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Dr. Thomas Hockey
Professor of Astronomy
Department of Earth Science
office: Latham 112
phone number: 319-273-2065 (3-2065 on campus)
if no answer, call: 319-273-2759 (secretary)
campus mailing code: 0335
e-mail: HOCKEY@UNI.EDU 

Courses - Spring 2010

870:010 Astronomy
Sec. 1 10:00 - 10:50 AM MWF LAT 125
Sec. 2 1:00 - 1:50 PM MWF LAT 125
870:113g Topics in Earth Science: Sky Interpretation
Sec. 1A 1:00 - 1:50 PM TuTh LAT 101/103

Course Syllabus

Links to realplayer files     Course Schedule (PDF format)     Course Schedule (Word format)    

Recent Features

Education

  • Ph. D. Interdisciplinary (Astronomy, History & Philosophy) (1988), New Mexico State University
  • M. S. Astronomy (1985), New Mexico State University
  • M. A. Secondary Education - Physics, Mathematics (1982), New Mexico State University
  • B. S. Planetary Science (1980), Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Research Interests

Studing the history of planetary astronomy in light of the modern search for planets orbiting other stars as well as the astronomy of solar eclipses and comets, and the archeoastronomy of pre-historic peoples. 

Publications

Books

  • Editor-in-Chief, Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers, Vols. I & II. Dordrecht (Netherlands): Kluwer Academic Publishers. 2007.
  • Editorial Advisory Board, Encyclopedia of the Universe. London (UK): Harper Collins. 2001.
  • Galileo's Planet: Observing Jupiter Before Photography. Bristol (UK): Institute of Physics Publishing. 1998. 
  • The Comet Hale-Bopp Book. Shrewsbury, Massachusetts: ATL Press. 1996. 
  • Instructor's Manual to Accompany 'Essentials of the Dynamic Universe', 4th ed. St. Paul: West Publishing Company. 1993. (co-authored)
  • The Book of the Moon: A Lunar Introduction to Astronomy, Geology, Space Physics and Space Travel. New York: Prentice Hall Press, 1986.

Book Chapter Contributions

  • "Exkurs in die Vergangenheit: vier Jahrhunderte Jupiterforschung" in Mission Jupiter: Die specktakulare Reise der Raumsonde Galileo (by Daniel Fischer). Basel: Birkhaeuser Verlag. 1998. [English translation = Mission Jupiter: The Spectacular Journey of the Galileo Space Probe (by Daniel Fischer). New York: Springer-Verlag. 2000.]
  • "Eine kurze Geschichte der Beobachtung Jupiters" in Der Jupiter Crash (by Daniel Fischer and Holger Heuseler). Basel: Birkhaeuser Verlag. 1994. 
  • Great Ideas for Teaching Astronomy, 2nd ed. St. Paul: West Publishing Company. 1994. (with 42 co-authors) 
  • "The Hillside Observatory." America's Planetariums and Observatories. St. Petersburg: Sunwest Space Systems, 199, 1991.
  • "Vostok 2", "Vostok 3 and 4", and "Vostok 5 and 6" in Magill's Survey of Science: Space Exploration Series. Pasadena: Salem Press; 2198, 2205, and 2212. 1989.

PAPERS AND ABSTRACTS

  • "How Astronomers Die." Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society. XXXIX, p. 873, 2008.
  • "Is the Number of Jupiter's Anticyclonic Spots Periodic?" Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society. XXXVIII, p. 496, 2006 (co-authored).
  • "The Matariki Stone of Rapanui." Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society. XXXVII, #4, 1231, 2005.
  • "An Archeoastronomical Investigation: Does a Constellation Pattern Appear in Rapanui Rock Art?" Rapa Nui Journal. XIV, #3, 85, 2000. (co-authored)
  • "Recognizing Jupiter's Great Red Spot." Mercury. XXIX, #5, 18, 2000. 
  • 'Painting Planets: Jupiter as Shown in Popular Works a Century Ago.' Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society. XXXI, #3, 824, 1999.
  • "Barry Neil Rappaport." Bull. of Am. Astron. Soc. XXX, #4, 1463, 1998.
  • "'Word of Discovery': A Planetary Example from Volume I of the Astronomical Journal." Bull. of Am. Astron. Soc. XXX, #3, 1155, 1998. 
  • "The Australian Pre-discovery of Jupiter's Great Red Spot." Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union. LXXVII, #22, W72, 1996. 
  • "The Search for Historical Impact Sites on Jupiter." Planetary and Space Science. XLIV, #6, 559, 1996. 
  • "The Shoemaker-Levy 9 Spots on Jupiter: Their Place in History." Earth, Moon, and Planets. LXVI, #1, 1, 1994. 
  • "A DOS-based Version of the VICAR Image Processing System for Planetary Image Reduction, Navigation, and Measuring." Bull. of Am. Astron. Soc. XXVI, #2, 900, 1994. (co-authored)
  • "Motion of the S-shaped Features Associated with Jovian Lightning Activity." Bull. Am. Astron. Soc. XXV, #3, 1029, 1993. (co-authored)
  • "A CCD-Based Remotely Controlled Telescope for Undergraduate Instruction." Second Annual Conference of the Iowa Space Grant Consortium. 247, 1993. (co-authored)
  • "Fireball Report." Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network. XVII, 11, 1992. 
  • "Seeing Red: Observations of Color in Jupiter's Equatorial Zone on the Eve of the Modern Discovery of the Great Red Spot." Journal for the History of Astronomy. XXIII, 93, 1992.
  • "Nineteenth Century Investigations of Periodicities in the Jovian Atmosphere." Vistas in Astronomy. XXXIV, 409, 1991.
  • "Early Documentation of the History of Jupiter's South Equatorial Belt Disturbance." Bull. Am. Astron. Soc. XXIII, #3, 1134, 1991. 
  • "An Early Color Rendering of the Planet Jupiter." Bull. Am. Astron. Soc. XXII, #4, 1192, 1990.
  • "A Historical Interpretation of the Study of the Visible Cloud Morphology on the Planet Jupiter: 1610 - 1878." Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. CI, #643, 869, 1989.
  • "Planetary Photospheres: the Story of a 'Misdiscovery'." Publ. Astron. Soc. Pacific. CI, #638, 434, 1989.
  • "The First Publication of the Physical Appearance of Jupiter as Seen from the United States." Bull. Am. Astron. Soc. XX, #4, 950, 1989.
  • "A Comparison of Red Spots in the Atmosphere of Jupiter." Icarus. LXVII, #1, 96, 1986. (co-authored)
  • "Color Dependence of Another Red Spot on Jupiter." Proceedings of the Southwest Regional Conference on Astronomy and Astrophysics. IX, 97, 1984.
  • "A Color Asymmetry in the Equatorial Zone of Jupiter." Bull. Am. Astron. Soc. XV, #4, 998, 1983.

PEDAGOGICAL AND GENERAL ARTICLES

  • "The 'Grand Illusion' of April-May, 2000." Sky and Telescope. XCIX, #5, 10, 2000.
  • "Jupiter Stamps." Astrophile. XLV, #1, 1, 2000.
  • "The Department of Earth Science, UNI." Earth and Planetary Science Curriculum Reform. Walla Walla (Washington): Project Kaleidoscope Workshop, 1997. 
  • "What Comets are All About" and "Comet Crashes." Earth Space Review. VI, #2, 5 & 20, 1997
  • "Idea Bank." The Science Teacher. LX, #7, 62, 1993. (co-authored)
  • "A Brief History of the Planetary Telescope, Part III, The Nineteenth Century." Griffith Observer. LVII, #3, 11, 1993.
  • "A Brief History of the Planetary Telescope, Part II, Reflectors and Achromatics." Griffith Observer. LVII, #2, 16, 1993.
  • "A Brief History of the Planetary Telescope, Part I, Early Refractors." Griffith Observer. LVII, #1, 10, 1993. 
  • "Center-of-Mass Demonstration." The Universe in the Classroom. #19, 1992.
  • "Astronomy Bulletin." Iowa Science Teachers' Journal. XXVIII, #2, 29, 1991. (co-authored; abstracted in NSTA Report)
  • "Astronomy Bulletin." Iowa Science Teachers' Journal. XXVII, #3, 25, 1990. (co-authored; abstracted in NSTA Report)
  • "Astronomy Bulletin." Iowa Science Teachers' Journal. XXVII, #2, 18, 1990. (co-authored; abstracted in NSTA Report)
  • "Astronomy Bulletin." Iowa Science Teachers' Journal. XXVII, #1, 30, 1990. (co-authored; abstracted in NSTA Report)
  • "Astronomy Bulletin." Iowa Science Teachers' Journal. XXVI, #3, 21, 1990. (co-authored)
  • "Astronomy Bulletin." Iowa Science Teachers' Journal. XXVI, #2, 29, 1989. (co-authored)
  • "Astronomy Bulletin." Iowa Science Teachers' Journal. XXVI, #1, 29, 1989. (co-authored)
  • "Astronomy Bulletin." Iowa Science Teachers' Journal. XXV, #1-3, 29, 1989. (co-authored)
  • "An Attack on Astronomy." Astronomers and the Arms Race. #5, 4, 1987.
  • "Observing May's Annular Eclipse from Tamaulipas, Mexico." Astronomy. XIII, #6, 24, 1985