July 2, 2013

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Launching Pages

LPOD-Jul2-13.jpg
image by André van der Hoeven, Netherlands

This image resonates with me because it is almost identical to the famous Mt. Wilson photograph from September 15, 1919, which is the frontispiece of Ralph Baldwin's influential The Face of the Moon. That was the photo that captivated Baldwin when he lectured at Adler Planetarium in the late 1930s. Although trained as an astrophysicist (as was the other leading lunar astronomer of the time - Gerard Kuiper) and employed largely at his family's furniture-making company, Baldwin devoted his scientific career to understanding the origin and evolution of lunar craters and basins. All because of a photo nearly identical to this. Helen's face may have launched a thousand ships, but this classic view launched 876 pages within Baldwin's three books.

Chuck Wood

Technical Details
June 29, 2013. TEC140 and DMK21-18.

Related Links
21st Century Atlas back cover.
Andre's Astrophotography website

Yesterday's LPOD: Swirled Pie

Tomorrow's LPOD: Landform Types



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