To Climb the Highest Mountain: W. W. Campbell's 1909 Mars Expedition to Mount Whitney

CGA = C. G. Abbot.

WWC = W. W. Campbell.

GEH = G. E. Hale.

GFM = G. F. Marsh.

AGM = A. G. McAdie.

VMS = V. M. Slipher.

WWC, “The spectrum of Mars”, Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific , vi (1894), 228–36.

This introductory material is given in much more detail, with references to the papers of Huggins, Vogel, Jewell, Keeler and later papers of Campbell, in Osterbrock D. E. , James E. Keeler pioneer American astrophysicist: And the early development of American astrophysics (Cambridge, 1984), 248–52. A complete paper summarizing all of Campbell's spectroscopic work on Mars, is DeVorkin D. H. , “W. W. Campbell's spectroscopic study of the Martian atmosphere”, Quarterly journal of the Royal Astronomical Society , xviii (1977), 37–53.

See, e.g., Osterbrock D. E. Gustafson J. R. Unruh W. J. S. , Eye on the sky: Lick Observatory's first century (Berkeley, 1988), especially pp. 130–72, which gives many references to primary sources on Campbell's life and research.

See Hoyt W. G. , Lowell and Mars (Tucson, 1976) for a fine biography of Lowell with many references to primary sources on his life, research and popular appeal.

See, e.g., Osterbrock , James E. Keeler , chap. 7, refs 130–1.

Holden E. S. , “The Lowell Observatory in Arizona”, Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific , vi (1894), 160–6.

WWC to GEH, 11 May 1908: WWC to Rowell J. C. , 31 Aug. 1908; WWC to Wheeler B. I. , 8 Feb. 1909; GEH to WWC, 20 May 1908.

See Osterbrock , Eye on the sky , especially pp. 155–62 for some of the details of Campbell's eclipse expeditions up to 1908, with references to primary sources.

WWC to CGA, 3 July 1908.

WWC, “Spectroscopic notes”, Astrophysical journal , v (1897), 233–42. In the published paper the date of the long series of spectrograms is given as 22 October 1895, but the year is corrected to 1896 in Campbell's handwriting in the copy in the Lick Observatory library. See also ref. 56 below.

Farquhar F. P. , “The story of Mount Whitney”, Sierra Club bulletin , xiv (1929), 39–52.

Farquhar F. P. , “The story of Mount Whitney (part II)”, Sierra Club bulletin , xx (1935), 81–93.

See Osterbrock , James E. Keeler , especially pp. 19–27, for more background on this first Mount Whitney scientific expedition.

AGM, “Mount Whitney as a site for a meteorological observatory”, Sierra Club bulletin , v (1904–5), 87–97.

AGM, “A pack trail on Mount Whitney”, Sierra Club bulletin , v (1904–5), 258–60; Farquhar F. P. , “The story of Mount Whitney (part III)”, Sierra Club bulletin , xxi (1936), 64–75.

Hoyt W. G. , “Vesto Melvin Slipher 1875–1969”, Biographical memoirs, National Academy of Sciences , lii (1980), 411–49.

VMS to WWC, 17 April 1908.

VMS, “The spectrum of Mars”, Astrophysical journal , xxviii (1908), 397–404.

WWC to VMS, 1 May, 11 May 1908; VMS to WWC, 6 May 1908.

VMS to WWC, 1 Sept. 1908; WWC to VMS, 4 Sept. 1908.

WWC to GFM, 11 June 1908.

GFM to WWC, 14 June 1908.

WWC, “The eclipse of January 3, 1908”, Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific , xx (1908), 33–35.

WWC to CGA, 3 July 1908.

WWC to GEH, 3 July, 1 Aug., 10 Aug. 1908; GEH to WWC, 6 Aug., 26 Aug. 1908; WWC to CGA, 7 July, 18 July, 8 Aug. 1908; CGA to WWC, 3 Aug. 1908.

WWC to GEH, 1 Sept. 1908; WWC to GFM, 14 Aug., 2 Sept. 1908; GFM to WWC, 12 Aug. 1908.

CGA to WWC, 4 Sept. 1908; WWC to CGA, 10 Sept. 1908.

WWC to GEH, 1 Sept. 1908.

CGA to WWC, 16 Sept., 10 Nov. 1908; WWC to CGA, 21 Sept., 7 Oct., 17 Nov. 1908; WWC to GFM, 19 Sept., 29 Sept. 1908; GFM to WWC, 22 Sept., 14 Oct. 1908.

WWC to CGA, 23 Nov. 1908; CGA to WWC, 27 Nov. 1908.

WWC to GEH, 19 Jan., 30 Jan., 2 Feb. 1909; GEH to WWC, 22 Jan., 2 Feb. 1909.

WWC to Brashear J. A. , 3 Feb. 1909; WWC to Petitdidier O. L. , 3 Feb., 16 Feb., 10 Apr. 1909; McDowell J. B. WWC, 8 Feb. 1909; Petitdidier O. L. WWC, 8 [Feb.], 23 Feb. 1909.

Crocker W. H. to WWC, 28 Dec. [19]08; WWC to Crocker W. H. , 5 Jan. 1909; WWC to Ross F. E. , 4 Jan. 1909; Ross F. E. to WWC, 11 Jan. 1909.

WWC to Crocker C. T. , 3 Feb. 1909; Crocker C. T. to WWC, 6 Feb. [1909].

WWC to Crocker W. H. , 3 Mar. 1909; Crocker W. H. to WWC, 4 Mar. 1909.

WWC to Crocker W. H. , 6 Apr. 1909; Crocker W. H. to WWC, 7 Apr. 1909; WWC to CGA 12 Apr. 1909.

WWC to GFM, 6 Mar., 15 Mar., 26 Mar. 1909; GFM to WWC, 12 Mar., 20 Mar., 21 Mar. 1909; WWC to United Sheet Metal Works, 15 Feb., 8 Mar., 23 Mar. 1909.

WWC to GFM, 26 May, 15 June, 21 June 1909; GFM to WWC, 30 May, 24 June, 27 June 1909.

WWC to Miller J. J. , 5 May, 7 June, 12 July 1909; Miller J. J. to WWC, 20 July 1909.

WWC to AGM, 3 Mar., 9 July 1909; AGM to WWC, 4 Mar. 1909.

WWC to AGM, 16 July 1909; WWC to CGA, 19 July 1909.

WWC to Petitdidier O. L. , 10 Apr., 26 May, 27 May, 5 June 1909; Petitdidier O. L. to WWC, 14 Apr., 22 May, 31 May, 16 July 1909.

WWC to Brashear J. A. Co., 10 Apr., 8 June, 19 July 1909; McDowell J. B. to WWC, 10 Apr., 15 Apr., 17 June, 30 June 1909.

WWC, “The spectrum of Mars as observed by the Crocker expedition to Mt. Whitney”, Lick Observatory bulletin , v (1909), 149–56.

WWC to GEH, 5 Aug. 1909; GEH to WWC, 10 Aug. 1909.

GFM to WWC, [1 Aug. 1909]; WWC to GFM, 6 Aug. 1909; Mrs GFM to WWC, 6 Aug., 11 Aug., 16 Aug. [19]09; WWC to Mrs GFM, 13 Aug., 16 Aug., 18 Aug., 20 Aug. 1909.

CGA, “A shelter for observers on Mount Whitney”, Smithsonian miscellaneous contributions , lii (1910), 499–506.

WWC, op. cit. (ref. 44).

CGA, op. cit. (ref. 47). Also WWC to Miller J. J. , 13 Sept. 1909; WWC to CGA, 29 Sept. 1909.

WWC, “Water vapor in the atmosphere of the planet Mars”, Science , xxx (1909), 474–5.

WWC, op. cit. (ref. 44), and “On the spectrum of Mars”, Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific , xxi (1909), 201–5.

WWC, “A review of the spectroscopic observations of Mars”, Lick Observatory bulletin , v (1909), 156–64.

WWC to Petitdidier O. L. , 13 Sept., 22 Sept. 1909; Petitdidier O. L. to WWC, 18 Sept., 28 Sept., 12 Nov. [19]09.

VMS to WWC, 29 Sept. 1909.

Lowell P. , “Is Mars inhabited”, The outlook , lxxxv (1907), 844–8; WWC, “The Lick Observatory”, ibid. , xc (1908), 255–6; VMS, “Air and large telescopes”, ibid. , xc (1908), 867–9; WWC to Wheeler B. I. , 13 Feb., 29 May, 21 June 1909; Wheeler B. I. to WWC, 9 Feb., 1 June, 21 June 1909; WWC to VMS, 4 Oct. 1909.

VMS to WWC, 15 Nov. 1909, 15 Mar. 1910; WWC to VMS, 22 Nov., 16 Dec. 1909, 19 Mar. 1910.

WWC and Albrecht S. , “On the spectrum of Mars photographed with high dispersion”, Lick Observatory bulletin , vi (1910), 11–16.

WWC to GEH, 4 Feb. 1909; GEH to WWC, 6 Feb. 1909; WWC to Brashear J. A. Co., 4 Feb., 15 Feb. 1909; McDowell J. B. to WWC, 10 Feb., 23 Feb. 1909; WWC to Gale H. G. , 16 Feb. 1909; Gale H. G. to WWC, 1 Mar. [19]09; WWC to Michelson A. A. , 6 Mar., 8 Mar., 23 Mar. 1909; Michelson A. A. to WWC, 11 Mar. 1909; Lee J. Y. to WWC, 31 Mar. 1909.

WWC to Brashear J. A. Co., 10 Apr., 19 July 1909.

See WWC and Albrecht , op. cit. (ref. 57).

WWC and Albrecht S. , “On the spectrum of Mars as photographed with high dispersion”, Science , xxxi (1910), 990–2.

Lowell P. , “A new method of testing spectrographically a Martian atmosphere”, Bulletin Lowell Observatory , i (1905), 116–17; VMS, “An attempt to apply velocity-shift to detecting atmospheric lines in the spectrum of Mars”, ibid. , 118.

Agassiz G. R. , “The spectrum of Mars”, Science , xxxii (1910), 407.

WWC, [Untitled reply], Science , xxxii (1910), 407–8. All of the letters cited are in the Mary Lea Shane Archives of Lick Observatory, University of California, Santa Cruz.