Abstract

Portuguese Occultations in the "Joaquim Garcia's era"

(Poster Presentation)

Rui Gonçalves

Bericht über die Geschichte von Bedeckungs-Beobachtungen in Portugal.
Schon im 18. Jahrhundert beobachtete man in Lissabon Bedeckungen.
Im Jahr 1975 begann dann die Zusammenarbeit zwischen Amateur- und professionellen Astronomen in der APAA, der portugiesischen Vereinigung der Amateur-Astronomen. Vorbildlich aktiv war in seiner eigenen Sternwarte ab 1984 der letztes Jahr verstorbene Joaquim Garcia und seine Gruppe.

Old Portuguese Occultations

The first record known of Portuguese lunar occultation is from the XVIII century. In the middle of that century several observatories were active in Lisbon. They have done lunar occultations, lunar and solar eclipses and Galilean eclipses. Because of 1755 big earthquake and because of French invasions in the beginning of XIX century, many data and instruments were lost forever (a few telescopes where taken to Rio de Janeiro Real Observatory). Since 1880 till now, lunar occultations have had place in Lisbon Observatory (Tapada da Ajuda). In the 40's and 50's Lisbon Sciences University Observatory has also done lunar occultations. The Oporto Sciences University Observatory (Prof. M. Barros) started in the 60's with total and graze occultations.

The beginning

Portuguese co-operation between Amateurs and Professional Astronomers began with APAA (Associação Portuguesa de Astronómos Amadores) in 1975. Since then several grazes were been made by Oporto Observatory and APAA members. One of those members was Joaquim Garcia, by the time as an invited member of Oporto Observatory doing optician work.

The "Joaquim Garcia's era"

Garcia and I started lunar occultations together in the Summer of 1984, just after May 30 APAA's expedition to Azores Annular Eclipse. It was in Azores by that time, when Garcia got some more information about lunar occultations, made by Lisbon Observatory team. Lunar Occultations would be his major goal in his new Observatory (figure 1). Many instruments and techniques were done and developed by him and it was a great help to register occultations with accuracy.
From 1984 to 1998 the Garcia's team registered:
· 3000 total lunar occultations,
· 38 successfully graze occultations,
· more than 100 asteroidal occultations (only one positive),
· more than 500 Galilean eclipses,
· 6 lunar eclipse observations (umbra and occultations).

Only a few members of Garcia's team were active observers (figure 2). But those who worked have done a great contribution to world occultations (figure 3), together with Joaquim Garcia - an excellent lunar occultations observer, besides his health. His death last year put an end to the "era". Today his Observatory is condemned with a neighbour 3-stage building and major light pollution.

Figure 1: Joaquim Garcia's Observatory at his home (Caxias)		Figure 2: Garcia's team; (from top) Rui Gonçalves, Nuno Gracias, Joaquim Garcia and Aliete Garcia

Figure 3: Garcia's team 1984 - 1998 Total Occultations amount.

Rui Manuel Domingos Gonçalves, Associação Portuguesa de Astronómos Amadores
Address: Rua do Porto Santo, nº5, 3º Dto, Sassoeiros, 2775-788 Carcavelos, Portugal
E-Mail: m13406@correio.cc.fc.ul.pt, rui.goncalves@igm.pt Internet: http://correio.cc.fc.ul.pt/~m13406
Telephone: +351 1 8137773 Fax: +351 1 8137773

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