Fw: July book club meeting of the Delaware Astronomical Society
aberz...@aol.com
Greetings MERAL Presidents, ALCors, editors, officers and others,
Below is a message from Mary Webb, Delaware Astronomical Society Librarian, with the announcement for the July book club meeting. This will be an amazing collection of presenters!
Please share this with your club members.
Clear skies,
Don Knabb, MERAL chair
FROM MARY WEBB, Delaware Astronomical Society Librarian:
Please join us for a very special meeting of the Delaware Astronomical Society Library Book Club as we explore one of the great classics of amateur astronomy.
July Book Club Discussion
Astronomy with an Opera-Glass (1888) by Garrett P. Serviss
Thursday, July 30, 2026
7:00 PM Eastern Time
Via Zoom
Garrett P. Serviss (1851–1929) was one of America's foremost popularizers of astronomy. A journalist, lecturer, and prolific author, he introduced countless readers to the wonders of the night sky through his books and newspaper columns.
First published in 1888, Astronomy with an Opera-Glass appeared at the height of the Victorian fascination with opera and theater. Elegant opera glasses—many beautifully crafted in France from brass, mother-of-pearl, ivory, enamel, and fine optics—had become fashionable accessories and were imported into the United States in large numbers. Serviss realized that these inexpensive optical instruments could reveal far more than performers on a distant stage. They could also open the heavens to anyone curious enough to look upward.
With this remarkable little book, Serviss transformed a fashionable cultural accessory into an astronomical instrument, demonstrating that beautiful star clusters, the Milky Way, nebulae, comets, and many other celestial wonders could be enjoyed with equipment almost anyone could afford. His work inspired generations of amateur astronomers and helped launch the modern movement of accessible backyard astronomy.
Download the book (PDF):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o46rqHwvzbUKAALq84UXvh5e22Kzu_qA/view?usp=drive_link
Special Program
Opening Poetry Reading
The evening will begin with a special poetry reading by Dr. David H. Levy, the Delaware Astronomical Society's Poet Laureate. Internationally renowned as the co-discoverer of 23 comets, Dr. Levy is also an acclaimed author, lecturer, and poet whose writings beautifully capture the wonder, mystery, and inspiration of the night sky.
Featured Discussion
Phil Harrington
Internationally recognized astronomer, optics expert, and award-winning author, Phil Harrington is one of the world's foremost authorities on binocular observing and practical amateur astronomy. His books have inspired observers for decades. Phil will discuss Garrett Serviss's remarkable classic, the history of opera glasses and binocular astronomy, and why simple optical instruments continue to be among the most rewarding tools for exploring the heavens.
Website:
https://www.philharrington.net
Trudy E. Bell
Award-winning science writer, editor, and historian of astronomy, Trudy Bell has spent her career bringing the history of astronomy to life through her writing and lectures. She will place Garrett Serviss and Astronomy with an Opera-Glass within the broader context of nineteenth-century astronomy and explain why this remarkable little book remains one of the landmark works in the history of amateur observing.
Website:
https://www.trudyebell.com
Music from New York's Gilded Age
The evening will conclude with a presentation by Harold Goldner and Dr. Alma C. Zook, featuring music from New York's Gilded Age. The selections reflect the vibrant cultural life of the 1880s—the very decade in which Garrett Serviss inspired thousands of readers to look toward the heavens with something as simple as an opera glass.
Harold Goldner is a retired attorney, Shakespearean scholar, accomplished musician, and lifelong amateur astronomer whose interests span literature, history, music, and science.
Dr. Alma C. Zook is Emerita Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Pomona College, accomplished musician, and researcher in both astronomy and the physics of music. Together they will explore the fascinating connections among astronomy, music, literature, and culture during the closing decades of the nineteenth century.
Whether you have read the entire book or only a few chapters, we hope you will join us for this special evening celebrating one of the enduring classics of amateur astronomy.
The Zoom meeting link will be emailed to members a few days before the meeting.
We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, July 30, at 7:00 PM Eastern.
Guests are welcome, especially opera buffs.
