BOOK REVIEW: Jean-Charles Houzeau et son temps
Abstract
This is a wonderful book. It describes the life and work of Belgian astronomer Jean-Charles Houzeau (1820-1888) and, as the last three words of the title indicate, it has a broader focus including the social, industrial and scientific context of the second part of the 19th century. This is set in a very broad international social context including social revolutions in Belgium and France, and the abolition of slavery in the United States. The biography clearly shows that this hard-working man was driven by science and justice, by individualism and generosity, by humor and sentiment.
The book is divided in four parts, each part is placed in its own historical context. The first part "The apprentice, the master and his disciples" describes Houzeau's childhood and young years, his early scientific career at the Observatory in Brussels, and his relationship with Adolphe Quetelet. The evolution of this relationship is very well documented: the turbulent revolutionary Houzeau versus cool, moderated and diplomatic royalist Quetelet, the observer versus the mathematician theorist. But both were very dedicated teachers: Quetelet established public courses and after the Revolution of 1830 he contributed to the foundation of the University of Brussels; Houzeau was the peripatetic teacher wherever place he was, also after his return to Belgium. The second part is "The politician" and deals with Houzeau's political ideas and revolutionary attitudes and their consequences. His revolutionary ideas, though, were not confined to politics only: he also severely criticised the paucity of high-precision observations collected at the Royal Observatory in his days. Because he participated at revolutionary meetings, Houzeau was fired from his position at the Observatory by the Minister of Interior Affairs Charles Rogier. Thus started his peripathetic life, covering observational work in astronomy, geography, geodesy and natural sciences in many places in Belgium and abroad. The third part, "The separation", is a very interesting account of Houzeau's emigration to North America, in vain search for his revolutionary dream. Of course he also ran into trouble in the US due to publications such as "The white terror in Texas" and because of his loyalty with the slaves, his advocacy for black civil rights and his refusal to join the confederate army, so he had to flee Texas too. The book gives many details on the civil war era. His absence from Belgium led to a very significant scientific work, in the first place his most homogeneous and extensive star atlas (6000 stars to declination -65) which was made in very good atmospheric conditions by one and only one observer, totally independent from previously published catalogues. The last part "The builder" tells the story of the construction of the new Royal Observatory in the suburb of Uccle, a new and better site than the one established in the city center by the Dutch regime in 1826. When the succession of Adolphe Quetelet was discussed, Houzeau was about the only candidate with a vast publication record and a broad observational expertise. Surprisingly, he was appointed as the second director of the Observatory and remained in function till 1883. One chapter in the fourth part of the book deals with Houzeau's participation at a Venus transit expedition of 1882. Jean-Charles Houzeau made very significant contributions to astronomy and his major works include "Vade-mecum de l'Astronomie", the "Uranometrie Generale" and his monumental "Bibliographie Generale de l'Astronomie", an early precursor of our modern web-based ADS (NASA Astrophysics Data System). This is a book which every Belgian astronomer should read because it is an eye opener on the history of the establishment of the kingdom, and because it explains the roots and difficult early development of astronomy in this country. This history is internationally linked and refers to many contemporary scientists such as Argelander, Heis, Herschel, von Humboldt etc. The book by Verhas includes many details on observational techniques and geodetic triangulation, and explains very well the underlying principles of the described experiments. There are various nice diagrams and many high-quality photographic reproductions. Technically, the work is very well made and is printed on high-quality glossy paper. There are only a small number of typographical errors, and some low-resolution photographs have been reproduced on a scale much too large to be esthetic. The two-column format of 22 x 28 cm makes it very suitable for consultation at the library desk but not very adequate for armchair enjoyment or travel reading. The single shortcoming is the absence of a Name and Subject Index.- Publication:
-
Journal of Astronomical Data
- Pub Date:
- December 2002
- Bibcode:
- 2002JAD.....8....7S