St. Helena, Edmond Halley, Stellar Proper Motion, and the Mystery of Aldebaran

Dr. John C. Brandt will discuss Edmond Halley’s discovery of stellar proper motion at the next general meeting of The Albuquerque Astronomical Society. The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 4, and it will be held in Regener Hall on the University of New Mexico Albuquerque Campus. For information, call 505-254-TAAS. Visit the http://www.taas.org Web site to obtain a map. Below is a summary of the discussion:

 

Edmond Halley announced his discovery of stellar proper motion in Philosophical Transactions in 1717. My interest in Halley’s work in stellar astronomy was stimulated by a day spent on the Island of St. Helena in November 2006. I was able to visit the site of Halley’s observatory. The talk will begin with a brief overview of this fascinating island and some of its history, including Napoleon’s incarceration. Halley chose the island to carry out observations for his famous catalog of the southern sky. This work apparently led him to believe that some star positions had changed since ancient times.

 

Dr. John C. Brandt

Department of Physics and Astronomy

University of New Mexico

 

100 Hours of Observing

The worldwide 100 Hours of Observing event will take place April 2-5. The event is one of the International Year of Astronomy activities.140+ countries are participating in a year of celebration sponsored by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Visit http://home.comcast.net/~friesend/abqsky21dec/index.html to obtain a schedule of events. The event features live webcasts from around the world, and the general public is invited to peer through telescopes. Saturn and the Pleiades are currently visible during the early evening hours.

 

Earnestly,

Melissa Kirk

Secretary and Public Relations Coordinator

The Albuquerque Astronomical Society