Appropriate to the upcoming dedication this Saturday, I happened to be reading a book by James Mullaney, and ran across several good quotes by Robert Burnham, Jr., which I have copied below. (These are likely from Burnham's Celestial Handbook; sources not given by Mullaney.) Gene Lucas (17250) ROBERT BURNHAM, JR. -- Quotes on astronomy From “Double and Multiple Stars, and How to Observe Them”, by James Mullaney Springer, 2005 ISBN 1-85233-751-6 “Aesthetic and Philosophical Considerations,” pp. 88-90. (From among some 33 quotes from many well-known observers, Mullaney selected these three from Robert Burnham...) “The appeal of stargazing is both intellectual and aesthetic; it combines the thrill of exploration and discovery, the fun of sight-seeing, and the sheer joy of first-hand acquaintance with incredibly wonderful and beautiful things.” “The amateur astronomer has access at all times to the original objects of his study; the masterworks of the heavens belong to him as much as to the great observatories of the world. And there is no privilege like that of being allowed to stand in the presence of the original.” “To turn from this increasingly artificial and strangely alien world is to escape from unreality. To return to the timeless world of the mountains, the sea, the forest, and the stars is to return to sanity and truth.” -- See message header for info on list archives or unsubscribing, and please send personal replies to the author, not the list.