Elisabeth (Elly) Dekker (

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...

, 1943) is a Dutch astronomer and science historian, specialising in the

history of astronomy Astronomy is the oldest of the natural sciences, dating back to antiquity, with its origins in the religious, mythological, cosmological, calendrical, and astrological beliefs and practices of prehistory: vestiges of these are still found in ...

. 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 natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experim ...

and

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollme ...

.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''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince o ...

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 and mathematician. In 1944, while a student in Utrecht, he predicted the existence of the 21 cm hyperfine line of neutral interstellar hydrogen. ...

. 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, east London, illustrated below. The Royal Museums Greenwich Foundation is a Private Limited Company by guarantee without share capital use of 'Limited' exemption, co ...

. 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 United ...

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 United ...

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

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 thes ...

'' 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 ( grc, ἀστρολάβος ; ar, ٱلأَسْطُرلاب ; persian, ستاره‌یاب ) is an ancient astronomical instrument that was a handheld model of the universe. Its various functions also make it an elaborate inclin ...

Quadrant, 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 Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippin ...

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

Journal for the History of Astronomy ''Journal for the History of Astronomy'' (''JHA'') is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes papers in the History of Astronomy from earliest times to the present, and in history in the service of astronomy. The journal's founding editor w ...

'' 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 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 Museo Galileo, the former ''Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza'' (Institute and Museum of the History of Science) is located in Florence, Italy, in Piazza dei Giudici, along the River Arno and close to the Uffizi Gallery. The museum, dedicate ...

, 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.

Personal life

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

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