Discovery, Interpretation and Classification of Astronomical Objects

Dick Steven J, Ashburn VA

Investigators

Abstract

Introduction The controversy in recent years over the status of Pluto as a planet and the less public, but equally important, controversy over whether certain extra solar objects are planets or brown dwarfs, represent only the tip of the iceberg of the more general problem of the discovery, interpretation and classification of astronomical objects. It is a problem long known in science in general and especially in the biological world, where 'natural history,' 'taxonomy,' and 'systematic' form a significant part of the history of biology. But with few exceptions, historians of science have failed to address the subject in a systematic way in the field of astronomy, where it has been more sporadic but no less important. Intellectual Merit The goal of this research is both to write the narrative history of the astronomical discovery, interpretation and classification of the major classes of astronomical objects, and to address specific core analytical problems. Among them are the following: The nature of discovery as a complex and multifaceted process composed of detection, interpretation, and physical understanding (and possibly others); the role of theory in the discovery of classes of astronomical objects; the role of technology in the detection versus the understanding of these objects; the social aspects of the subject including the role of individuals, world views and scientific communities in negotiating classes and classification systems; comparisons with biology, which has a well-developed historical literature on the subject; and the role of our changing understanding of cosmic evolution in establishing classes of objects. Potential Broader Impacts Research methods will include the published and archival record as well as oral history interviews. While this research raises central intellectual and historiographic questions, it also bears on real-world problems like the Pluto controversy that astronomers might better address were they informed by this history and its broader interdisciplinary considerations. This research also taps into both the historical and scientific literature to place its subject in the context of similar problems in biology, chemistry and physics. Thus its potential impact is interdisciplinary both within historical disciplines and among the sciences.