History of Astronomy

Astronomy in China, Korea & Japan prior to the Jesuit missionary arrivals, by Frank Dutton FRAS

Mark Jeffery

Dec 5, 20242 min read

Astronomy in China, Korea & Japan prior to the Jesuit missionary arrivals, by Frank Dutton FRAS

Frank began his talk with a fascinating observation: "Astronomy in China, Korea & Japan presents a total change to how we in the West...

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HoA: Celebrating Pioneering Women in Astronomy, by Simon Nosworthy and Mary Dooley

Simon Hurst

Sep 18, 20242 min read

HoA: Celebrating Pioneering Women in Astronomy, by Simon Nosworthy and Mary Dooley

Last night, we kicked off the 2024-25 season of Flamsteed’s History of Astronomy talks at Mycenae House. Now, we could’ve just given you...

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HoA: Henrietta Levitt – the overlooked pioneer of distance, by Paul Wright

Mark Jeffery

Feb 29, 20241 min read

HoA: Henrietta Levitt – the overlooked pioneer of distance, by Paul Wright

What a fascinating story about one of the unsung heroes of Astronomy. It seems that Henrietta, along with Annie Jump Cannon, Williamina...

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HoA: Eclipses of the Sun – The Ultimate Experience, by Richard Westwood

Mark Jeffery

Dec 21, 20231 min read

HoA: Eclipses of the Sun – The Ultimate Experience, by Richard Westwood

Each day, as we wake to the sight of the Sun, we hardly think twice about it. It’s a fixture in our lives, always there – so much so that...

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HoA: The Story of the Herschels, by Charles Draper

Mark Jeffery

Nov 23, 20232 min read

HoA: The Story of the Herschels, by Charles Draper

Charles is the chairman of the Herschel society in Bath. The Society was founded in the 1970s to rescue the house in New King Street...

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HoA: Herschel, Bode, and the Origin of the Flamsteed Numbers, by Dr Wolfgang Steinicke

Mark Jeffery

Oct 18, 20231 min read

HoA: Herschel, Bode, and the Origin of the Flamsteed Numbers, by Dr Wolfgang Steinicke

It was a pleasure to welcome Dr Wolfgang Steinicke to give us the second talk in the History of Astronomy series for this term. Wolfgang...

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History of Astronomy - Tycho: The First Big Science Project by Dr Jane Clark

Adrian Challinor

Sep 20, 20232 min read

History of Astronomy - Tycho: The First Big Science Project by Dr Jane Clark

The 2023/24 History of Astronomy lectures kicked off with a stunning two-for-one combination of lectures by Dr Jane Clark.

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History of Astronomy - Atoms, Photons and the Nebulium Affair by Tony Sizer

Mark Jeffery

May 24, 20231 min read

History of Astronomy - Atoms, Photons and the Nebulium Affair by Tony Sizer

We heard about another great Victorian amateur, William Huggins. He not only built his own observatory, but also did much of the...

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Astronomy in the medieval world By Dr Mike Legget

Mark Jeffery

Apr 27, 20231 min read

Astronomy in the medieval world By Dr Mike Legget

We heard about a more ancient view of astronomy, one where centuries before the big names, like Copernicus and Brahe, the ancients were...

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History of Astronomy: What has the space programme ever done for us? by Mary McIntyre

Mark Jeffery

Mar 23, 20231 min read

History of Astronomy: What has the space programme ever done for us? by Mary McIntyre

It turns out that the answer to this question is: an awful lot! Mary's talk covered all the areas that have benefited from the space...

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History of Astronomy: William Lassell 1799 - 1880 by Gerard Gilligan

Mike Meynell

Feb 23, 20231 min read

History of Astronomy: William Lassell 1799 - 1880 by Gerard Gilligan

For our second History of Astronomy group meeting of the season, we were treated to a talk by Gerard Gilligan of the Liverpool...

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History of Astronomy: Arrokoth and the Sentinals by Greg Smye-Rumsby

Mike Meynell

Jan 26, 20232 min read

History of Astronomy: Arrokoth and the Sentinals by Greg Smye-Rumsby

History of Astronomy Meeting - 26 January 2023. With Greg Smye-Rumsby.

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‘Agnes Mary Clerke – from Skibbereen to the Universe’ – History of Astronomy Talk

Flamsteed Astronomy Society

Feb 25, 20203 min read

‘Agnes Mary Clerke – from Skibbereen to the Universe’ – History of Astronomy Talk

Agnes Mary Clerke Agnes Mary Clerke was born in Skibbereen in Co Cork in and grew up in the midst of the horrific Irish Famine. Her...

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“Instrumental Engineering in the Time of Sir George Airy” – History of Astronomy Talk – 28th January

Flamsteed Astronomy Society

Jan 28, 20202 min read

“Instrumental Engineering in the Time of Sir George Airy” – History of Astronomy Talk – 28th January

In the first of our History of Astronomy sessions for this season, we were presented with a talk by Bill Barton. Bill is a founding...

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Ghosts, Poltergeists, and the Law of Gravity – History of Astronomy Group Meeting

Flamsteed Astronomy Society

Nov 25, 20143 min read

Ghosts, Poltergeists, and the Law of Gravity – History of Astronomy Group Meeting

Tony Sizer We were a month late for Halloween but Tony Sizer nevertheless gave us a good scare with “Ghosts, poltergeists, and the Law of...

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Have I Got Astronomers for You – History of Astronomy Group Meeting

Flamsteed Astronomy Society

Jan 28, 20144 min read

Have I Got Astronomers for You – History of Astronomy Group Meeting

Which is the odd one out? Lalande, Hevelius, Patrick Moore or Halley? The first Flamsteed History of Astronomy Group meeting of 2014 was...

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Meeting Reports: Blog2