Material pertaining to Walter J. Semerau

Walter J. Semerau
Astronomer
1907 - 1996

Walter Semerau was an extraordinary individual. Largely self-taught, he nevertheless designed and built scientific instruments of great complexity and precision. Not one to be daunted by a lack of step-by-step instructions, nor by the constraints of a basement workshop, Semerau built whatever instruments he felt he needed to satisfy his curiosities, along with whatever tools he needed to make those instruements.

Complementing this innate skill and drive was a generosity and desire to teach that resulted in local school children being invited to see his backyard observatory, solar research organizations receiving his observationss, a local museum geting Semerau-built equipment, and numerous interviews with reporters (and the just-plain-curious).

What follows below is a listing of his accomplishments, a timeline of his life and a listing of some of his publications. The sources for the information are published articles, copies of letters he received from others, letters, recollections and a taped interview recorded in the mid-1990's. All of these are brought together and summarized here in an effort to foster greater appreciation of - and recognition for - a man of exemplary skill and dedication.

Matt Considine, January 2004

Major accomplishments - in his own words

Constructed a versatile camera of stainless steel containing the first coupled range finder to focus adjustment. U. S. patent number 2,420,018 issued for this invention.

Constructed a solar observatory including a coronograph telescope for observing solar prommences[sic]. Also constructed the quartz polarizing monochromator, with four Angstrom band pass, which is used in the coronagraph.

Constructed an oscillating slit spectroheliograph which is provided with Andersons rotating prism spectrohelioscope for visual observations.

Developed the procedure for simultaneous photography of sun's surface and sun prominences with the spectroheliograph.

Drawings to show construction of one of his telescopes have been widely used by amateur astronomers.

Photographs taken at his observatory have been used by scientists in articles related to solar physics.

Received the Astronomical League Regional Award for Outstanding Contributions to Astronomy at the convention of the North East Region of the Astronomical League on 1 June, 1969.

Timeline

1907 WJS born in Hermany, PA on December 7, the son of Julius and Augusta Semerau
Family later moves to Layland, WV then Eccles, WV c1911 Father dies, leaving wife, four year old WJS and his two sisters and two brothers. c1918 Family moves to Ethel, WV after WJS finishes sixth grade Mother supports family by running a boarding house for workers at Cleveland Cliff Iron Co. c1921 Goes to work in coal mine after finishing ninth grade (eighth grade, by later accounts) c1925 Goes to California twice for 1.5 to 2yrs working odd jobs (electrical contractor, night watchman, life guard), as well as taking up surfing on Huntington Beach. In a foreshadowing of his approach later to astronomical instruments, he fashions the surfboard himself. 1932 Roosevelt closes banks and WJS hitchhikes back to Oak Hill(?) WV, returning to coal mines as an electrician 1936 made an instrument for measuring inside of locks, becoming very adept at opening locks. married Rebecca Toombs (eventually has 3 children : Walter Jr, George, Mona) employed by Electrometallurgical Coal Mine, Alloy, WV (a subsidiary of Union Carbide) c1936-1939 built his own press camera, which leads to job as an electrician. Camera has a couple of innovative features, namely rangefinder coupled to the lens barrel. 1942 The Complete Photographer, #16 : "Homemade Stainless Steel View Camera" 1943/1944 Makes 6" reflector for WJSjr (7/8 yrs old), after the latter becomes interested in the stars and WJS purchases "A Dipper Full of Stars." Though his son's interest in astronomy is modest, WJS is captivated; First mirror took 700 hours to make, with the remainder of the telescope requiring 300 hours. Parts were first constructed of crate wood, then cast in duralumin, followed by machining and hand finishing. WJS uses Fred Ferson's chapter in ATM as a guide. WJS is working electrician at this point c1941-1945 Agfa (sister co. in Binghamton, NY?) interested in camera; takes out patent in WJS name; FBI investigates co/employees (incl WJS) as spies. WJS cleared, as well as unaware that German spies were in the company. c1947 General Analine Film Co buys out WJS patent rights, offering WJS a job; WJS declines job 1947 WJS corresponds with Ingalls/Porter, inquiring about setting circles. 1947/1948 camera and scope win first prize at Electrometallurgical Co. hobby show c1948 Offered a job with Linde, which is initially turned down. Union Carbide transfers family to Tonawanda, w/ WJS taking job at Linde Air to begin an instrument shop in their Physics Lab.; co buys tools WJS needs; WJS builds spectroscope for the lab. 1948 WJS corresponds with Ingalls/Porter, thinking about sundial/analemma, and a spectroscope 1948 SciAm : May "Construction of a Six Inch Telescope" (TAS column) 1949 WJS = member of telescope makers group in Buffalo 1949 S&T : "A Mounting for Telescope and Camera" 1949 WJS observing w/ 6" w/ motor, equatorial mount, quidescope 1952 using a 12.5" (f/5) ; building a QPM (quartz polaroid monochromator) 1954 b/c of light pollution from Sheridan Plaza, has built a 3" singlet-prism train-quartz monochr-occulting disc-camera/eyepiece coronagraph; is a member of Buffalo A. A. 1954 astrograph has a 4.25" aperture, 13.5" focal length, negatives are 5x7; SciAm : Dec "The Semerau 12 1/2-inch Newtonian Reflector and the Astrographic Camera." also an earlier one in SciAm and/or S&T? Mechanix Illustrated, July : Photographs showing telescope and shed in Amateur Telescope Makers column 1955 using a 12.5" in a 5 foot tube, portable guiding panel, guidescope built from binocular, equatorially mounted w/ synchronous motor; photos with 2"x2" negatives; setting circles divided and ruled by WJS, as were prisms, lenses, mirrors and metal parts 1955 working on adapting a time-lapse camera to coronagraph 1955 coronagraph was finished on day prior to total eclipse of sun on "last June 30." 1955 WJS has also played at cutting and polishing gems as well 1955 WJS had developed "an optical method" to get ends of plates parallel and flat for QPM {??} 1955 SciAm, September : "About the making of a coronagraph to view the prominences of the sun" (TAS column) 1955 has built 3 spectrographs, a recording densitometer, cameras, a vibrating-reed electrometer, x-ray diffraction equipment, three schlieren appartuses, a double-beam infrared spectrometer, etc. 1955 does not have any blueprints for coronagraph or his other equipment 1956 SciAm, September : "About a diffraction-grating spectrograph made of materials costing less than $100" (TAS column) 1956 adds a spectrograph to his mounting, copied from design adopted for Linde and provided by B&L (H. Ebert's); studying sunspots with it 1956 promoted to designing engineer at Linde 1957 doubts "saucers" are spaceships in "The Charleston Gazette" (WV?)Sunday, June 30, 1957, while visiting mother Mrs. Augusta Semerau and a brother John Semerau 1958 SciAm, April p126 : "A Spectroheliograph to Observe Details on the Disk of the Sun" 1958 S&T, May : "Construction of a Solar Telescope" (Gleanings) 1958 has taken "thousands" of photographs with solar telescope 1959 S&T, ??? : "Heavy Duty Equatorial Mounting with Friction Control" S&T, ??? : "A Amateur's Solar Observations" April 1, Reports on Solar Activity, at Amateur's Astronomy Association 1961 begins planning a solar observatory; consults Alan E. Gee of American Optical Co. in Buffalo, NY, Dr. Helen Dodson Prince of McMath Ernst Both of the Museum of Sci in Buffalo {contact year right?} Semerau photographs used in S&T, ??? : "Radio Ursigrams" by Martin H. Potter 1963 Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol 18, No 2, March 1963 "A low profile electrode system for recording cortical EEG of unanesthetized rats" 1965 has built a vacuum chamber for aluminizing; has had observations published by High Altitude Observ. (Boulder, CO); is "a tall, thin man, burning with nervous energy." c1965-1967 donated time and effort to build a solar spectrograph and spectrohelioscope for new solar obser at Buffalo Museum of Science; became Research Assoc. of Kellogg Observ.; benefactor of the Buffalo Soc of Natural Sciences 1967 "The Sun in Action" talk given to Buffalo Astro. Assocn, Sept. 8 at Buffalo Museum of Science; profiled in Assocn's "The Spectrum" 1967 photos and comments haved appeared in "Cel. Obj for Comm Telescope" (Webb), "Amat Sci" (Stong), "O. S. Photo" (Paul), "Mini-Cam Photography" and "The Complete Photographer" 1967 offered (but declined) position of Technical Director of the new planetarium in Rochester, NY 1967 William E. Shawcross (officer of Astro. League and mging editor of S&T) suggests a movie be made of WJS setup 1967 Working with Dr. Seville Chapman on an ellipsometer (which will demo Kepler's laws) 1967 S&T, November : "A Remotely Controlled Backyard Solar Observatory" 1968 S&T, ??? : "Simultaneous Solar Disk and Prominence Photography" 1969 retires from Union Carbide Research Lab in July at 61/62 when Linde plant moved from Kenmore, NY to Queens, NY 1969 S&T, ??? : "Some Notes on Recent Solar Activity" 1970 16 years worth of solar observations fill 2 large filing cabinets 1971 Semerau photographs used in S&T, ??? : "Solar Prominences and Their Magnetic Fields" by E. Tauberg-Hanssen 1972 Modern Astronomy, June/Aug : "The Ebert Spectrograph, Design & Construction" 1972 has made an instrument for Dr. John Park to remove an eye lens through a small hole, an air cleaning automobile exhaust system, a high speed system 1973 Jan-May professor of solar astronomy at NYSU in Buffalo (?) 1973 Participates in solar eclipse expedition to Africa in June (?) c1973 studies mechanical drawing at Kenmore High School (?)

1948??? S&T July ????

1996 Passes away in Tonawanda, NY

Partial List of Publications

1. Homemade Stainless Steel View Camera The Complete Photographer 3#16, i (1942)

2. Construction of a Six Inch Telescope Scientific American 179, 60 (1948)

3. A Mounting for Telescope and Camera, Sky and Telescope 8, 204 (1949)

4. Making of a Coronagraph to View Prominences on the Sun, Scientific American 193, 194 (1955)

5. Diffraction Grating Spectrograph Costing Less than $100.00 Scientifica American 195, 259 (1956)

6. A Spectroheliograph to Observe Details on the Disk of the Sun, Scientific American 198, 126 (1958)

7. Heavy Duty Equatorial Mounting with Friction Control Sky and Telescope 18, 643 (1959)

8. An Amateur's Solar Observations Sky and Telescope 18, 679 (1959)

9. Solar Observatory Sky and Telescope, 34, 329 (1967)

10. Simultaneous Solar Disk and Prominence Photography Sky and Telescope 36, 52 (1968)

11. Some Notes on Recent Solar Activity Sky and Telescope 38, 124 (1969)

12. Construction of Ebert Spectrograph Modern Astronomy 3, 73 and 98 (1972)

----------- 13. Report at Amateur's Astronomy Association "Solar Activity" 1 April 1959

Articles using photographs taken by Walter J. Semerau

14. Construction of a Solar Telescope, Robert E. Cox Sky and Telescope 17, 368 (1958)

15. Radio Ursigrams, Martin H. Potter Sky and Telescope 22, 12 (1961)

16. Solar Prominences and Their Magnetic Fields E. Tauberg-Hanssen, Sky and Telescope 42, 72 (1971)

Other articles

17. A low profile electrode system for recording cortical EEG of unanesthetized rats S. F. Gottlieb, R. V. Jagodzinski, and W. J. Semerau Research Laboratory, Linde Company, Division of Union Carbide Corporation, Tonawanda, New York; Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol. 18, No. 2, March 1963; pp. 442-443

The Lifework of Walter J. Semerau - March 11, 1994

These are digital copies of a taped interview of Walter J. Semerau. The interviewer may have been John - or possibly Harold - Sentman, and the tape was labeled with the address "334 Everett Pl. Tonawanda, NY 14150" The discussion implies the interviewer was a local teacher. Note : the interview does not really focus on instrument making specifically, but touches on it in the context of Semerau's life. The tapes were generously provided by Walter's daughter Mona Semerau to Matt Considine in 2003

(This link is not active.)Cassette 1, side A (.mp3, approx. 30 min)
(This link is not active.)Cassette 1, side B (.mp3, approx. 30 min)
(This link is not active.)Cassette 2, side A (.mp3, approx. 30 min)
(This link is not active.)Cassette 2, side B (.mp3, approx. 15 min)

Scans of published photographs

Scan of page from "Mechanix Illustrated", July 1954 : (This link is not active.) MI - July, 1954

List of specific sources/notes from specific sources.

July 7 1947 letter from agi WJS inquired about setting circles; had sent astro photos? July 15 1948 letter from agi WJS inquired about rwp's analemma; agi may send a thesis on how to make a spectroscope July 30 1949 article in Buffalo Courier Express WJS in Tonawanda; observing w/ James H. McArtney, Raymond F. Missert, Bruce D. Davis December 29 1952 letter from agi agi asks about 12.5" on a 3/4" axis re flexure; returns astro photos; alludes to a quartz polaroid monochromator (QPM) and WJS being in touch with Henry Paul ? letter from agi to ff WJS used ff chapter on pattern making/casting to make equatorial patterns out of crate wood; agi has photos of patterns and WJS press camera November 15 1954 Tonawanda News p14 10 yrs ago WJS working in Alloy, Wva for a metallurgical firm