[AZ-Observing] Robert Burnham Jr

I was totally surprised, ESPECIALLY as an AZ amateur astronomer, to  
learn about the Robert Burnham Jr. Memorial on the LAST page of the  
Sep 2007 S&T.

I never knew the man; like many others, I "met" him through his 3  
volume masterpiece: "Burnham's Celestial Handbook." But I did learn  
much about him through Tony Ortega's article in the PHX "New Times"  
several years ago.

Other than Walter Scott Houston, I am not aware of ANY other amateur  
or professional, who has made a bigger impact on amateur observers!  
Not Skiff; not Polakis; not Coe, and not Gottleib - all prolific and  
respected observers in the field. I believe they will agree that  
Burnham has certainly made a much bigger impact.

As a longtime contributor to Lowell Observatory, I finally let my  
membership lapse after MANY years of telling them they MUST recognize  
Burnham in a meaningful way at their visitor center. Much like  
Tombaugh and Slypher, Burnham is a historic part of Lowell, and  
deserves recognition. Unlike the others, he is also a hero in amateur  
astronomy.

So I, along with Watson, the Polakis's, Ortega, and many others, now  
make a pitch to honoring one of the greatest people in amateur  
astronomy. Go to

rbjm.org

to learn more. Please help Lowell and others in making this a  
reality. .................sam


--
See message header for info on list archives or unsubscribing, and please 
send personal replies to the author, not the list.

Other related posts: