Cosmology Bus

Newberry Seminar: A Change in Course

Like a piece of ice on a hot stove the poem must ride on its own melting. -- Robert Frost

And so we ride. I got some disappointing news from the Newberry late last week: ultimately, there weren't enough registrations for my seminar to make it a go this month and next.

Soft economy or not, this is library policy. But in practical terms the change in plan frees-up several hours a week for me to pursue other interests like researching and writing on subjects I enjoy. Sure, it's a let down because I know the seminar content is solid as well as inherently interesting, and there's no doubt I would have enjoyed successive Tuesday evenings discussing it, but hey, I'm a flexible guy--and I can take a punch. I'll recover quickly.

Besides, the Newberry is a 122-year-old institution. It isn't going anywhere. There are already opportunities ahead for other seminars, as well as lectures and workshops. And I won't be surprised at all if this one surfaces again at 60 W. Walton St. (and elsewhere), perhaps in shorter form.

One of the many benefits of my experience connected with the seminar-just-cancelled is discovering the large number of astronomy groups in and around Chicago. Not being an astronomer I was surprised to learn that the Chicago Astronomical Society, the Ryerson Astronomical Society, the Northwest Suburban Astronomers, the Naperville Astronomical Association, the Lake County Astronomical Society, and others sponsor so many events for skywatchers in this area. BTW, I'm looking forward to attending the June 19 meeting of the Lake County group. The topic that evening will be exoplanets, presented by Jim Kovac, a member of NASA's Solar System Ambassadors Program.

Adler Planetarium, Chicago, IL, by Fritz Geller-Grimm, 2000. Source: Wikimedia Commons. 

While I'm on the subject, anyone reading this post within striking distance of Adler Planetarium should really plan a visit to see the museum's new major exhibit, Telescopes: Through the Looking Glass. This impressive installation, which opened May 22, commemorates the 400th anniversary of the telescope and the 2009 International Year of Astronomy. I toured the gallery last week and was struck by the exhibit's large number of historically important instruments, interactive displays, and storytelling features. A few personal highlights were seeing some of the earliest known telescopes on the planet close-up, viewing early books on the plurality of worlds, and actually looking through a fully-assembled 22-foot long telescope from 1675. No other museum in the world has an interactive display like it.

Another treat for people interested in telescopes is the exhibit catalog, also titled Telescopes: Through the Looking Glass, by Marvin Bolt. Make no mistake: this isn't some mundane museum publication; it's a cleverly designed, well-written, beautifully illustrated, and handsomely produced book of 236 pages.

As regular CB readers know, Bolt, who directs Adler's Webster Institute for the History of Astronomy, is one of the world's authorities on early telescopes. His text tells the story of these remarkable artifacts and something about their role in cosmology and popular culture in a clear engaging style. And speaking of clear, the former publisher in me smiles every time I look at it because parts of the catalog (e.g., sections of the front cover, title page, and table of contents) are intentionally blurred. The book design is by Chicago-based Studio Blue.

Kudos for jobs well done! 

Next stop: tbd 

Banner bus photo credit: Dorothy Delina Porter.

Newberry Seminar Update: "Are We Alone? . . ."

Preparations are well underway for my seminar at the Newberry Library, which begins June 2. Registrations are coming in and the list of things I want to get done before walking into the second-floor classroom is gradually getting smaller. Keyword: gradually (by this stage in life I've learned there's never enough time to do all the things I'd like to do in the way I'd like to do them.) Anyway, I'm excited about this opportunity to share with others interested in the rich history of the extraterrestrial life debate and I can't wait to get it rolling. It's going to be a fun nine weeks.

I've decided to post here some additional material relevant to the seminar each week for the duration of the class. This will in part address the challenge of not having enough time on Tuesday evenings to cover the wide range of topics that could be mentioned. Yes, there's that much material. Hardly surprising when we stop to remember that human beings have written about the idea of life elsewhere in cosmos for more than two millennia. 

Several weeks ago I prepared a postcard to help publicize the class. This was the front side:

The reverese says "If so, you're in very good company . . ." followed by the seminar title: Are We Alone?: Life beyond Earth in Western Religion, Science, and Popular Culture from Aristotle to H.G. Wells, together with all the date, time, place information -- and how to register.

The illustration, which is in the public domain, is part of an anonymous wood engraving often called the Flammarion Woodcut because it first appeared in a volume by Camille Flammarion (1842-1925), a French astronomer who also wrote books for a general audience. The work in which it appears, L'atmosphere: meteorolgie populaire ("The Atmosphere: Popular Meteorology"), was published in Paris in 1888, and to this day no one knows who did the illustration, or when, or what it means. Some think the engraving depicts a medieval pilgrim looking past the visible sky at the hidden structure of the universe, which is probably as good an explanation as any.

The important thing is that people seem to like it. I'll be interested to learn if any of the cards left in area bookstores and coffee houses by my niece, Caroline, or me result in a registration. After all, not everyone hears the library's promotions for seminars on WBEZ or receives a brochure in the mail.

Meanwhile, I'm preparing a new set of pages here on CB that will give details on the weekly seminar topics, assigned readings, and more (see Sidebar). These should be up soon! Please check back and let me know what you think.

As always, comments are greatly appreciated!

Next stop: tbd 

Banner bus photo credit: Dorothy Delina Porter.

Newberry News!

Some good news just can't wait to be shared.

I just heard from the Newberry Library in Chicago that my proposal to teach a public seminar on the extraterrestrial life debate was accepted for the Summer 2009 session! I'm really excited about this for many reasons, not the least of which are that I enjoy teaching, and the subject matter nicely complements a book project I've been researching for some time.

Are We Alone?: Life beyond Earth in Western Religion, Science, and Popular Culture from Aristotle to Lowell will be offered over nine weeks from June 2 through July 28 on Tuesday evenings from 5:45 to 7:45 pm. 

The seminar will explore why, despite the lack of proof, nearly two-thirds of Americans surveyed in 2005 believe that life exists on other planets and eight in ten believe there are intelligent beings more advanced than us. How did these views come about? What's their heritage? To answer these questions we'll review the major developments in the plurality of worlds debate from Antiquity through the early 20th Century, drawing on a wide variety of primary sources from philosophy, religion, literature, and science. I know it's going to be an interesting experience because the subject of life beyond Earth has such a natural appeal and most people aren't aware of the history behind the idea. I also expect it to be fun!

I'll post more on the seminar in weeks ahead. Meanwhile, you can check out the Newberry's current seminar schedule and past courses here.

 Vintage postcard of Newberry Library and Washington Square Park. 

Banner bus photo credit: Dorothy Delina Porter.