Rebekah Higgitt

I was quite shocked to learn, via @mercoglianos.bsky.social, that UKMTO is advising no use of satellite navigation there because of this: ships should only be using radar and conventional terrestrial or celestial nav. If they can remember how to do the latter.

Article here the-past.com/feature/expa... (footnote ref to @trowelblazers.bsky.social)

I need a sabbatical in order to sort out my discs, notebooks, paper and (especially) cloud-based files.

I'm not ready to let mine go. Who knows, they might yet be useful (if I could get the laptop with the disk drive to function)!

It was a good opportunity to see so many of his light/dark paintings together, but it was quite small and lightly interpreted overall.

It was great to have the chance to see the orrery and the air pump paintings next to each other

We shall have to wait to see the article (if accepted) in the J. Hist Astron!

#histsci 🧵

Puts me in mind of Halley's depiction, from 1715

Fascinating bit of film showing London in 1929 @thelondonarchives.bsky.social (on Instagram) Watch for the way that Victorian London is still present in the modern world, and for the dog, who is clearly a very good boy www.instagram.com/reel/DVOkoBJ...

It seems to be blocked by my institutions security. I've just noticed this: "Reason: Category restriction (Hate)"! I will raise it with IT.

Or should I now be looking only at London Lives?

I can't open the @oldbaileyonline.bsky.social website at the moment. Is this a me problem or a wider one?

Drawing of the Great Telescope at Birr Castle. Between two stone walls, perhaps four stories tall, the black cylinder of the telescope, nearly 2 meters in diameter, and nearly 17 meters in length. The walls hold an elaborate arrangements of stairs and walkways that allow an observer to reach the eyepiece of the telescope no matter what angle it is raised to. The drawing is rendered in shades of light and dark brown, because the artist, Mike Gale, uses Guiness Stout instead of ink to draw Irish scenes. Copyright 2019 by Mike Gale.

An opportunity for a Shameless Plug!

Anyone in Chicagoland curious?

The Chicago Astronomical Society has invited me to speak Sat, 28 Feb, 6 PM, at the Cernan Earth & Space Center, 2000 5th Ave, River Grove IL.

"The Great Telescope of Birr Castle:
How a 19th-Century Irish Family Changed Astronomy"

There's a video on Instagram of me taking the astrolabe apart. Someone commented to complain that I'm not wearing white gloves! Philistine! www.instagram.com/reel/DVJaOau...

I have a thread that dovetails with this!

Good thread!

One of several exhibits in @colinstuartspace.bsky.social's virtual Museum of Cosmic Curiosities (see following post for the link) #histsci 📜

I see you have Nevil's cosy two-piece in there. Good choices!

Yes! I will have to find time to look through some directories.

I'm very lucky!

It's (un)surprisingly heavy to hold out! I think tomorrow there'll be a social media video of me taking it apart to show the plates inside.

Relic found in second-hand shop now among rarest objects in Scotland The artefact has had an interesting journey to this major milestone

Other headlines are available! www.heraldscotland.com/news/2587623...

If/when you come to Edinburgh!

Ancient brass instrument used to interpret the heavens turns 1,000 years old National Museums Scotland said it was one of the rarest scientific instruments in its collection.

Donning my purple gloves to say happy birthday to our 1000-year-old astrolabe #histsci 📜
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Edinburgh had chairs of both moral and natural philosophy

I suspect he was happy to lump together natural, moral and any other philosophers as just philosophers - learned, thinking types

Sad news. I didn't know him personally but remember being inspired by his book on Victorian philanthropy as an undergraduate

Indeed, not that flattering! His chin is rather Buzz Lightyear, though