Download or read book History of the Harvard College Observatory During the Period 1840 1890 written by Daniel W. Baker and published by . This book was released on 1890 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book History of the Harvard College Observatory During the Period 1840 1890 written by Daniel W Baker and published by Legare Street Press. This book was released on 2023-07-18 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a comprehensive account of the Harvard College Observatory during a pivotal period in its history. Baker details the many achievements of the observatory during this time, including important discoveries and advancements in astronomy. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Download or read book History of the Harvard College Observatory written by Daniel W. Baker and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2017-11-24 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from History of the Harvard College Observatory: During the Period 1840-1890 The advance made in astronomical science during the 50 years past is among the wonderful facts comprised in the rec ord of the 19th century, and it is true that since it became fairly organized and equipped, Harvard College Observatory has been in the front rank in the march. A review of this progress so far as per taining to the institution at Cambridge, is, therefore, timely. A history of 50 years. Embodying so many facts of the first importance and interest as does this, cannot, even with the most resolute pur pose as respects brevity, be disposed of in a single chapter. This, accordingly, will be the first of a series. The reader may be assured at the outset that the topics to be touched upon are various and in themselves attractive, and that, so far as possible, technicalities will be shunned. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
Download or read book The Harvard College Observatory written by Bessie Zaban Jones and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 1971 with total page 518 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since its founding in 1839, the Harvard College Observatory has pioneered in the development of modern astronomy. Its first directors early recognized the potential of spectroscopy in revealing the constitution of the stars, and of photography in determining the positions and motions of celestial objects; the library of photographic plates made under their direction provides an invaluable history of the stellar universe for the period. The Observatory also pioneered in using the talents of women, several of whom became noted astronomers, and their monumental classification of stars from spectral records constitutes a fundamental contribution to astronomical knowledge. The authors vividly portray the genesis, growth, and achievements of a major scientific institution and its relations with other observatories. Through the use of photographs and correspondence they also portray the men and women who played essential roles in the development of astronomy in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Download or read book Architecture Academe written by Bryant Franklin Tolles and published by UPNE. This book was released on 2011 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The unique and influential architecture of sixteen New England colleges
Download or read book Carnegie Institution of Washington Publication written by and published by . This book was released on 1908 with total page 612 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Handbook of Learned Societies and Institutions written by James David Thompson and published by . This book was released on 1908 with total page 618 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Bibliographical Contributions written by Harvard University. Library and published by . This book was released on 1889 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Official Documents Comprising the Department and Other Reports Made to the Governor Senate and House of Representatives of Pennsylvania written by Pennsylvania and published by . This book was released on 1892 with total page 1068 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Report of State Librarian written by Pennsylvania State Library and published by . This book was released on 1892 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Report of the State Librarian written by Pennsylvania State Library and published by . This book was released on 1892 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Includes catalogs of accessions and special bibliographical supplements.
Download or read book Official Documents Comprising the Department and Other Reports Made to the Governor Senate and House of Representatives of Pennsylvania written by and published by . This book was released on 1892 with total page 1028 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Report of the State Librarian to the Legislature of Pennsylvania written by and published by . This book was released on 1892 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Selling the True Time written by Ian R. Bartky and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 2000 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This first comprehensive, scholarly history of timekeeping in America studies the transition from local to national timekeeping, a process that led to Standard Time—the worldwide system of timekeeping by which we all live. The book describes the contributions of the railroad industry, university astronomers, clockmakers, and civil and electrical engineers.
Download or read book Starlight Detectives written by Alan Hirshfeld and published by Bellevue Literary Press. This book was released on 2014-06-16 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Julia Ward Howe Award Finalist NBC News “Top Science and Tech Books of the Year” selection Scientific American/FSG “Favorite Science Books of the Year” selection Nature.com “Top Reads of the Year” selection Kirkus Reviews “Best Books of the Year” selection Discover magazine “Top 5 Summer Read” “A masterful balance of science, history and rich narrative.” —Discover magazine “Hirshfeld tells this climactic discovery of the expanding universe with great verve and sweep, as befits a story whose scope, characters and import leave most fiction far behind.” —Wall Street Journal “Starlight Detectives is just the sort of richly veined book I love to read—full of scientific history and discoveries, peopled by real heroes and rogues, and told with absolute authority. Alan Hirshfeld’s wide, deep knowledge of astronomy arises not only from the most careful scholarship, but also from the years he’s spent at the telescope, posing his own questions to the stars.” —DAVA SOBEL, author of A More Perfect Heaven: How Copernicus Revolutionized the Cosmos and Longitude In 1929, Edwin Hubble announced the greatest discovery in the history of astronomy since Galileo first turned a telescope to the heavens. The galaxies, previously believed to float serenely in the void, are in fact hurtling apart at an incredible speed: the universe is expanding. This stunning discovery was the culmination of a decades-long arc of scientific and technical advancement. In its shadow lies an untold, yet equally fascinating, backstory whose cast of characters illuminates the gritty, hard-won nature of scientific progress. The path to a broader mode of cosmic observation was blazed by a cadre of nineteenth-century amateur astronomers and inventors, galvanized by the advent of photography, spectral analysis, and innovative technology to create the entirely new field of astrophysics. From William Bond, who turned his home into a functional observatory, to John and Henry Draper, a father and son team who were trailblazers of astrophotography and spectroscopy, to geniuses of invention such as Léon Foucault, and George Hale, who founded the Mount Wilson Observatory, Hirshfeld reveals the incredible stories—and the ambitious dreamers—behind the birth of modern astronomy. Alan Hirshfeld, Professor of Physics at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and an Associate of the Harvard College Observatory, is the author of Parallax: The Race to Measure the Cosmos, The Electric Life of Michael Faraday, and Eureka Man: The Life and Legacy of Archimedes.
Download or read book The Glass Universe written by Dava Sobel and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2017-10-31 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From #1 New York Times bestselling author Dava Sobel, the "inspiring" (People), little-known true story of women's landmark contributions to astronomy A New York Times Book Review Notable Book Named one of the best books of the year by NPR, The Economist, Smithsonian, Nature, and NPR's Science Friday Nominated for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award "A joy to read.” —The Wall Street Journal In the mid-nineteenth century, the Harvard College Observatory began employing women as calculators, or “human computers,” to interpret the observations their male counterparts made via telescope each night. At the outset this group included the wives, sisters, and daughters of the resident astronomers, but soon the female corps included graduates of the new women's colleges—Vassar, Wellesley, and Smith. As photography transformed the practice of astronomy, the ladies turned from computation to studying the stars captured nightly on glass photographic plates. The “glass universe” of half a million plates that Harvard amassed over the ensuing decades—through the generous support of Mrs. Anna Palmer Draper, the widow of a pioneer in stellar photography—enabled the women to make extraordinary discoveries that attracted worldwide acclaim. They helped discern what stars were made of, divided the stars into meaningful categories for further research, and found a way to measure distances across space by starlight. Their ranks included Williamina Fleming, a Scottish woman originally hired as a maid who went on to identify ten novae and more than three hundred variable stars; Annie Jump Cannon, who designed a stellar classification system that was adopted by astronomers the world over and is still in use; and Dr. Cecilia Helena Payne, who in 1956 became the first ever woman professor of astronomy at Harvard—and Harvard’s first female department chair. Elegantly written and enriched by excerpts from letters, diaries, and memoirs, The Glass Universe is the hidden history of the women whose contributions to the burgeoning field of astronomy forever changed our understanding of the stars and our place in the universe.
Download or read book Explorer of the Universe A Biography of George Ellery Hale written by Helen Wright and published by Plunkett Lake Press. This book was released on 2021-03-18 with total page 427 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “George Ellery Hale [1868-1938] is the subject of this impressive biography... Wright charts Hale’s steady progress towards leadership in the nascent field of astrophysics from his childhood experiments at home in Chicago, through student days at MIT, to his first observatory at Kenwood, all of which demonstrate his passion for unravelling the secrets of nature through the then new medium of spectroscopy. This enthusiasm led him into contact with most of his peers both in America and beyond (Lockyer, Huggins, Pickering, Rowland, and many more), many of whom remained close associates and correspondents for years after. Probably this sense of community made Hale so active in the organization of science, including the formation of the AAS [American Astronomical Society], the IAU [International Astronomical Union], and ICSU [International Council of Scientific Unions]. It also gave him the contacts to give the Astrophysical Journal such a good start in 1895. Perhaps the greatest debt we owe Hale is for his relentless drive towards the creation of ever bigger and better facilities, starting with the still unsurpassed Yerkes refractor, continuing with the solar telescopes on Mt. Wilson and then the 60- and 100-inch telescopes on the same peak, and concluding with the 200-inch [at Mt. Palomar]... Scientifically, Hale’s lifelong affair with the Sun brought him success in the detection of magnetic fields and early studies of surface activity by means of the spectroheliograph he developed, and for which he was duly fêted, and the frustrations of trying to record the corona. But these were early successes and as astropolitics and finance took an ever increasing share of his time, he was able to contribute less than he would have liked. Part of the problem was the illness, with both physical and mental symptoms, which progressively plagued the life of this hyperactive polymath; it is sad to note his decline which prevented him playing a fuller part in the creation of what was to become his memorial... this [biography] is something of a classic on one of astronomy’s giants.” — David Strickland, The Observatory “This important biography is well written and is highly recommended.” — A. E. Covington, Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada “[An] outstanding biography of this most remarkable man... Helen Wright has done a superb job of tracing Hale’s development not only of new and powerful instruments and of his important discoveries of sunspot magnetic fields and the law of reversing polarities, but also of the embryonic state of American science in the early days of this century... an authoritative biography of one of the most influential men of science this country has produced. The hook will bring to contemporary scientists and historians the story of this unique astronomer whose life is of such special interest to the Caltech community.” — Allan Sandage, Caltech Magazine (formerly Engineering and Science) “Helen Wright gives a detailed account of the life and almost frantic activities of this remarkable scientific leader... In summarizing astrophysical events of the years 1880 to 1950... Wright has provided a useful and fascinating account of scientific development that led to the preeminence of the United States.” — Thornton Page, Science “In writing the story of Hale’s origins, career and bequest to posterity Helen Wright has richly served her fellow astronomers. No one else could have done so well. Her account preserves an admirable balance in presenting Hale not only as a doer but also as a dreamer... Miss Wright’s excellent biography covers the highlights of his career... Miss Wright’s book is highly authentic.” — Harlow Shapley, Scientific American Published under license from Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature
