Download or read book The Astronomical Scrapbook written by Joseph Ashbrook and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2009-06-11 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of 83 articles on the history of astronomy is the harvest of a quarter of a century spent in seeking out intriguing, unusual and half-forgotten events. Joe Ashbrook wrote a column regularly for the monthly magazine Sky and Telescope. Professor Owen Gingerich, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, has helped in the selection of the very best of these timeless vignettes, and he has contributed a foreword to the collection. Each article has been edited, and in some cases modified, to take account of any subsequent discoveries. Articles are grouped into themes covering biography, telescopes, the solar systems, stars and galaxies, and star atlases. Much of the material cannot be found in standard references in the history of astronomy.

Download or read book Star Maps written by Nick Kanas and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-06-05 with total page 558 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Until the publication of the first edition of 'Star Maps,' books were either general histories of astronomy using examples of antiquarian celestial maps as illustrations, or catalogs of celestial atlases that failed to trace the flow of sky map development over time. The second edition focuses on the development of contemporary views of the heavens and advances in map-making. It captures the beauty and awe of the heavens through images from antiquarian celestial prints and star atlases. This book uniquely combines a number of features: 1) the history of celestial cartography is traced from ancient to modern times; 2) this development is integrated with contemporary cosmological systems; 3) the artistry of sky maps is shown using beautiful color images from actual celestial atlases and prints; 4) each illustration is accompanied by a legend explaining what is being shown; and 5) the text is written for the lay reader based on the author's experience with writing articles for amateur astronomy and map collector magazines. This updated second edition of 'Star Maps' contains over 50 new pages of text and 44 new images (16 in color), including completely new sections on celestial frontispieces, deep-sky objects, playing card maps, additional cartographers, and modern computerized star maps. There is also expanded material about celestial globes, volvelles, telescopes, and planets and asteroids.

Download or read book The Immortal Fire Within written by William Sheehan and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1995-06-30 with total page 460 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This, the first full-length biography of Edward Emerson Barnard, tells the remarkable tale of endurance and achievement of one of the leading astronomers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Through his career, Barnard scoured the heavens endlessly, leaving an astonishing legacy of observations - of planets, satellites, comets, double stars, bright and dark nebulae, and globular clusters - that make him one of the greatest observers of all time.Beautifully illustrated throughout, this book includes many of Barnard's famous wide-field photographs of comets and the Milky Way. It provides a complete history of Barnard's fascinating life and work, and offers unusual insight into the astronomers he knew and observatories with which he was associated and will be of interest to astronomers and historians of science.

Download or read book The Moon written by Bill Leatherbarrow and published by Reaktion Books. This book was released on 2018-05-15 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The moon has always been the most obvious feature in our night sky. It is our nearest celestial neighbour, orbiting the earth at an average distance of 384,400 kilometers, and is large enough to display significant detail even to the unaided eye. Our moon has drawn observers since the dawn of humankind, and all people have tried to make sense of the puzzles it poses and the questions it raises. The moon provided our ancient ancestors with one of the earliest means of keeping and measuring time, and many early religions had cults that worshipped it. When it eclipses the sun it provides one of the most awe-inspiring views in nature. In The Moon, celebrated amateur astronomer Bill Leatherbarrow provides expert insight into the history of our study of this compelling astronomical body. Drawing on his own decades of lunar observation, he describes how and why the observation and study of the moon has evolved, particularly in the age of telescopic study. He also offers an overview of current scientific thinking and developments in lunar science since the advent of the Space Age, even providing practical advice on how to make your own observations of the moon. Extensively illustrated with images of the lunar surface taken both from spacecraft and using amateur equipment, this book is an accessible introduction to complex astrophysical concepts that will give all amateur astronomers and anyone fascinated by this natural satellite something to moon over.

Download or read book The New Cosmos written by Albrecht Unsöld and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-06-29 with total page 571 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Astronomy, astrophysics and space research have witnessed an explosive development over the last few decades. The new observational potential offered by space stations and the availability of powerful and highly specialized computers have revealed novel aspects of the fascinating realm of galaxies, quasars, stars and planets. The present completely revised 5th edition of The New Cosmos provides ample evidence of these dramatic developments. In a concise presentation, which assumes only a modest prior knowledge of mathematics and physics, the book gives a coherent introduction to the entire field of astronomy and astrophysics. At the same time it takes into account the art of observation and the fundamental ideas behind their interpretation. Like its predecessors, this edition of The New Cosmos will provide new insight and enjoyment not only to students and researchers in the fields of astronomy, physics and earth sciences, but also to a wide range of interested amateurs.

Download or read book Cosmic Discoveries written by David H. Levy and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on 2010-09-09 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For many millennia the starry night sky has been a source of wonder and awe to men and women who have tried to unravel the mystery of the billion distant lights that fill the heavens after dark. The story of the great discoverers who succeeded in explaining part of the mystery is told here with the joy and infectious enthusiasm that only a fellow discoverer can convey. David Levy, codiscoverer of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, with his wife, Wendee Wallach-Levy, evokes that marvelous moment of Eureka! as he masterfully relates each story. He gives the reader a glimpse of the enthralling adventure of cosmic discovery through stories of the most famous and brilliant astronomers. Beyond their personal accomplishments, these scientists expanded all of humanity's understanding of the universe and our place within it.For example, Galileo's breathtaking discovery of the moons of Jupiter, new worlds that refused to orbit the sun, challenged the whole doctrine of the earth being the center of the universe. With the start of the 20th century, Shapley pushed back the envelope that had been opened by Galileo by proving that the center of our galaxy is very far beyond our own sun. And Hubble showed that even our galaxy is but a tiny part of a universe that is rapidly expanding. In describing these milestones of science, Levy reveals his own spirited conversations with such luminaries of the imagination as the discoverer of the planet Pluto, Clyde Tombaugh, and one of the world's greatest science fiction writers, Sir Arthur C. Clarke.Through Levy's unique perspective on cosmic discovery, he is able to connect his own personal life story with that of astronomers of the past and by extension with the history of the whole universe. As the codiscoverer of the spectacular comet that crashed into Jupiter, Levy formulated a whole new range of exciting questions about the universe: Do comets serve to transport the elements of life from one planet to the next? What is the evidence that a large comet once hit the earth? Will the earth someday be in danger of colliding with another such comet and will we have the technology to stop it?This fascinating book will excite any of us who have stared at the night sky in awe and amazement.David Levy and Wendee Wallach-Levy (Vail, AZ) are continuing their ongoing search for new comets. David Levy is the president of the Jarnac Observatory, science editor for PARADE magazine, a contributing editor to Sky and Telescope and Sky News magazines, and the author of Starry Nights, The Quest for Comets, and Impact Jupiter, among other books.

Download or read book Parallax written by Alan W. Hirshfeld and published by Courier Corporation. This book was released on 2013-01-01 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This lively and entertaining history of the long struggle to measure the distance to the stars will appeal to general readers as well as to amateur and professional astronomers. Readers will encounter fascinating historical characters, from ancient Greeks to 19th-century scientists. Well illustrated, with contemporary pictures plus extensive notes on further reading. 2002 edition.

Download or read book Saturn written by William Sheehan and published by Reaktion Books. This book was released on 2019-10-15 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Saturn is the showpiece planet of our solar system. It may not be the largest, nor the smallest, nor even the only planet with rings. But it is among the most stunning objects in the sky and is always breathtaking when seen in a telescope. This is a beautifully illustrated, authoritative overview of the entire history of humankind’s fascination with the ringed planet, from the first low-resolution views by Galileo, Huygens, and other early observers with telescopes to the most recent discoveries by the spacecraft Cassini, which studied the planet at close range between 2004 and 2017. Saturn describes the planet from inside out, detailing the complicated system of rings and their interaction with Saturn’s bevy of satellites, and it considers how Saturn formed and the role it played in the early history of the solar system. Featuring the latest research and a spectacular array of images, this book will appeal to anyone who has ever gazed with wonder upon the sixth planet from the sun.

Download or read book The Complete Guide to the Herschel Objects written by Mark Bratton and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2011-09-15 with total page 593 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provides a complete re-examination of Herschel's entire catalogue; a must-have for amateur astronomers seeking new and exciting observing challenges.

Download or read book Chronicling the Golden Age of Astronomy written by Neil English and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-10-31 with total page 650 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The invention of the telescope at the dawning of the 17th century has revolutionized humanity's understanding of the Universe and our place within it. This book traces the development of the telescope over four centuries, as well as the many personalities who used it to uncover brand-new revelations about the Sun, Moon, planets, stars and distant galaxies. Starting with early observers such as Thomas Harriot, Galileo, Johannes Hevelius, Giovanni Domenico Cassini, Robert Hooke and Christian Huygens, the book explores how these early observers arrived at essentially correct ideas concerning the objects they studied. Moving into the 18th and 19th centuries, the author describes the increasing sophistication of telescopes both large and small, and the celebrated figures who used them so productively, including the Herschels, Charles Messier, William Lassell and the Earls of Rosse. Many great discoveries were also made with smaller instruments when placed in the capable hands of the Struve dynasty, F.W. Bessel, Angelo Secchi and S.W Burnham, to name but a few. Nor were all great observers of professional ilk. The book explores the contributions made by the 'clerical astronomers,' William Rutter Dawes, Thomas William Webb, T.E.R Philips and T.H.E.C Espin, as well as the lonely vigils of E.E. Barnard, William F. Denning and Charles Grover. And in the 20th century, the work of Percival Lowell, Leslie Peltier, Eugene M. Antoniadi, Clyde Tombaugh, Walter Scott Houston, David H. Levy and Sir Patrick Moore is fully explored. Generously illustrated throughout, this treasure trove of astronomical history shows how each observer's work led to seminal developments in science, and providing key insights into how we go about exploring the heavens today.

Download or read book In Search of Planet Vulcan written by Richard P. Baum and published by Springer. This book was released on 2013-11-09 with total page 317 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Final showdown in the unlikeliest of places: America's Wild West. Like gunslingers at high noon, determined astronomers of the opposing camps brave Indians and the elements in their attempt to prove once and for all whether the planet exists. They congregate with some of the most illustrious names of their time for the final test: a grand eclipse of the sun.

Download or read book Mars written by William Sheehan and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on 2010-12-08 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this engaging, eloquent account of our love affair with the Red Planet, Sheehan and O'Meara review the history of human fascination with our neighbor in the solar system and look at the prospects for manned space flight to Mars in this new century.

Download or read book Time and the Astrolabe in the Canterbury Tales written by Marijane Osborn and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Marijane Osborn demonstrates that Chaucer structured the Canterbury Tales after the astrolabe, an Arabic Islamic time-keeping device. Chaucer’s fascination with this device also accounts for the sense of time and astronomy in the Tales.

Download or read book Encyclopedia of Astrobiology written by Muriel Gargaud and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-07-27 with total page 3376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now in its third edition the Encyclopedia of Astrobiology serves as the key to a common understanding in the extremely interdisciplinary community of astrobiologists. Each new or experienced researcher and graduate student in adjacent fields of astrobiology will appreciate this reference work in the quest to understand the big picture. The carefully selected group of active researchers contributing to this work are aiming to give a comprehensive international perspective on and to accelerate the interdisciplinary advance of astrobiology. The interdisciplinary field of astrobiology constitutes a joint arena where provocative discoveries are coalescing concerning, e.g. the prevalence of exoplanets, the diversity and hardiness of life, and its chances for emergence. Biologists, astrophysicists, (bio)-chemists, geoscientists and space scientists share this exciting mission of revealing the origin and commonality of life in the Universe. With its overview articles and its definitions the Encyclopedia of Astrobiology not only provides a common language and understanding for the members of the different disciplines but also serves for educating a new generation of young astrobiologists who are no longer separated by the jargon of individual scientific disciplines. This new edition offers ~170 new entries. More than half of the existing entries were updated, expanded or supplemented with figures supporting the understanding of the text. Especially in the fields of astrochemistry and terrestrial extremophiles but also in exoplanets and space sciences in general there is a huge body of new results that have been taken into account in this new edition. Because the entries in the Encyclopedia are in alphabetical order without regard for scientific field, this edition includes a section “Astrobiology by Discipline” which lists the entries by scientific field and subfield. This should be particularly helpful to those enquiring about astrobiology, as it illustrates the broad and detailed nature of the field.

Download or read book The Rise of Early Modern Science written by Toby E. Huff and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-06-15 with total page 399 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this revised third edition, Toby E. Huff charts the rise of early modern science within Europe, China and Islamic civilisations.

Download or read book Exploring the History of New Zealand Astronomy written by Wayne Orchiston and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-12-08 with total page 707 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dr. Orchiston is a foremost authority on the subject of New Zealand astronomy, and here are the collected papers of his fruitful studies in this area, including both those published many years ago and new material. The papers herein review traditional Maori astronomy, examine the appearance of nautical astronomy practiced by Cook and his astronomers on their various stopovers in New Zealand during their three voyagers to the South Seas, and also explore notable nineteenth century New Zealand observatories historically, from significant telescopes now located in New Zealand to local and international observations made during the 1874 and 1882 transits of Venus and the nineteenth and twentieth century preoccupation of New Zealand amateur astronomers with comets and meteors. New Zealand astronomy has a truly rich history, extending from the Maori civilization in pre-European times through to the years when explorers and navigators discovered the region, up to pioneering research on the newly emerging field of radio astronomy during WWII and in the immediate post-war years. A complete survey of a neglected but rich national astronomical history, this does the subject full and comprehensive justice.

Download or read book John Tebbutt written by Wayne Orchiston and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-11-15 with total page 586 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book marks the centennial of Tebbutt's death with a major biographical account surveying his scientific contributions to astronomy, prefaced with a foreword by Sir Patrick Moore. During the second half of the nineteenth century, Tebbutt was Australia's foremost astronomer. He devoted his time and funds to astronomy, and built a truly international reputation that far surpassed Australia's leading professional astronomers of the day. This book marks the centennial of Tebbutt's death with a major biographical account. Tebbutt's remarkable record of achievement extends over more than half a century. Orchiston's book covers the whole of Tebbutt's career, from his yearly observatory reports and comet discoveries to his time as the first president of Sydney's branch of the British Astronomical Association.