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John Grigg, and His Pioneering Astronomical Photography

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Exploring the History of New Zealand Astronomy

Part of the book series: Astrophysics and Space Science Library ((ASSL,volume 422))

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Abstract

John Grigg was New Zealand’s leading amateur astronomer during the first decade of the twentieth century. While best known for his comet discoveries, one of his other claims to fame was as a local pioneer of astronomical photography. In this chapter we review his achievements in astronomical photography and discuss other New Zealand amateur astronomers who subsequently established reputations in this area of astronomy.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Cometary terminology used in this chapter is after Marsden (1989).

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Acknowledgements

I am grateful to the following for their assistance: Bill Allen (Blenheim, NZ), Frank Andrews (Wellington, NZ), Mrs Beverley Angus (Wellington, NZ), Rod Austin (New Plymouth, NZ), Samantha Bennett (South African Astronomical Observatory, Cape town), the late Doug Berry (Auckland, NZ), Dr Grant Christie (Auckland, NZ), John Drummond (Patutahi, NZ), the late R.F. Joyce (Kaiapoi, NZ), Hazel McGee and Nick Frost (British Astronomical Association, London), Dr Nick Lomb (formerly Sydney Observatory), John Seymour (Palmerston North, NZ), the late Jackie St. George (Sydney) and the late Alan Westland (Cheviot, NZ). I also am grateful to the Donovan Trust for funding visits to the Mitchell Library and Sydney Observatory, during the original data-gathering phase of this project. Finally, I wish to thank Grant Christie, Rod Austin and John Drummond for reading and commenting on the first draft of this chapter, and the Mitchell Library (Sydney), the South African Astronomical Observatory and the Ward (Wanganui) Observatory—through John Seymour—for kindly supplying Figs. 22.2, 22.6 and 22.15.

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  1. National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand, Chiang Mai, Thailand

    Wayne Orchiston

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Orchiston, W. (2016). John Grigg, and His Pioneering Astronomical Photography. In: Exploring the History of New Zealand Astronomy. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 422. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22566-1_22

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