Forschungskolloquium zur Wissenschaftsgeschichte

Changing Conceptions of the Galaxy (1925-1980)

Datum
16:15 - 17:45 Uhr
Ort
Online
Veranstaltet von
Friedrich Steinle
Vortragende Person(en)
Karin Pelte (Berlin)

Conceptions of the galaxy changed fundamentally between 1925-1980. Intergalactic dynamics were one particular factor which would play out centrally in transforming the understanding of this key research object. Up until the 1970s however, only a small number of astronomers worldwide studied multiple and interacting galaxies. Drawing from very different resources such as stellar cosmogony, statistical mechanics, comet studies or n-body experiments to name but a few, they pursued various goals and interests. Thus, colliding galaxies furnished an explanatory model for cosmic ray generation or, coincidentally, offered the fantastic opportunity to reapply code originally intended to calculate trajectories of artificial lunar satellites; dynamical studies of double galaxies yielded mean masses but also some evidence in favor of alternative cosmogonies. These many approaches were not centrally organized, single-authorship dominated and only very few kept up the work for a longer period of time. How to handle the inherent plurality will be one of the questions I want to discuss with you. I will also make the fleeting suggestion that astrophysics (of that time) with its ambiguous relationship to theory might make a particularly interesting case for studying the role of concepts and conceptual change in natural sciences.

Karin Pelte holds a diploma in fine arts (Villa Arson, France), as well as a master of arts (history of science, Technical University, Berlin). As a research assistant she has been investigating conceptual change in galaxy studies in the context of a DFG funded project since 2016 (TU Berlin). She also works as a freelance motion graphics designer, script writer, cutter and director.

Wegen der derzeitigen Einschränkungen wird das Kolloquium im Online-Format stattfinden, s. https://isis.tu-berlin.de/course/view.php?id=19890.