Abstract
The early to mid-1930s witnessed six loci of scientific meteor study within the USA or with American astronomers’ supervision or collaboration: Flower Observatory (American Meteor Society), Iowa’s Midwest Meteor Association, Antarctica, Harvard College Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts and its Arizona outpost near Lowell Observatory, and, finally, the Society for Research on Meteorites formed in 1933 at Chicago.
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Notes
- 1.
Theobald wrote articles for mathematical associations which are held by the JSTOR site; his topics were about teaching mathematics to undergraduates.
- 2.
For example: Theobald, John A, Counts of the 1931 Perseids, PA, volume 39, 1931, p. 552. The SAO/NASA ADS search engine found seven articles authored by Theobald, 1931–1934, most of them individual and group meteor counts of the Perseid and Leonid meteors performed by his students at what is now known as Loras College. The SAO/NASA search was made on September 1, 2014.
- 3.
Dissertation: The Cepheid Variable Eta Aquilae and the Eclipsing Binary Sigma Aquilae, Graduate School of the University of Illinois, 1922. Abstracts and summaries of Wylie’s dissertation results were reprinted in the Astrophysical Journal, volume 56, no. 4, 1922, pp. 217, 231, 232, and 241.
- 4.
Wylie and Olivier sent announcement notices of the Tilden fall to Popular Astronomy within two days of each other in September 1927, and the notices were published within 20 pages of each other: Wylie, The Tilden Meteor, an Illinois Daylight Fall, PA, volume 35, 1927, 453–454; and Olivier, C.P., Meteor Notes, PA, volume 35, 1927, p. 473.
- 5.
Wylie continued to be a methodological contrarian to Olivier and other meteor astronomers’ practice in one more respect: He and Fr. Theobald experimented with and advised how meteor counts could be made by groups with the group members’ data aggregated: Wylie, C.C., The Relation of Group to Solo Counts in Meteor Work, PA, volume 42, 1934, pp. 157–158 and How to Make Good Group Counts, PA, volume 42, 1934, pp. 596–598. The accepted practice, beginning with W.F. Denning and strongly insisted upon by Olivier, was that if people observed meteors in a group, each one should only report the data associated with meteors he or she had seen.
- 6.
Olivier attested to Smith’s orbital calculation skill in a comment in one Meteor Note: “A paper by one of our own members, F.W. Smith…was read and favorably commented upon at the Dec mtg of the RAS, and appeared in the December Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. It concerned the meteor orbits connected with the Pons-Winnecke Comet”: PA. volume 41, 1933, p. 169.
- 7.
The greatest number of degrees that can be reported, from the horizon to directly overhead, is 90°.
- 8.
A full description of the “bull’s-eye” style reticle: Editor, Meteor Program in Connection with the Byrd Antarctic Expedition II, PA, volume 41, 1933, p. 283. The rectangular reticle is described in: Shapley, H., E. Opik, and S. Boothroyd, The Arizona Expedition for the Study of Meteors, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, volume 18, No. 1, 1932, p.18.
- 9.
Entire list of funding sources were, “special grants were obtained from the Milton Fund of Harvard University, and from the Rumford Fund of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for preliminary experimental work. Larger grants from the Wyeth Bequest to Harvard University and from the Rockefeller Foundation made the expedition possible. Prof Boothroyd of Cornell University joined the expedition, and a grant from the Heckscher Fund of Cornell was obtained to cover a part of the expenses.”
- 10.
The meridian is an imaginary line in the sky that joined due north and south horizon points through another one in the zenith.
- 11.
One of Fisher’s articles on this topic: Fisher, WJ: Mass and velocity of Meteorites and the air density along their luminous paths. Harvard College Observatory Circular No. 385, 1934.
- 12.
Her article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, volume 19, 1933, pp. 212–221, about meteor light fluctuations follows Fisher’s and may be a concise version of her thesis.
- 13.
Watson did publish an article about the 1936 fireball: Watson, F., Jr., The detonating fireball of May 26, 1935, PA, volume 44, 1936, p. 131ff.
- 14.
A “frequently asked questions” page on the American Meteor Society website cites the solar system-connected meteor velocity range. The Web site was accessed on May 7, 2016: http://www.amsmeteors.org/meteor-showers/meteor-faq/.
- 15.
AMS observers whose data met CH’s criteria were: Brooks, Bunch, Darling, Geddes, Koep, LaPaz, McIntosh, Monnig, Olivier, Ridley, FW Smith, and Trudelle.
- 16.
In this letter, Hoffmeister mentioned that he also sought assistance from Harlow Shapley.
- 17.
In 1937, Olivier summarized a few of the Soviet meteor studies he received in some detail: Olivier, C., Meteor Notes, PA, volume 45, 1937, pp. 553–555.
References
Contemporary Meteor Organizations in the USA
Books
Olivier, C., Meteors, Baltimore, Maryland: Williams and Wilkins Co., 1925 pp. 89-90
Articles
Anonymous,
Obituary, Fletcher G. Watson, Harvard University Gazette, May 5, 1997
Campbell, L.,
Willard James Fisher, 1867-1934, Popular Astronomy (PA), volume 43, 1935, pp. 475-476
Fisher, W.,
Remarks on the Fireball Catalog of von Niessl and Hoffmeister, Harvard College Observatory Circular 331, 1932 pp. 1-8
The Newton-Denning Method for Computing Meteor Paths with a Celestial Globe, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 19, 1933, pp. 209-212
Hoffmeister, C.,
New Cosmic Relationships of Meteors, PA, Volume 45, 1937, pp. 207-209
Horch, E.,
Ellen Dorrit Hoffleit, in Hockey, T. ed., Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers, Volume 1, New York: Springer, 2007, pp. 516-517
Maltsev, V.,
Concerning the fictitious radiants of meteoric streams, Astronomische Nachtrichten, Volume 234, 1928, p. 243-248
McFarland, J. and D. Asher,
The Meteor work of Ernst Opik at Armagh Observatory, in Eds. Asher, D.J. et al., Proceedings of the International Meteor Conference, Armagh, Northern Ireland, 16-19 September, 2010, p. 67.
Olivier, C.,
Report of the Committee on Meteors, PA, Volume 35, 1927, pp. 26-27
Meteor Notes, PA, Volumes 37,38,40,42,43,46,47
The Illinois Fireballs of July 25, 1929, PA, Volume 39, 1931, p. 521
Opik, E.,
Results of the Arizona Expedition for the Study of Meteors (RAESM), II, Statistical Analysis of Group Radiants, Harvard College Observatory Circulars, No. 388, 1934, pp. 1-38.
RAESM, VI. Analysis of Meteor Heights, Annals of Harvard College Observatory, Tercentary Papers, No. 30, Volume 105, 1937, pp. 549-600
The Failures, Irish Astronomical Journal, Volume 9, 1969, p. 156
Poulter, T.,
Meteor Program in Connection with the Byrd Antarctic Expedition II, PA, Volume 41, 1933, pp. 282-283.
Shapley, H., E. Opik, and S. Boothroyd,
The Arizona Expedition for the Study of Meteors, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 18, No. 1, 1932, pp. 16ff.
Smith, F., Concerning Meteor Radiants, PA, Volume 47, 1939, pp. 223-224
Theobald, J.,
Dubuque Counts of the 1934 Leonids, PA, Volume 42, 1934, pp. 598-599
Watson, F.,
A Study of Telescopic Meteors, Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Volume 81, No. 84, (September 25, 1939), pp. 493-504
Williams, J., The use of reticles for the observation of meteors, Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Volume 45, 1933, pp. 175-179
Wylie, C.,
The Meteor of July 25, 1929, PA, Volume 37, 1929, p. 514
Observations of the 1929 Leonids, Popular Astronomy (PA), Volume 38, 1930, pp. 48-49
The 1930 Leonid meteors, PA, Volume 38, 1930, pp. 623-624
The 1931 Leonid Meteors, PA, Volume 39, 1931, p. 609
The 1932 Return of the Leonid Meteors, PA, Volume 40, 1932, p. 97
Real Paths for Five Meteors, PA, Volume 40, 1932, pp. 500-501
Preliminary Report on the 1933 Leonids, PA, Volume 41, 1933, p. 581
How to Make Good Group Counts, PA, Volume 42, 1934, pp. 596-598
The Meteor of July 25, 1929 (second paper), PA, Volume 43, 1935, pp. 241-250
Archives
C.C. Wylie Papers, 1910-1960- UIA Collection Guides
http://collguides.lib.uiowa.edu/?RG99.0146 Accessed May 5, 2016
American Meteor Society Ltd. Archives
Letter from Fisher to Olivier, dated Aug 20, 1924; box labeled “1920s”
Letter from Wylie to Olivier, dated October 13, 1927: box labeled “1930s”
Correspondence archives
Charles P. Olivier Correspondence Collection, American Philosophical Society Library, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
CPO to Frank Schlesinger (FS), dated June 15, 1933
FS to CPO, dated June 16, 1933
CPO to Felix de Roy, dated December 30, 1935.
CPO to C.C. Wylie (CCW), dated May 13, 1936
CPO to Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, dated January 7, 1936
Thomas C. Poulter (TCP) to CPO, dated September 8, 1935.
TCP to CPO, dated December 18, 1935
TCP to CPO, dated September 25, 1935
TCP to CPO, dated January 4, 1936
TCP to CPO, dated January 9, 1952
CPO to Harlow Shapley (HS) dated December 2, 1935
Fletcher G. Watson (FGW) to CPO, dated December 6, 1935
CPO to FGW, dated December 12, 1935.
CPO to W.J. Luyten, dated June 6, 1935
Interviews
F.W. Smith by author’s questionnaires, dated May 2 and 12, 2001
Outside the USA: A Survey of Meteor Astronomers and Organizations
Books
Abbe, C. (Translator), Niessl, G., The Determination of Meteor Orbits in the Solar System, Smithsonian Publication 2436, Volume 66, Issue 16, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1917.
Jarrell, R., The Cold Light of Dawn, a History of Canadian Astronomy, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1988, p. 155ff.
Olivier, C., Meteors, Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins, 1925, p. 17.
Schmadel, L., (Minor Planet 7849) Janjosefric, Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Sixth edition, Berlin: Springer, 2012, p. 604.
Schmadel, L., Klepesta, Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Volume 1, 5th edition, Berlin: Springer, 2003, p. 339.
Vondrak, J., Frantisek Nusl, in T. Hockey et al. editors, Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers, volume 2, New York: Springer, 2007, pp. 842-843
Zejda, M., Cuno Hoffmeister, in Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers, Volume 1, New York: Springer, 2007, pp. 517-518.
Articles
Anonymous, Cuno Hoffmeister, Irish Astronomical Journal, volume 9, 1969, p. 169
Ceplecha, Z., Obituary: V. Guth (1905-1980), Bulletin of the Astronomical Institutes of Czechoslovakia, volume 31, 1980, p. 256.
Editor, Gazette Astronomique (GA), Volume 4, 1911, pp. 2 and 32
Editor, General Notes: (Birkenstock), An appeal to amateur astronomers, Popular Astronomy (PA), Volume 19, 1911, pp. 126-128
Editor, Obituary, Felix de Roy, The Observatory, Volume 65, 1943, p. 12.
Halliday, I., Peter MacKenzie Millman, 1906-1990, Journal Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (JRASC), Volume 85, 1991, p. 68
Lindsay, E., I. Biographical, Ernst Julius Opik, Dr. Phil. (etc.), The Irish Astronomical Journal, Volume 10, Special Issue, 1972, pp. 1-2
Maltzev, V., Concerning the fictitious radiants of meteoric streams; Astronomisches Nachtrichten, Volume 234, p. 244.
McBeath, A., An Overview of British Meteor Observing, Parts I and II, WGN, Journal of the International Meteor Organization, Volume 39, 2011, pp. 29-31, and 76-78
Millman, P., and Editor, Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Volume 28, 1934, pp. 35-36
Olivier, C. and D. Wills, Daily and Monthly Meteor Rates, Proceedings Pennsylvania Academy of Science, Volume 7, 1933
Olivier, C., Meteor Notes, PA, Volumes 35, 38, 41, 42, 43, and 46.
Renshaw, S. and S. Ihara, A Brief History of Amateur Astronomy in Japan, Sky and Telescope, Volume 93, 1997, pp. 104-108.
Widorn, Th., Niessl von Mayendorf (Maiendorf), Gustav, in Osterreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815-1950 (OBL), Band 7, Vienna: Publisher of the Austrian Sciences Academy, 1978; ISBN 3-7001-0187-2, S. 126f.
Correspondence Archives
Charles P. Olivier Correspondence Collection, American Philosophical Society Library, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Astapowitsch, I. to Charles Olivier (CPO), letter dated September 24, 1936.
Chant, C.A. to Charles Olivier (CPO), letter dated January 16, 1928
de Roy, Felix (FdR) to CPO, letter dated December 6, 1927
Guth, Vladimir to CPO, letter dated May 5, 1929
Hoffmeister, Cuno (CH) to CPO, letter dated 1934 March 12
CH to CPO, letters dated July 9 and August 25, 1934
CH to CPO, letter dated October 24, 1934
CH to CPO, letter dated December 24, 1937
CH to CPO letter dated March 12, 1958
Opik, Ernst to CPO, dated April 20, 1923
Richard Taibi, personal email correspondence
Sakuma, Seiichi to RT, Biography of Hideo Inouye, dated August 4, 2015
Webpages
Neglected Science: Martin Horacio Dartayet
https://sites.google.com/a/neglectedscience.com/neglectedscience/alphabetical-list/d/martin-dartayet Accessed May 7, 2016.
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Taibi, R. (2017). Meteor Astronomy at Home and Abroad. In: Charles Olivier and the Rise of Meteor Science. Springer Biographies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44518-2_6
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