xii
Preface
Sources. Of course, more has been written about Kapteyn. There are five
important sources that serve as a background for this biography of Kapteyn,
to which I shall refer where appropriate. In chronological order these are
• Cornelius Easton (1864–1929), journalist and amateur astronomer,
Doctor honoris causa at the University of Groningen with Kapteyn as
‘promotor’, wrote an article in the Dutch amateur periodical Hemel &
Dampkring not long after Kapteyn’s death: Personal Memories of J. C.
Kapteyn. [9]. An English translation is available in Appendix C of [5].
• As already referred to above, in 1928 Kapteyn’s daughter, Henriette Mariette Augustine Albertine Hertzsprung–Kapteyn (1881–1956), published
a biography of her father, J. C. Kapteyn; His Life and Work. My English
translation is available on my Kapteyn Website (see below).
• In 1999, a symposium on Kapteyn was held on the occasion of the 385th
anniversary of the University of Groningen: The legacy of J. C. Kapteyn:
Kapteyn and the development of modern astronomy. The proceedings have
been published with myself and Klaas van Berkel as editors [4].
• In 2008 the booklet Lieve Lize: The love letters from the Groningen
astronomer J.C. Kapteyn to Elise Kalshoven, 1878–1879, by Klaas van
Berkel and Annelies Noordhof-Hoorn [10], appeared. This contains letters
that Kapteyn wrote to his fiancée just after he had become professor in
Groningen until their marriage a year and a half later. No English translation is available. These letters were not intended for others and reading
them is a bit uncomfortable; it feels like an unsolicited intrusion into the
privacy of Kapteyn and his then prospective wife. However, it contains
much useful information.
• My academic biography, Jacobus Cornelius Kapteyn: Born investigator of the
Heavens [5].
To preserve their authenticity, I have used many direct quotations from
the biography by Kapteyn’s daughter Henriette Hertzsprung–Kapteyn, and
from letters and other notes that I had available. Rewording or paraphrasing
them would have taken away from the personal flavor and have given less
insight into the personality of Kapteyn.
Website. More background to Kapteyn, such as a full list of his publications, publications about him, his academic genealogy, scans of letters from
David Gill to Kapteyn, etc. can be found on a dedicated Website that I
maintain: www.astro.rug/JCKapteyn. This Website also has my translation
of Henriette Hertzsprung’s biography.
Preface
Sources. Of course, more has been written about Kapteyn. There are five
important sources that serve as a background for this biography of Kapteyn,
to which I shall refer where appropriate. In chronological order these are
• Cornelius Easton (1864–1929), journalist and amateur astronomer,
Doctor honoris causa at the University of Groningen with Kapteyn as
‘promotor’, wrote an article in the Dutch amateur periodical Hemel &
Dampkring not long after Kapteyn’s death: Personal Memories of J. C.
Kapteyn. [9]. An English translation is available in Appendix C of [5].
• As already referred to above, in 1928 Kapteyn’s daughter, Henriette Mariette Augustine Albertine Hertzsprung–Kapteyn (1881–1956), published
a biography of her father, J. C. Kapteyn; His Life and Work. My English
translation is available on my Kapteyn Website (see below).
• In 1999, a symposium on Kapteyn was held on the occasion of the 385th
anniversary of the University of Groningen: The legacy of J. C. Kapteyn:
Kapteyn and the development of modern astronomy. The proceedings have
been published with myself and Klaas van Berkel as editors [4].
• In 2008 the booklet Lieve Lize: The love letters from the Groningen
astronomer J.C. Kapteyn to Elise Kalshoven, 1878–1879, by Klaas van
Berkel and Annelies Noordhof-Hoorn [10], appeared. This contains letters
that Kapteyn wrote to his fiancée just after he had become professor in
Groningen until their marriage a year and a half later. No English translation is available. These letters were not intended for others and reading
them is a bit uncomfortable; it feels like an unsolicited intrusion into the
privacy of Kapteyn and his then prospective wife. However, it contains
much useful information.
• My academic biography, Jacobus Cornelius Kapteyn: Born investigator of the
Heavens [5].
To preserve their authenticity, I have used many direct quotations from
the biography by Kapteyn’s daughter Henriette Hertzsprung–Kapteyn, and
from letters and other notes that I had available. Rewording or paraphrasing
them would have taken away from the personal flavor and have given less
insight into the personality of Kapteyn.
Website. More background to Kapteyn, such as a full list of his publications, publications about him, his academic genealogy, scans of letters from
David Gill to Kapteyn, etc. can be found on a dedicated Website that I
maintain: www.astro.rug/JCKapteyn. This Website also has my translation
of Henriette Hertzsprung’s biography.