Frank R. Fisher's notes contain observations, drawings, and photographs relating to scientific studies, particularly astronomical observations made while Fisher was a resident in Charleston, S.C., during the 1880s. Fisher, a cashier at the South Carolina Railroad Company in Charleston, was an amateur scientist and inventor who occasionally worked in consultation with longtime College of Charleston professor Lewis R. Gibbes. Fisher's astronomical observations begin in Charleston in 1882 with the sighting of a comet. He also records his observations of the transit of Venus (1883), an aurora and sun spots (1892), and discusses new theories concerning Jupiter (1894) and the nature of the sun's corona (1892). He includes charts, drawings, and diagrams. Of particular interest are observations made during the Charleston earthquake in Aug. 1886 (pages 41-73). Other notes include inscriptions from buildings in Nineveh, Hebrew alphabets, the "hieroglyphic alphabet" and discussions on the Rosetta Stone and the statue of Memnon at Thebes. 123p. Full text.
In July 1985, in anticipation of the return of Halley's Comet the following year, Dr. William R. Kubinec, chairman of the Department of Physics at the College of Charleston, published a request in "Sky and Telescope" for recollections of the 1910 appearance of the comet. This collection consists of the worldwide responses he received.
Eyewitness account of 1910 appearance of Halley's comet in Croatia (then part of Austro-Hungarian Empire). Author mentions that the comet's appearance portended eventual war in that country and points to the later assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and the outbreak of WWI as validation.
Eyewitness account of 1910 appearance of Halley's comet in Cape Town, South Africa. Author includes detailed data on the altitude and azimuth of the comet and encloses a map and sketch of the comet over Table Bay.
Eyewitness account of 1910 appearance of Halley's comet in Tuxedo (New York?). Author responds on questionnaire created for the Halley's comet project.
