING
The annual convention of the {\it Astronomische Gesellschaft} will be taking
place in G"ottingen this year under the rubric {\it NEW ASTROPHYSICAL
HORIZONS}. At this occasion there will be a meeting of the History of
Science Working Group (AK Astronomiegeschichte) on
Monday, September 20, 1999, probably beginning around 10 a.m.
The Working Group's Organizing Committee has -- with the approval of the
society's Local Organizing Committee -- chosen the following theme:
{\bf The history and function of nonverbal representations in research
practice in astronomy and astrophysics}
This primarily involves images or other forms of pictorial registration
(e.g., photos, video tapes) of observational data. Such records form an
integral part of the history of astronomy from its very beginnings down to
modern-day electronically manipulable CCD-imaging.
Other examples include: star-position charts, lunar maps, sunspot sketches
and photographs, spectral atlases, graphical data representations (such as
the Hertzsprung-Russell or Maunder diagrams), spectroheliograms, planet
drawings, images from satellites and outer space,, photometer curves,
and many more.
How direct is this graphic conversion by man or machine of the subject of
observation or registration? What problems emerge in the translation process?
How does the constant search for improvements in the representational form
develop? One instance is the rise of photography, which was welcomed
with the hope that henceforth `Nature herself' would become the recorder,
thus doing away with the problems of human bias and artistic deficiency
(Fox Talbot's `The Pencil of Nature', 1844).
In practice, though, the retouching of photographic prints was as
inescapable as the necessity of the observer to select the 'best' (also
aesthetically speaking) among the available images. Well into the 1890s,
lithography remained the preferred means in spectroscopy of depicting the
optical spectrum, despite its high production costs.
When does such a change in preference occur? What are the repercussions
in the research practice? What influence do external
technological developments have? How did and how do astronomers and
astrophysicists interact with illustrators, engravers, lithographers,
photographers and other specialists in the graphic arts involved in the
drafting or finishing of their figures for publication or teaching?
What criteria are used in such reworking---are they really unassailable?
What heuristics are used to discriminate between fact and artefact?
What specifically happened in controversies over illustrations (like the one about the notorious Martian canals), and what technical alternatives for
representations existed at the various times?
Aside from documenting observational results, images have other
functions as well: they must convince the reader or viewer, clarify
complicated processes by means of simplified illustration, or be
a mnemonic aid to the beginner in visualizing specific patterns.
How are and were the classes of stellar spectra or solar spots learned?
What role did pictures have in teaching?
Historical studies of astronomical and astrophysical representations
are our emphasis, but scientists in the field are also invited to think
about the current functions of imaging (e.g., unsharp masking, speckle
deconvolution or image compression) and the ever changing techniques used,
which inevitably will soon become part of history as well.
The conference language is English. Following a decision by the
society's board, a projected fee in the amount of about 30 DM (15 Euro)
will have to be charged to all those participants not registering to the
AG meeting.
Please direct any questions about the topic, offers to deliver
brief talks (together with a one-page English abstract, in
ASCII, LaTeX, Word95/97 saved as rtf file, or written by typewriter)
no later than
May 31, 1999
to:
Dr.habil. Klaus Hentschel
Institute for History of Science
University of G"ottingen
Humboldtallee 11
D-37073 G\"ottingen
Tel. +(49)-551-398412
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Organisational questions, technical requests, etc., please direct to:
Dr. Axel D. Wittmann
Universit"ats-Sternwarte
Geismarlandstr. 11
D-37083 G"ottingen
Tel. +(49)-551-395045
Fax. +(49)-551-395043
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
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