The Mandeville Gallery at the Nott
Memorial is celebrating the sesquicentennial of the Dudley Observatory with an
exhibition titled “Reaching for the Stars — The Story of the Dudley
Observatory.”
The show, which runs through
December 22, is accompanied by a series of lectures, films and observing nights
at the Union College telescope
in the F.W. Olin Center. All
events are free and open to the public. (see complete listings below)
The exhibition traces the history
of the local astronomical institution from its ambitious beginning in Albany in 1852
through its current endeavors in support of astronomy and astronomical
research. Objects range from telescopes to space dust collection devices as
well as photographs, paintings, prints, letters, maps and rare books.
One of the oldest organizations in
the U.S. dedicated
to the support of astronomical research, the Dudley Observatory was chartered
by the state in 1852, largely funded by Blandina
Dudley of Albany in memory
of her husband, Senator Charles E. Dudley.
In its first century, the
Observatory's astronomers made internationally important advances in astronomy
– charting the precise motions of stars and compiling influential catalogs of
the stars. In the 1950s, the Observatory turned to research in the area of
micrometeorites, tiny dust particles that continuously bombard the earth from
space. In the 1970s, the mission turned to the support of research in
astronomy, astrophysics and the history of astronomy. The Dudley library
contains one of the world's finest collections of historically significant texts,
which are made available to scholars studying the history of astronomy and
astrophysics. Locally, grants are awarded to schools and local communities to
fund educational programs, trips to planetariums and museums, scholarships to
Advanced Astronomy Camp and Advanced Space Camp, and radio and television
programming. On the national level, the Fullam and
Pollack Awards fund innovative research in astronomy and the history of
astronomy.
Lecture series:
The Sesquicentennial Lecture
Series will include three lectures on Sunday afternoons about the history of
the Dudley Observatory and astronomical breakthroughs during its time.
Sunday, Oct. 27, at 2 p.m. in the Nott Memorial – George Wise of the Observatory on “Star
Wars, Stellar Motions and Space Dust: The Dudley
Observatory 1852-2002.”
Sunday, Nov. 10, 2 p.m. in the Nott Memorial – Jan Ludwig, professor emeritus of
philosophy at Union College, on “Communicating Humanity's Widening Universe –
500 Years of Astronomical Publications in the Collection of the Dudley
Observatory.”
Sunday, Nov. 24, 2 p.m. in the Nott Memorial – A panel
discussion on “The Future of Astronomy” with John Delano, the University at Albany; Rebecca
Koopman, Union College; Wayne
Roberge, RPI; and Eric Schlegel, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for
Astrophysics.
Film series:
The film series portion of the
exhibition will consist of three events, all at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays in the F. W. Olin Center Auditorium at Union College.
Friday, Nov. 1, at 7:30 p.m. in the OlinCenter Auditorium — several films including Powers of Ten, The Trouble with Tribbles, and Trials
and Tribble-ations.
Friday, Nov. 8, at 7:30 p.m. in the Olin Center Auditorium – Chuck's Rocket (1960, 13 min) and October Sky (1999, 108 min.).
Friday, Nov. 15, at 7:30 p.m. in the OlinCenter Auditorium – A Trip to the Moon (1902, 14 min.) and Koyaanisqatsi (1982, 87 min.)
Celestial observing nights:
Observe planets and stars through
the Union telescope – Fridays, Nov. 1, 8 and 15 at 9:30 p.m., (weather permitting).
For more information see http://www.union.edu/gallery
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