Craig Chester (astronomer)

Last updated

Craig Chester is an American astronomer who co-founded the Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy (MIRA) in the Los Padres National Forest in California along with five other astronomy students from Case Western Reserve University and three non-astronomers. [1] Chester suggested that the Star of Bethlehem was a real historical event, and that Jupiter's "stationary point" during apparent retrograde motion could explain the Star's "stopping" over Bethlehem, [2] He wrote an article which helped inspire The Star of Bethlehem documentary. [3] Chester developed software for satellite communications and ground equipment for the United States military. [4] He was president of MIRA in 2016. [5]

Contents

Career

In 1963, Craig Chester became a member of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific as a student at Harvard College. [6] For his undergraduate research about classifying galaxies he created a color-magnitude diagram for the Virgo Cluster and field galaxies by using Erik Holmberg's catalogue of photometric data. [7] Chester earned his Ph.D in astronomy from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland, Ohio when jobs in astronomy were challenging to find. [8] The future availability of federal funds for investigating the cosmos was increasingly uncertain. [1] With 800 positions in research astronomy in the US, there were 800 graduate students competing for openings. [8] Many graduates were unemployed or needed to find work outside astronomy, and those with positions related to astronomy had long waits for telescope viewing time. [1]

Chester and Weaver saw a nova in the Northern Cross on their first night of viewing. The Northern Cross is an asterism within the constellation Cygnus the Swan. Cygnus & Lyra.gif
Chester and Weaver saw a nova in the Northern Cross on their first night of viewing. The Northern Cross is an asterism within the constellation Cygnus the Swan.

In 1971, Craig Chester and William Bruce Weaver, [9] another astronomy student at CWRU, talked about buying a small telescope together in hopes of maintaining some contact with astronomy following graduation. [1] Within weeks, after discussing the idea with four other CWRU astronomy students along with two of their wives and one roommate, they chose instead to build their own observatory. [8] After looking at topographic maps in the Cleveland Public Library, they located a site that appeared promising for astronomical seeing. [1] The nine students founded MIRA in 1972 as a nonprofit institution, [10] paying the down payment on 80 acres in the Los Padres National Forest out of their savings. [1]

The nine members of the original MIRA group included six astronomers, Craig Chester, W. Bruce Weaver, Albert Merville, Hazel E. Ross, and Cynthia and Nelson Irvine, along with two wives, Sandra Weaver and Ann Merville, and Donna Burych. [8] As they graduated, the group began a mail-order discount bookstore to make money for the MIRA observatory they planned to build, and each of the nine members contributed a part of their earnings from work, which included part-time teaching, computer programming and other jobs. [1] In 1975, after Army engineers graded a road to the site for free as a training exercise giving them access, Chester and Weaver spent their first night camping on Chews Ridge in Los Padres National Forest, their selected site. "It was pretty dazzling," said Chester. "There directly overhead was the Northern Cross, and suddenly we saw a star that didn't belong. It was a nova (an exploding star),the first naked-eye nova in 30 years. If that's not an omen, there's no such thing as an omen." [8] It was August 30, and Nova Cygni 1975 was seen around the world for the first time that night. [1]

William P. Bidelman, director of the CWRU observatory, gave the MIRA group their first cash donation. [8] Chester said they began with a credibility problem. [11] After members of the MIRA team made a presentation about their idea to the American Astronomical Society in 1972, they began to get endorsements and help from established astronomers. [8]

Astrophysicist Martin Schwarzschild of Princeton University gave MIRA a loan for an indefinite period of a 36-inch telescope mirror that had been intended as a backup for a NASA project but which had never been used; the University of Arizona's College of Optical Sciences donated the exacting labor to cut the needed hole in the already-polished mirror, and the Research Corporation gave the MIRA group a $76,000 grant to build the telescope, among many other donations. [1] In 1980, [12] Bernard M. Oliver of the Hewlett Packard company created a $200,000 one-for-one one-year matching grant to help build the MIRA observatory. [13] While Chester worked to rewrite the coordinate program for the telescope, research and a community lecture series began, and both Oliver and Bidelman became part of MIRA's early advisory board along with photographer Ansel Adams, physicist Luis Walter Alvarez, astronomer Bart Bok, politician George E. Brown and astronomer Carl Sagan. [12] The MIRA observatory opened in 1984, conducting research on the evolution of stars, and their success encouraged other astronomers to seek private funding for astronomy research. [14]

Jupiter, a possible candidate for being the Star of Bethlehem. Jupiter com Mancha.jpg
Jupiter, a possible candidate for being the Star of Bethlehem.

Chester was president of MIRA in 1993 as they continued to improve facilities and do research while providing a community service class, a summer high school science teacher program, and a public lecture series. [15] Chester gave his address on the Star of Bethlehem. [16] "If you’re an astronomer," Chester said later, "one of the things you learn at an early age is that everyone wants to know about the Star of Bethlehem." [17] After giving a presentation at Hillsdale College in 1992, Chester published an article in Imprimis [4] suggesting a series of events involving the planet Jupiter and the star Regulus that took place in 3 BC, and between Jupiter and the planet Venus in 2 BC might explain the Star of Bethlehem. [18] Chester suggested the Christmas song "We Three Kings" was an almost entirely incorrect popular conception [4] [19] and used a 1 BC date for Herod the Great’s death based on the work of Ernest L. Martin, [2] whom Chester has called an authoritative source on the Star of Bethlehem. [20] Chester suggested the planetary motions and conjunctions of 3 BC and 2 BC involving Jupiter, Venus, and also Mercury, Mars, and Saturn were impressive, and noted that Jupiter could have stopped over the town of Bethlehem due to apparent retrograde motion. [4] [21]

Apparent retrograde motion occurs when Earth passes a planet as they orbit the Sun. The looping motion of Mars as seen from Earth is shown here. Chester said Jupiter's retrograde motion could explain how the Star of Bethlehem appeared to "stop". Mars retrograde motion.png
Apparent retrograde motion occurs when Earth passes a planet as they orbit the Sun. The looping motion of Mars as seen from Earth is shown here. Chester said Jupiter's retrograde motion could explain how the Star of Bethlehem appeared to "stop".

Craig Chester suggested the Star of Bethlehem "stopping" referred to in the biblical narrative [22] could have been what astronomers call a "stationary point". [2] Chester said, "A planet normally moves eastward through the stars from night to night and month to month, but regularly exhibits a ‘retrograde loop.’ As it approaches the opposite point in the sky from the Sun, it appears to slow, come to a full stop, and move backward (westward) through the sky for some weeks. Again it slows, stops, and resumes its eastward course." [4] [21] Chester also noted that the Magi were known to have traveled to attend the birth and crowning of kings. [23] He suggested Joseph and Mary (the mother of Jesus) might have traveled to Bethlehem in 2 BC for a census in honor of the 25th anniversary of Caesar Augustus's rule [2] and the 750th anniversary of the founding of Rome. [18] Chester's Imprimis article was received by Frederick Larson, a Texas attorney [24] who had become intrigued with the Star of Bethlehem. [25] Using Chester's article as a guide, Larson used the Starry Night astronomy software program [26] and found the events Chester had described, [3] [25] and after presenting those findings in the United States, [26] Europe, and other countries, Larson co-executive produced The Star of Bethlehem film with Stephen McEveety, [25] producer of The Passion of the Christ , Braveheart , and other movies. [27]

One example of a defense system satellite communications device. DSCS-2 2.jpg
One example of a defense system satellite communications device.

Chester has worked as a software developer in satellite communications for the United States Navy and United States Air Force. [4] He has also been employed by BAE Systems plc, an American defense supplier [28] and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). [29] At SAIC, which is a government services contractor, [30] Chester supervised a team that managed data from US Navy and Air Force weather satellites at the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center. [29]

Chester also continued his involvement with the Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy, and is its president in 2016. [5]

Personal life

In 1984, Chester married Nancy Lynn Welliver, whom he had met in high school. [31] Lynne Chester was a foundation administrator, photographer, and artist who died in 2012 of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease) after 27 years of marriage. [32]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lick Observatory</span> Astronomical observatory in California

The Lick Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the University of California. It is on the summit of Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range just east of San Jose, California, United States. The observatory is managed by the University of California Observatories, with headquarters on the University of California, Santa Cruz campus, where its scientific staff moved in the mid-1960s. It is named after James Lick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Refracting telescope</span> Type of optical telescope

A refracting telescope is a type of optical telescope that uses a lens as its objective to form an image. The refracting telescope design was originally used in spyglasses and astronomical telescopes but is also used for long-focus camera lenses. Although large refracting telescopes were very popular in the second half of the 19th century, for most research purposes, the refracting telescope has been superseded by the reflecting telescope, which allows larger apertures. A refractor's magnification is calculated by dividing the focal length of the objective lens by that of the eyepiece.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moons of Jupiter</span> Natural satellites of the planet Jupiter

There are 95 moons of Jupiter with confirmed orbits as of 5 February 2024. This number does not include a number of meter-sized moonlets thought to be shed from the inner moons, nor hundreds of possible kilometer-sized outer irregular moons that were only briefly captured by telescopes. All together, Jupiter's moons form a satellite system called the Jovian system. The most massive of the moons are the four Galilean moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, which were independently discovered in 1610 by Galileo Galilei and Simon Marius and were the first objects found to orbit a body that was neither Earth nor the Sun. Much more recently, beginning in 1892, dozens of far smaller Jovian moons have been detected and have received the names of lovers or daughters of the Roman god Jupiter or his Greek equivalent Zeus. The Galilean moons are by far the largest and most massive objects to orbit Jupiter, with the remaining 91 known moons and the rings together comprising just 0.003% of the total orbiting mass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Star of Bethlehem</span> Biblical star revealing Christs birth

The Star of Bethlehem, or Christmas Star, appears in the nativity story of the Gospel of Matthew chapter 2 where "wise men from the East" (Magi) are inspired by the star to travel to Jerusalem. There, they meet King Herod of Judea, and ask him:

Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Roemer</span> American astronomer (1929–2016)

Elizabeth "Pat" Roemer was an American astronomer and educator who specialized in astronomy with a particular focus on comets and minor planets. She was well-known for the recovery of lost comets, as well as for her discovery of two asteroids, the co-discovery of Jupiter's moon Themisto, and for the asteroid 1657 Roemera that was named in her honor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Mitchell Observatory</span>

The Maria Mitchell Observatory in Nantucket, Massachusetts, USA, was founded in 1908 and named in honor of Maria Mitchell, the first American woman astronomer. It is a major component of the Maria Mitchell Association. The Observatory actually consists of two observatories - the main Maria Mitchell Observatory near downtown Nantucket and the Loines Observatory about a kilometer west of town. It is also the repository for a valuable collection of over 8000 wide-field glass photographic plates, recording observations of large swaths of sky from 1913 to 1995.

The Bette M. and William R. Weaver Student Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy (MIRA). It is located in Marina, California, adjacent to the campus of the California State University, Monterey Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warner and Swasey Observatory</span> Observatory

The Warner and Swasey Observatory is the astronomical observatory of Case Western Reserve University. Named after Worcester R. Warner and Ambrose Swasey, who built it at the beginning of the 20th century, it was initially located on Taylor Road in East Cleveland, Ohio, USA. The observatory, which at that time housed a 9.5-inch (24 cm) refractor, was donated in 1919 to the Case School of Applied Science. The newer 24-inch (61 cm) Burrell Schmidt telescope was built in 1939.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Observatory of Athens</span> Observatory

The National Observatory of Athens is a research institute in Athens, Greece. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest research foundation in Greece. The Observatory was the first scientific research institute built after Greece became independent in 1829, and one of the oldest research institutes in Southern Europe. It was built around the same period as the United States Naval Observatory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vainu Bappu</span> Indian astronomer

Manali Kallat Vainu Bappu was an Indian astronomer and president of the International Astronomical Union. Bappu helped to establish several astronomical institutions in India, including the Vainu Bappu Observatory which is named after him, and he also contributed to the establishment of the modern Indian Institute of Astrophysics. In 1957, he discovered the Wilson–Bappu effect jointly with American astronomer Olin Chaddock Wilson.

Priscilla Fairfield Bok was an American astronomer and the wife of Dutch-born astronomer Bart Bok, Director of Mount Stromlo Observatory in Australia and later of Steward Observatory in Arizona, US. Their harmonious marriage accompanied the four decades of their close scientific collaboration, in which "it is difficult and pointless to separate his achievements from hers". They co-authored a number of academic papers on star clusters, stellar magnitudes, and the structure of the Milky Way galaxy. The Boks displayed great mutual enthusiasm for explaining astronomy to the public: described as "salesmen of the Milky Way" by The Boston Globe, their general interest book The Milky Way went through five editions and was said to be "one of the most successful astronomical texts ever written".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dearborn Observatory</span> Astronomical observatory in Evanston, Illinois

The Dearborn Observatory is an astronomical observatory located on the Evanston campus of Northwestern University. The observatory was originally constructed in 1888, through an agreement between the university and the Chicago Astronomical Society. In the summer of 1939, Dearborn Observatory had to be moved to make way for the construction of the Technological Institute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy</span> Astronomical observatory located in California founded in 1972

The Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy (MIRA) is an independent, non-profit, professional astronomical observatory dedicated to astronomical education and research, near Monterey, California. It was the first private professional observatory in the United States to open in the 20th century.

The Oliver Observing Station is an independent professional astronomical observatory named after Barnard M. Oliver. It is owned and operated by The Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy (MIRA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heidi Hammel</span> Planetary astronomer

Heidi B. Hammel is a planetary astronomer who has extensively studied Neptune and Uranus. She was part of the team imaging Neptune from Voyager 2 in 1989. She led the team using the Hubble Space Telescope to view Shoemaker-Levy 9's impact with Jupiter in 1994. She has used the Hubble Space Telescope and the Keck Telescope to study Uranus and Neptune, discovering new information about dark spots, planetary storms and Uranus' rings. In 2002, she was selected as an interdisciplinary scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope.

<i>The Star of Bethlehem</i> (2007 film) 2007 film

The Star of Bethlehem is a 2007 documentary by Frederick A. "Rick" Larson to show what he found when he searched for clues about the Star of Bethlehem. Larson used the Starry Night astronomy computer program along with an article written by astronomer Craig Chester; based in part on the work of Ernest Martin. Larson also used details from the Christian Bible to find nine data points about the Star of Bethlehem which, according to the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, stopped over Bethlehem, bringing the Magi to Jesus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick Larson (filmmaker)</span> American lawyer and law professor (born 1953)

Frederick Anthony Heep "Rick" Larson is an American lawyer and law professor who became a filmmaker after he investigated the Star of Bethlehem and became a traveling speaker on the topic, then made his first documentary film The Star of Bethlehem about his findings in 2007. In March 2019 Larson released his second film, the documentary The Christ Quake, which had been in production since 2013.

William Pendry Bidelman was an American astronomer. Born in Los Angeles, and raised in North Dakota, he was noted for classifying the spectra of stars, and considered a pioneer in recognizing and classifying sub-groups of the peculiar stars.

The Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Toronto is an astronomical research centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">333P/LINEAR</span>

333P/LINEAR is a Jupiter family periodic comet in retrograde orbit with an orbital period of 8.7 years. Upon discovery it was the sun-orbiting natural object in retrograde orbit with the shortest known orbital period. The comet was discovered by LINEAR on 4 November 2007.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Hammond, Allen L. "Alternative Astronomy: Experiment in Self-Sufficiency Blossoms". Science. September 23, 1977. 197: 1267-1271; 1305. Retrieved on April 9, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Scripps Howard News Service. "Astronomer Analyzes The Star Of Bethlehem". The Chicago Tribune. December 24, 1993. Retrieved on April 4, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Vaughn, Cliff. "The Star of Bethlehem". Ethics Daily. November 26, 2009. Retrieved on April 14, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Chester, Craig. "The Star of Bethlehem". Imprimis. December 1993, 22(12). Originally presented at Hillsdale College during fall 1992. Retrieved on April 19, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Staff list. MIRA Newsletter. Spring 2016. 39(1):8. Retrieved on April 19, 2016.
  6. ↑ Sturla, Einarrson. "Activities of the Society". Board of Directors minutes of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific for November 8, 1963. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. February 1964, 76(448):71-76. See "New Student Members" on page 76. Retrieved on April 20, 2016.
  7. ↑ Chester, Craig and Roberts, Morton. "Properties of galaxies: color-magnitude diagram". The Astronomical Journal. October 1964, 69(8):635-640. Retrieved on April 14, 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 New York Times News Service. "Small group of astronomers create 'adventure'". The Times-News. Henderson, North Carolina. December 29, 1977. Retrieved on April 20, 2016.
  9. ↑ Bruce Weaver membership. The International Astronomical Union. Last updated May 18, 2011. Retrieved on April 19, 2016.
  10. ↑ About the Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy. MIRA website. Retrieved on April 19, 2016.
  11. ↑ The Charlotte Observer. "Dream 'Scope". The Spartenburg Herald. December 28, 1977, page A4 (p.3 online). Retrieved on April 9, 2016.
  12. 1 2 Weaver, Bruce. "Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy" report. Bulletin of the Astronomical Society. January 1982, 14:320-321. Retrieved on April 20, 2016.
  13. ↑ Kraus, John. "Bernard Oliver grants $200,000 to Monterey Institute". North American AstroPhysical Observatory. Spring 1981 3(2):18. Retrieved on April 20, 2016.
  14. ↑ Lauren, Bill. "Stargazing on a shoestring: astronomy’s grass-roots self-help movement". The Scientist. June 27, 1988. Retrieved on April 19, 2016.
  15. ↑ Chester, Craig. "Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy". Report for the period October 1, 1991 to September 30, 1992. Bulletin of the Astronomical Society. January 1993, 25(1):334. Retrieved on April 14, 2016.
  16. ↑ Chester, Craig. "Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy". Report for the period October 1, 1992 to September 30, 1993. Bulletin of the Astronomical Society. January 1994, 26(1):340. Retrieved on April 14, 2016.
  17. ↑ Dolbee, Sandi. "Star still makes wise men wonder". Eugene Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. December 25, 2000. pp. 1A and 11A (pp. 1 and 6 online). Scroll right from p. 10A to "Star" on 11A for article continuation. Retrieved on April 6, 2016.
  18. 1 2 Garrison, Greg. "Is this what the Star of Bethlehem looked like? Venus, Jupiter put on a show". Al.com. July 1, 2015. Retrieved on April 4, 2016.
  19. ↑ Coder, James. "Coder: Some still want proof of Christmas blessings". The Topeka-Capital Journal. December 25, 2002. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  20. ↑ Pratt, Beth "Religious observances such as Epiphany sometimes go unnoticed". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. January 5, 1997 (Religion). Retrieved on April 6, 2016.
  21. 1 2 Chester, Craig. "The Star of Bethlehem". Imprimis. Reprinted December 1996 with editorial changes. 25(12). PDF; scroll to December 1996 and click. Originally printed 1993. Retrieved on April 19, 2016.
  22. ↑ Gospel of Matthew chapter 2 verse 9 Bible Hub. Retrieved on April 19, 2016.
  23. ↑ Whelchel, Hugh. "The mystery of the Magi". The Institute for Faith, Work & Economics. December 24, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  24. ↑ Rick Larson’s Biography. Archived 2015-09-05 at the Wayback Machine Christian Book Previews. Retrieved on April 19, 2016.
  25. 1 2 3 Christian Cinema. "The Star of Bethlehem: A Magnificent Obsession". Frederick Larson interview. November 24, 2009. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  26. 1 2 Ireland, Michael. "Evidence emerges for Star of Bethlehem’s reality". Assist News Service. Christian Headlines. October 18, 2007. Retrieved on April 19, 2016.
  27. ↑ Filmography of Stephen McEveety. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on April 19, 2016.
  28. ↑ Schneider, Greg. "Arms Across the Atlantic; A Yank Leads the Former British Aerospace to the top tier of U.S. defense contractors". The Washington Post. November 7, 2000. Retrieved on May 5, 2016.
  29. 1 2 Craig Chester profile. Linked in. Retrieved on April 10, 2016.
  30. ↑ Jayakumar,Amrita."One year later: The tale of SAIC and Leidos". The Washington Post. September 27, 2014. Retrieved on May 5, 2016.
  31. ↑ Lynne Chester obituary. MacArthur High School website. Retrieved on April 20, 2016.
  32. ↑ Lynne Chester obituary The Monterey Herald. January 11, 2012. Retrieved on April 4, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.