Elisabeth "Elly" Dekker (born 1943) is a Dutch astronomer and science historian, specialising in the

history of astronomy The history of astronomy focuses on the contributions civilizations have made to further their understanding of the universe beyond earth's atmosphere. Astronomy is one of the oldest natural sciences, achieving a high level of success in the sec ...

Biography

She studied

theoretical physics Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain, and predict List of natural phenomena, natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental p ...

and

astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; , formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public university, public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2023, it had an enrollment of ...

.independent.academia.edu ''EllyDekker''
Consulted on 12 February 2021. In 1975 she obtained a PhD in astronomy at

Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince of Orange as a Protestantism, Protestant institution, it holds the d ...

with the thesis ''Spiral structure and the dynamics of flat stellar systems'' supervised by

Hendrik C. van de Hulst Hendrik Christoffel "Henk" van de Hulst (19 November 1918 – 31 July 2000) was a Dutch astronomer. In 1944, while a student in Utrecht, he predicted the existence of the 21 cm hyperfine line of neutral interstellar hydrogen. After this line ...

. From 1978-1988 she was a curator of

Museum Boerhaave Rijksmuseum Boerhaave is a museum of the history of science and medicine, based in Leiden, Netherlands. The museum hosts a collection of historical scientific instruments from all disciplines, but mainly from medicine, physics, and astronomy. Th ...

in Leiden and afterwards an independent scholar. From 1993-1995 she was a Sackler fellow of the

Royal Museums Greenwich Royal Museums Greenwich is an organisation comprising four museums in Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater L ...

. In 1998 she was awarded the

Caird Medal The National Maritime Museum (NMM) is a maritime museum in Greenwich, London. It is part of Royal Museums Greenwich, a network of museums in the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Like other publicly funded national museums in the Unite ...

for her work on the globe collection of the

National Maritime Museum The National Maritime Museum (NMM) is a maritime museum in Greenwich, London. It is part of Royal Museums Greenwich, a network of museums in the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Like other publicly funded national museums in the Unit ...

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

. Dekker was married to the astronomer and physicist Hendrik Gerard (Henk) van Bueren (1925–2012).

Publications

Dekker is the author of articles and books including:

Articles

* ' Spiral structure and the dynamics of galaxies', ''

Physics Reports ''Physics Reports'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal, a review section of '' Physics Letters'' that has been published by Elsevier since 1971. The journal publishes long and deep reviews on all aspects of physics. In average, the length of th ...

'' 24 (1976) 315-389 * ' Jacobus C. Kapteyn (1852-1922)', in Kox, A.J. and Chamalaun, M. eds: ''Van Stevin tot Lorentz. Portretten van Nederlandse natuurwetenschappers'', Amsterdam 1980, p. 177-191. In Dutch. * 'Early Explorations of the Southern Celestial Sky', in ''Annals of Science'' 44 (1987) pp. 439-470. bout the mapping of the southern sky by Dutch mariners at the end of the 16th century.* '

Frederik Kaiser Frederik Kaiser (Amsterdam, 10 June 1808 – Leiden, 28 July 1872) was a Dutch astronomer. He was director of the Leiden Observatory from 1838 until his death. He is credited with the advancement of Dutch astronomy through his scientific c ...

en zijn pogingen tot hervorming van ‘het sterrekundig deel van onze zeevaart', ''Gewina / Tijdschrift voor de Geschiedenis der Geneeskunde, Natuurwetenschappen, Wiskunde en Techniek TGGNWT'' 13 (1990) 23-41. In Dutch.resources.huygens.knaw.nl ''Gewina: Tijdschrift voor de Geschiedenis der Geneeskunde, Natuurwetenschappen, Wiskunde en Techniek (1978-2007)''
Consulted on 12 February 2021. * 'An Unrecorded Medieval

Astrolabe An astrolabe (; ; ) is an astronomy, astronomical list of astronomical instruments, instrument dating to ancient times. It serves as a star chart and Model#Physical model, physical model of the visible celestial sphere, half-dome of the sky. It ...

Quadrant Quadrant may refer to: Companies * Quadrant Cycle Company, 1899 manufacturers in Britain of the Quadrant motorcar * Quadrant (motorcycles), one of the earliest British motorcycle manufacturers, established in Birmingham in 1901 * Quadrant Privat ...

, c. 1300', in ''Annals of Science'' 52 (1995), pp. 1-47. * '

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...

Planetary Observations: The Case of the Leiden Planetary Configuration', ''

Journal for the History of Astronomy ''Journal for the History of Astronomy'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal that covers the history of astronomy from earliest times to the present, and in history in the service of astronomy. The journal's founding editor-in-chief was ...

'' 39 (2008) 77-90 * 'A ‘Watermark’ of Eudoxan Astronomy', ''Journal for the History of Astronomy'' 39 (2008) 213-228 * ' Caspar Vopel's Ventures in Sixteenth-Century Celestial Cartography', ''Imago Mundi'' 62:2 (2010) 161-190 * with Kristen Lippincott: The provenance of the stars in the

Leiden Aratea Leiden University Library, VLQ 79, also called the Leiden Aratea, is an illuminated copy of an astronomical treatise by Germanicus, based on the ''Phaenomena'' of Aratus. The manuscript was created in the region of Lorraine and has been dated to ...

picture book, ''Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes'' eds. E.H. Gombrich et al. 73 2010 (2011), 1-37 * 'Construction and copy: aspects of the early history of celestial maps’, Beiträge zur Astronomiegeschichte, Band 13, ''Acta Historica Astronomiae'', Vol. 58 (2016), pp. 47–93. * 'The Nuremberg maps: a Pythagorean-Platonic view of the cosmos', Beiträge zur Astronomiegeschichte, Band 13, ''Acta Historica Astronomiae'', 58 (2016), pp. 95–124

Books

* ''Spiral structure and the dynamics of flat stellar systems'', PhD thesis Leiden : Rijksuniversiteit, 1975. 148 p. : ill. ; 24 cm. * with Peter van der Krogt: ''Globes from the Western World'', London, Zwemmer, 1993 * with Raf Van Laere: ''De verbeelde wereld. Globes, atlassen, kaarten en meetinstrumenten uit de 16de en 17de eeuw'', ntwerpenKredietbank 1997. In Dutch. * ''Globes at Greenwich: a catalogue of the globes and armillary spheres in the

, Greenwich'', Oxford University Press, 1999) *''Catalogue of Orbs, Spheres and Globes'', Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza, Cataloghi di raccolte scientifiche, 5. Firenze, Giunti, 2004 188 + 16 pp. of colour plates. *''Illustrating the Phaenomena: Celestial Cartography in Antiquity and the Middle Ages'', Oxford University Press, 2013, 467 p.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dekker, Elly Living people 1943 births Writers from Haarlem 20th-century Dutch astronomers 20th-century Dutch historians Dutch women historians Utrecht University alumni Leiden University alumni Historians of science 21st-century Dutch historians Dutch women curators