| Title: | Astronomy through the ages : the story of the human attempt to understand the universe |
| Authors: | Robert Wilson |
| Material Type: | book |
| Publisher: | [S.l.] : Princeton University Press, 1997 |
| ISBN / ISSN / EAN : | 691058369 |
| Size: | 25 cm |
| Bibliography note: | Includes bibliographical references and index |
| Languages: | English |
| Subjects: | Astronomy--History ; History |
| Description: |
The fascinating and widely popular subject of astronomy is introduced in this engaging book in an unusually accessible way. In an historical perspective , warmly enriched by the special attention paid to the lives of the individuals involved, Professor Sir Robert Wilson presents an entirely non-mathematical introduction to astronomy from the first endeavours of the ancients to the latest exciting developments in research enbled by cutting-edge technological advances. The book starts with the first serious observations by the Babylonians in 5000 BC (driven by astrology), then the Egyptians, followed by the great intellectual revolution of the Ancient Greeks in the first millennium BC, which defined the basis of astronomy (and science in general) for 2000 years. The second great intellectual explosion had to wait until the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries, when the basis for modern science and astronomy was established. The invention of the telescope in that era initiated a new age in astronomy, which saw the limit of the observable Universe pushed back and back until its remarkable extent was finally established in the early twentieth century. The developments in radio and space astronomy after the Second World War then revealed a more violent Universe, with new and exciting objects, and established information on which the first reasonable theories could be developed on the origin, nature and evolution of the Universe. Free of mathematics and complex graphs, the book nevertheless explains with great care and clarity deep concepts of space and time, of relativity and quantum mechanics, and of the origin and nature of the Universe. Arising out of a course for non-science students, it is presented as a story of human investigations into astronomy through the ages and it encompasses many more topics than a course would cover. It conveys not only the intrinsic fascination of the subject, but also its human side and the scientific method practised by Kepler, defined and elucidated by Galileo, and then brilliantly demonstrated by Newton. The book is sure to appeal widely to everyone with an interest in astronomy and the history of scientific endeavour. |
| Permalink: | https://isulibrary.isunet.edu/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=2890 |
Copies in the Library (1)
| Barcode | Call number | Media type | Location | Section | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 005846 | QB15.W56 1997 | Book | ISU Central Campus library | Closed-stack | Available |
