The History of Astronomy

by Couper, Heather

• ISBN13: 9781554073252
• ISBN10: 1554073251
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-10-12
• Publisher: Firefly Books Ltd

Summary

Packed with color photographs, this compelling volume chronicles the history of astronomy.This extraordinary book traces the stories of humans interacting with the endless wonders of the night sky, beginning with the earliest superstitions and continuing through to the birth and development of the science of astronomy.The authors, both expert astronomers, researched 29 locations worldwide, from Beijing's ancient observatory to the observatory in Puerto Rico that searches for alien radio signals. They also interviewed 26 of the world's most esteemed astronomers, including Stephen Hawking.Comprehensive in scope, The History of Astronomy covers such areas as: Australian Aborigines, Stonehenge, Polynesian navigators Egyptian, Chinese and Babylonian astronomers, the Star of Bethlehem Greek astronomers, early concepts of the Earth's shape and orbit Galileo, Copernicus, the far Universe The Solar System and the movements of the planets Newton, gravity, Halley Discovery of Uranus and Neptune, discovery and demotion of Pluto What stars are made of and why they shine Hubble, the Cosmos, new galaxies, the Big Bang Pulsars, quasars and black holes Are we alone?Through its engaging narrative and stunning full-color photography, The History of Astronomy tells a remarkable story of a subject that continues to test the limits of imagination and exploration.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Living with the Sky

Reading the Heavens

Wheels Within Wheels

The Earth Moves

The New Solar System

Beyond the Human Eye

Matters of Some Gravity

Planet Hunters

Powerhouse of the Stars

The Universe Beckons

Violent Universe

Are We Alone?

Index

Acknowledgments

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Introduction'If have seen further than certain other men, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.' So wrote Isaac Newton to his fellow scientist Robert Hooke on February 5, 1675.In one stroke, Newton summarized the whole history of astronomy. It is an edifice built on the endeavors of countless men and women through the millennia; a vast pyramid of human achievement that points towards the sky.The history of astronomy is so much more than the history of a science. It is a reflection of our culture: an insight into the development of humankind's ideas and ideals. Why else would we call the cosmic firmament 'Heaven,' and populate it with deities -- like Apollo the Sun god and Diana the Moon goddess, along with Jupiter, Venus and the other planets? Why else would we map our long-cherished legends onto the sky, making them concrete as the constellation patterns? Why else have civilizations believed that the stars dictated their lives?Our ancestors built monuments that are aligned with the heavens. From Stonehenge to the great Pyramids, from the native North American structures at Chaco Canyon in New Mexico to the mysterious mounds of Bronze Age Britain, it is clear that -- in those un-light-polluted days -- the sky was as important to humanity as events on the Earth.With the passing of the centuries, we can only guess at the motivation behind these grandiose schemes: are we looking at cathedrals to the cosmos? What is certain is that almost every culture has a 'Creation myth' -- which involves the simultaneous formation of 'heaven and earth.'We are on firmer ground when we reflect on how our ancestors used the stars -- for timekeeping, calendar-making and navigation at sea. Even today, a small cadre of Polynesian sailors are following in the footsteps of their forebears, who, around 2000BC, started to explore the myriad islands of the Pacific Ocean, using guidance from the heavens.'When beggars die, there are no comets seen; the heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes.' In Act II of Julius Caesar, Shakespeare encapsulated our other fascination with the sky: that heavenly events reflected life on Earth. The ancient Chinese believed that the sky was literally the mirror of the Earth, and that an unwelcome comet or exploding star indicated rebellion in the provinces. Astronomy and astrology were intertwined until the seventeenth century -- when science kicked in.The Greeks were the first to look to the sky with a scientific eye. How big was the Earth? How far away was the Sun? Does the Sun travel around the Earth, or the Earth around the Sun? How far does our cosmos extend? But with the demise of Greek civilization, the rationalist approach to the heavens virtually died. The flame was kept alive for a thousand years in Arab lands.Then, in the 16th century, came the first great revolution in astronomy. The Polish canon Nicolaus Copernicus realized that it was easier to explain the motions of the heavens if he dethroned the Earth from its central position, and made it orbit the Sun.The scene was now set for astronomy to change forever. In 1609, Galileo Galilei turned his 'optick tube' -- the newly-invented telescope -- towards the sky. Galileo made bold of his findings: that the Earth circled the Sun, and that the heavenly bodies were not perfect. The Moon was pocked with craters; and the Sun was spotty.His forthright rebuttal of church doctrine led to Galileo being place under house arrest. But his legacy in astronomy and mechanics inspired a young Englishman, Isaac Newton, who was born in the year that Galileo died.With his formidable mathematical brain, Newton worked out why bodies in space moved in the way they do: there was a new force to be reckoned with -- gravity. At last, astronomers could calculate what was going on in the Universe, rather than just predict the future on what had happened in the past.From Newton's