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"Down to Earth" Astronomy: LSU Associate Professor uses history to explain science
LSU Physics & Astronomy Associate Professor Bradley Schaefer knows his way around a classroom, but he might be just as comfortable telling tales over a campfire, chatting up guests at a cocktail party, or offering answers to Alex Trebek. Engage him in conversation, or, better yet, take one of his introductory astronomy classes, and you will hear about more than hard science. You might learn about the "astrophysics of suntanning," how the lunar calendar relates to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, or how astronomy can be used to date the Crucifixion. Science is important to Schaefer, an MIT grad and former junior faculty member at Yale, but so is making it accessible to people of all interests. "Astronomy is often viewed as something 'far away' from real life," he says, explaining that he likes to blend in a little history and literature in order to bring the topic "down to earth." Schaefer can quickly run over tidbits and trivia—much of which he has written articles about—that illustrate the importance of astronomy in American and world history. Solar eclipses helped inspire Nat Turner's Virginia slave revolt in 1831 and aided Shawnee warrior Tecumseh in his effort to unite Ohio-area Native American tribes in 1806. The phases of the moon were crucial in the timing of numerous battles and events during World War II, from the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor to the D-Day landing at Normandy.
Many of his articles follow a consistent theme: "Sunspots that Changed the World," "Lunar Eclipses that Changed the World," "Comets that Changed the World," and so on. They describe how various astronomical phenomena affected historical events or inspired great figures in history. Sometimes, however, the stories illustrate how humankind has misunderstood astronomy. "When Haley's comet returned in 1910, some people committed suicide, and some committed murder. Many people didn't go to work," Schaefer says. One of the more intriguing stories Schaefer relates involves the role the moon played in "The Great Escape" of allied air officers from a Nazi prison camp in 1944—a true story immortalized in a classic 1963 movie starring Steve McQueen and James Garner. In 1942, Schaeffer explains, the Germans built a particularly well-fortified prison camp, Stalag Luft III, for holding Allied officers shot down during bomber offensives. While the officers were not starved or worked cruelly like some Russian prisoners, the hardships of prison life still engendered a desire to escape. This desire, in turn, led to the formation of an "escape committee" that developed an ambitious plan to simultaneously dig three long, deep tunnels, code named "Tom, Dick, and Harry." "The tunnels lowered some 30 feet down and extend out several hundred yards, emerging at a tree line beyond the prison fences.
Disposal of dirt from the digs was a major obstacle, particularly during the snowy winter months, so the planners decided to carry the dirt from the dig site to one of the other camp buildings, where they would hide it under the floor. This work was carried out at night and had to cease when the moon was bright enough to illuminate movement. Some 600 inmates were involved in the project and, when one of the tunnels was finally completed, it was decided that the escape would have to occur during a new moon. The plan was for 200 men to get out through the tunnel through the course of one night, meaning that moonlight at any time could have exposed the escapees emerging and waiting in the woods. As it turned out, the tunnel actually came up well short of the tree line, so the cover of new moon darkness was especially helpful. Thus, thanks to a little knowledge of lunar cycles, a total of 76 men made it out of Stalag Luft III that night. Unfortunately, many were eventually recaptured, but three made it to England and freedom. Schaefer enjoys relating these stories, and does so with enthusiasm and rich detail. However, he sometimes likes to actually see history taking place. In November of 2001, he traveled to Australia to get a good view of the Leonid meteor shower and, during the summer of 2004, he and his wife vacationed in Europe in time to get a good view of the Transit of Venus—when the planet Venus passes in front of the sun, like a small-scale lunar eclipse. The last transit took place more than 100 years ago, so Schaeffer said he wanted to have a front-row seat for the rare event. Contact Rob Anderson | LSU
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