Oral history interview with Kaj Strand, 1983 and 1984.

ArchivalResource

Oral history interview with Kaj Strand, 1983 and 1984.

This interview recounts Strand's career in astronomy, which began with graduate work at the University of Copenhagen (PhD, 1938, astronomy) and included positions at the Geodetic Institute of Denmark (1931-3); at the University of Leiden (1933-8); at Swarthmore College (1938-46); at the University of Chicago (1946-67); at Northwestern as Director of the Dearborn Observatory (1947-58); and at the US Naval Observatory as Director of Astrometry and Astrophysics (1958-63) and as Science Director (1963-77). The interview concentrates on Strand's astronomical research at the Naval Observatory on photographic observation of double stars, stellar parallaxes, and orbital motions in double and multiple systems, as well as his administrative activities there. He also recounts his early family life and education in Denmark, and his experiences in the American Army in WWII. Other affliliations discussed include: Ejnar Hertzsprung, Harlow Shapley, Bengt Strömgren, Peter Van de Kamp, Raymod Dugan, and Svante Strömgren.

Transcript: 126 pages.

Information

SNAC Resource ID: 6862445

Related Entities

There are 14 Entities related to this resource.

United States Naval Observatory. Astrometry and Astrophysics Division.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w62k07r2 (corporateBody)

Shapley, Harlow, 1885-1972

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6pn96xk (person)

Astronomer (galaxies, photometry, spectroscopy) and administrator. Astronomer, Mount Wilson Observatory, 1914-1921; director, Harvard Observatory, 1921-1952; on the astronomy faculty at Harvard from 1952. From the description of Papers [microform], 1910-1923. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 80523781 Harlow Shapley (1885-1972) was an astronomer. Shapley served as director of the Harvard College Observatory and was a professor at Harvard University, eventually he became the Pai...

Københavns universitet

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w64n3050 (corporateBody)

Rijksuniversiteit te Leiden

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6gj3czx (corporateBody)

United States. Naval Observatory

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6q857q9 (corporateBody)

Organizational History 1830 Establishment of the Depot of Charts and Instruments, Washington, D.C. 1843 1844 Construction of the observatory on its present site 1846 Publication of the first ...

Dearborn Observatory

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w66728qk (corporateBody)

Swarthmore college

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6mm055x (corporateBody)

Founded by members of Baltimore, New York and Philadelphia Yearly Meetings of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Swarthmore College was incorporated in 1864 under a charter from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The College opened in 1869 as an college and preparatory school, although the preparatory division was phased out in the 1880s. The Charter was amended in 1908 to remove any formal links to the Society of Friends. The College continues to operate as a liberal arts college with a...

Strömgren, Bengt (1908-1987).

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6s75hqw (person)

Bengt Georg Daniel Strömgren was an astrophysicist who died in 1987. From the description of Papers. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 83299855 Died 1987. From the description of The development of astrophysics as a research field in the 20th century: paper presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science's George Ellery Hale Centennial Symposium, Dallas, 1968. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 78201727 Bengt Georg Daniel Strömgren (1908-...

Van de Kamp, Peter, 1901-....

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6fx7btq (person)

Astronomer; professor at Swarthmore College for 35 years. Magill Professor of Astronomy and director of the Sproul Observatory in the Netherlands (after retiring from Swarthmore). Died 1995. From the description of Symposium on the galaxy [motion picture] / taken by Peter Van de Kamp, 1950. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 80779549 From the description of Three conferences on astronomy and cosmology [motion picture] / photographed by Peter Van de Kamp. 1955-1964. (Unknown). Wo...

DeVorkin, David H., 1944-....

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w65x2b2g (person)

Strand, K. Aage (Kaj Aage), 1907-2000

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w69w0hrn (person)

Astronomer and scientific director of the United States Naval Observatory. Died 2000. From the description of K. Aage Strand papers, 1875-1999 (bulk 1947-1977). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 646634443 Kaj Aage Strand, 1907-2000. Astronomer. Education: University of Copenhagen (PhD, 1938, astronomy). Professional experience: Geodetic Institute in Copenhagen (1931-1933); University of Leiden (1933-1938); Swarthmore College (1938-1946); University of Chicago (1946-1967); Direc...

Hertzsprung, Ejnar, 1873-1967

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w64j0g9d (person)

Astronomer (stellar spectra and distances). On the astronomy faculty at Universität Göttingen (1909-1919); and Rijksuniversiteit te leiden 91920-1944); on the staff of the observatory at Leiden (1914-1944), director, (1935-1944). From the description of Correspondence, 1903-1966. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 78544160 Astronomer (steller spectra and distances). On the astronomy faculty at Universität Göttingen, 1909-1919; and Rijksuniversiteit te Leiden, 1920-1944; on t...

Dick, Steven J.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6bk1fmm (person)

University of Chicago.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6449cnx (corporateBody)

Most of the records in the collection pertain to the $400,000 raised by the American Baptist Education Society in 1889-1890 in order to obtain a 600,000 grant from John D. Rockefeller for the creation of an endowment for the University of Chicago. The first volume in the inventory, Record of Pledges for the University of Chicago, contains an alphabetical numbered listing of subscribers, amounts pledged, and payments made through 1906. The subscription forms and letters (1:4-13) are numbered to c...