Wayne Orchiston

The Amateur-Turned-Professional Syndrome: Two Australian Case Studies

In the nineteenth century, and particularly during the era which saw the gradual replacement of positional astronomy by astrophysics, amateur astronomers were able to make an important contribution to international astronomy. Many were blessed with instruments comparable to those found in professional observatories; they pursued the same astronomical research programs as their professional colleagues; published in the same journals; received the same medals and awards; and played key roles in the formation of the earliest astronomical groups and societies. In this healthy environment of amateur-professional co-operation it was possible for talented amateur astronomers to transfer to professional ranks, and the ‘amateur-turned-professional’ (henceforth ATP) was a distinctive feature of late nineteenth century astronomy. In this paper we focus on two Australian-based ATPs, R.T.A. Innes and C.J. Merfield, and examine their contributions as amateur astronomers in Sydney before reviewing the circumstances surrounding their transfer to the Cape Observatory (South Africa) and Sydney Observatory, in 1896 and 1904, respectively.

John Grigg, and the Genesis of Cometary Astronomy in New Zealand

John Grigg was New Zealand’s leading amateur astronomer during the first decade of the twentieth century, and independently discovered four comets, three of which now bear his name. In addition, he pioneered astronomical photography in New Zealand, and also applied this technology to comets. Grigg is best remembered internationally for his discovery of Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup, which has one of the shortest periods of any known comet. In this chapter Grigg’s cometary work is discussed, along with other New Zealand astronomers who also discovered comets.

British Observations of the 18 August 1868 Total Solar Eclipse from Guntoor, India

The total solar eclipse of 18 August 1868 was observed in Aden, India, Siam (present-day Thailand) and the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia). One Indian expedition was sponsored by the Royal Astronomical Society, and led by Major J.F. Tennant. In this chapter we describe the observing team and instruments, discuss their observations, and conclude with some remarks on the place of the 1868 eclipse in solar studies and later nineteenth century European astronomical expeditions to India.

Refining the Astronomical Unit: Queenstown and the 1874 Transit of Venus

The 1874 transit of Venus was regarded as a major event which promised to produce an improved value for the solar parallax, and hence the Astronomical Unit. As a result, the United States dispatched eight different observing parties to far northern and southern hemisphere locations. This chapter documents the activities at the Queenstown transit station in the South Island of New Zealand and examines the scientific outcome of the overall American 1874 and 1882 transit programmes. It also traces the early development of astronomical photography in New Zealand at a time when this innovative methodology was emerging internationally as a valid tool of the ‘new astronomy’, astrophysics.

The Thames Observatories of John Grigg

In the course of a thirty year ‘career’ as an amateur astronomer John Grigg constructed two different observatories in Thames, and installed a small Wray refractor and a transit telescope in these. He used the refractor mainly to observe known comets and discover new ones, and to pioneer astrophotography in New Zealand. He also maintained a local time-service, and was an avid populariser of astronomer. Early in the twentieth century he was New Zealand’s leading amateur astronomer.

King Rama IV and French Observations of the 18 August 1868 Total Solar Eclipse from Wah-koa, Siam

The 18 August 1868 total solar eclipse was a watershed event in the history of solar physics, and a notable event in the history of Thai astronomy. This was the first solar eclipse subjected to detailed spectroscopic scrutiny, and the first solar eclipse investigated scientifically by Thai and Western scholars since King Narai and French Jesuit missionary-astronomers observed the partial solar eclipse of 30 April 1688 from Lop Buri.

The Development of Modern Astronomy and Emergence of Astrophysics in India

Modern astronomy came to India in tow with the Europeans and was institutionalized by the English East India Company as a geographical and navigational aid. Madras Observatory, set up in 1787, became the first modern astronomical facility outside the Western World. However, once observatories were opened in South Africa and Australia, the British lost interest in Madras. British India’s astronomical fortunes revived with the advent of physical astronomy. Of the various initiatives following the 1874 transit of Venus, the one that has stood the test of time was the Kodaikanal Observatory, which is now a field station of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics. Other astronomical facilities created in British India turned out to be short-lived, and either they closed down or became meteorological/magnetic observatories. It is only since Independence, in 1947, that India has supported astronomy and space sciences for pleasure and prestige.

Joseph Ward: Pioneer New Zealand Telescope-Maker

During the first quarter of the twentieth century Joseph Ward was one of New Zealand’s leading amateur astronomers, and he is best remembered as the founder of the Ward (Wanganui) Observatory, for his Ward double stars, and as a pioneer telescope-maker. Over the years he manufactured many reflectors and small refractors, and some of these were acquired by astronomical societies and by other well-known New Zealand astronomers (including Ronald McIntosh and Albert Jones). For many years the 52.1-cm Newtonian reflector that he completed in 1924 remained the largest telescope made by a New Zealand amateur astronomer.

The Early Development of Australian Radio Astronomy: The Role of the CSIRO Division of Radiophysics Field Stations

During the period 1946–1961 Australia was one of the world’s leading nations in radio astronomy and played a key role in its development. Much of the research was carried out at a number of different field stations and associated remote sites situated in or near Sydney which were maintained by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation’s Division of Radiophysics. The best-known of these were Dover Heights, Dapto, Fleurs, Hornsby Valley and Potts Hill. At these and other field stations a succession of innovative radio telescopes was erected, and these were used by a band of young scientists—mainly men with engineering qualifications—to address a wide range of research issues, often with outstanding success.

American Observations of the 22 January 1898 Total Solar Eclipse from Jeur, India

Between 1889 and 1932 Lick Observatory maintained a vibrant solar research program and sent a succession of expeditions to the far corners of the glove in order to observe solar eclipses and add to our knowledge of the solar corona and the chromosphere. These expeditions were major logistical exercises that relied mainly on visual, photographic and spectroscopic observations during the brief moments of totality.