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Primary
Source of the Month
A Philosopher Giving a Lecture on the Orrery, by William Pether, London, England, 1768.
From the Collections of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
CONTENTS
"Astronomers and Stargazers: Eyeing a Heliocentric Heaven for Planets, Portents, and Horoscopes"
Primary
Source of the Month
Teaching
Strategy
Colonial Williamsburg Teaching Resources
Teaching News
Quotation of the Month
The
next
Electronic Field Trip is
Jamestown Unearthed
October 11, 2007
2006-2007 Teaching
Resources Catalog
2006–2007 Electronic Field
Trip Scholarships
Games,
activities, and resources about life
in colonial America
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TOP STORIES
"Astronomers and Stargazers: Eyeing a Heliocentric Heaven for Planets, Portents, and Horoscopes"
by Anthony F. Aveni
The founding of Jamestown and the invention of the telescope happened in the same generation. In 1608, the year after Captain John Smith and company built the fort, Galileo got word in Italy that a lens maker in Holland, probably Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, had built an “optic reed . . . a certain device by means of which all things at a very great distance can be seen as if they were nearby.” Galileo obtained a pair of spectacle lenses, placed them at opposite ends of a hollow tube at the sum of their focal lengths, and fashioned his own spyglass. He turned it on the heavens and saw mountains on the moon, moons moving around Jupiter, and spots on the surface of the sun. His observations contributed to a sea of change in how we understand the universe.
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More
Primary
Source of the Month:
"A Philosopher Giving a Lecture on the Orrery"
The print “A Philosopher Giving a Lecture on the Orrery” shows a small group of spectators listening to a natural philosopher’s lecture on planetary motion. Such public scientific lectures, illustrated by various models and scientific instruments, became popular during the eighteenth century and remained so well into the nineteenth century.
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More
Teaching
Strategy:
Before and After the Telescope
Human
beings are careful observers of the natural
world, and have always attempted to explain
the unknown, first using myths and legends,
then with scientific evidence. The desire
to make sense of the world around us has
fueled a continuous series of discoveries
and inventions, and the inclusion of technology
in our everyday lives.
Today, science and technology advance
at an ever increasing pace. In the past,
technological advances may have occurred
more slowly, but their impact is still
felt today. In this lesson, students will
be briefly introduced to the invention
and development of the telescope and its
impact on the world.
Learn More
Colonial
Williamsburg Teaching Resources for Your
Classroom
Colonial
Williamsburg offers a variety of quality
instructional materials dealing with 18th-century
life, including:
- Nature, Art, and Science (Video, Teacher Guide, and Web Activities)
- The Eye of the Beholder: Looking at Primary Sources (lesson unit)
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More
Teaching News
"Coins
& Currency in Colonial America" examines
the diverse types of money jingling in
the pockets and purses of our colonial
ancestors.
In this interactive, online exhibit, learn about varied coinage from all over the globe that influenced the currency we carry today. A glossary, top ten FAQs list, timeline, relative scale and value charts, zooming capability and sidebars all add layers of discovery to this expansive exhibit.
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More
Quotation
of the Month
"Telescopes are in some ways like time machines. They reveal galaxies so far away that their light has taken billions of years to reach us. We in astronomy have an advantage in studying the universe, in that we can actually see the past."
—Sir Martin Rees,
Astronomer Royal of Great Britain
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Volume
5, Issue 9
Historic Triangle