Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.
Frequently Bought Together
Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought
Cosmology: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) by Peter Coles |
The History of Time: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) by Leofranc Holford-Strevens |
Quantum Theory: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) by John Polkinghorne |
Galaxies: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) by John Gribbin |
Particle Physics: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) by Frank Close |
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Product Description
Product Description
Astronomy, perhaps the first of the sciences, was already well developed by the time of Christ. Seventeen centuries later, after Newton showed that the movements of the planets could be explained in terms of gravitation, it became the paradigm for the mathematical sciences. In the nineteenth century the analysis of star-light allowed astrophysicists to determine both the chemical composition and the radial velocities of celestial bodies, while the development of photography enabled distant objects invisible to the human eye, to be studied and measured in comfort. Technical developments during and since the Second World War have greatly enlarged the scope of the science by permitting the study of radiation. This is a fascinating introduction to the history of Western astronomy, from prehistoric times to the origins of astrophysics in the mid-nineteenth century. Historical records are first found in Babylon and Egypt, and after two millennia the arithmetical astronomy of the Babylonians merged with the Greek geometrical approach to culminate in the Almagest of Ptolemy. This legacy was transmitted to the Latin West via Islam, and led to Copernicus's claim that the Earth is in motion. In justifying this Kepler converted astronomy into a branch of dynamics, leading to Newton's universal law of gravity. The book concludes with eighteenth- and nineteenth-century applications of Newton's law, and the first explorations of the universe of stars.
About the Author
Michael Hoskin taught History of Astronomy at Cambridge University for thirty years and was head of the Department of History and Philosophy of Science. He is a Fellow of Churchill College and Emeritus Fellow of St Edmund's College, Cambridge. In 1970 he founded the Journal for the History of Astronomy, which he has edited ever since. He is a former President of the History of Astronomy Commission of the International Astronomical Union, and the only historian to have given
an Invited Discourse to the Union. In 2002 the Union named Minor Planet 12223 'Hoskin' in his honour.
Astronomy, perhaps the first of the sciences, was already well developed by the time of Christ. Seventeen centuries later, after Newton showed that the movements of the planets could be explained in terms of gravitation, it became the paradigm for the mathematical sciences. In the nineteenth century the analysis of star-light allowed astrophysicists to determine both the chemical composition and the radial velocities of celestial bodies, while the development of photography enabled distant objects invisible to the human eye, to be studied and measured in comfort. Technical developments during and since the Second World War have greatly enlarged the scope of the science by permitting the study of radiation. This is a fascinating introduction to the history of Western astronomy, from prehistoric times to the origins of astrophysics in the mid-nineteenth century. Historical records are first found in Babylon and Egypt, and after two millennia the arithmetical astronomy of the Babylonians merged with the Greek geometrical approach to culminate in the Almagest of Ptolemy. This legacy was transmitted to the Latin West via Islam, and led to Copernicus's claim that the Earth is in motion. In justifying this Kepler converted astronomy into a branch of dynamics, leading to Newton's universal law of gravity. The book concludes with eighteenth- and nineteenth-century applications of Newton's law, and the first explorations of the universe of stars.
About the Author
Michael Hoskin taught History of Astronomy at Cambridge University for thirty years and was head of the Department of History and Philosophy of Science. He is a Fellow of Churchill College and Emeritus Fellow of St Edmund's College, Cambridge. In 1970 he founded the Journal for the History of Astronomy, which he has edited ever since. He is a former President of the History of Astronomy Commission of the International Astronomical Union, and the only historian to have given
an Invited Discourse to the Union. In 2002 the Union named Minor Planet 12223 'Hoskin' in his honour.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
Historians of astronomy work mainly with the surviving documents from the past (fragmentary in quantity from antiquity, overwhelmingly bulky from recent times), and with artefacts such as instruments and observatory buildings. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Historians of astronomy work mainly with the surviving documents from the past (fragmentary in quantity from antiquity, overwhelmingly bulky from recent times), and with artefacts such as instruments and observatory buildings. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?
 |
74% buy the item featured on this page: The History of Astronomy: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)£7.19 |
 |
11% buy Philosophy of Science: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) £5.99 |
 |
10% buy Galaxies: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) £5.49 |
 |
5% buy Chaos: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) £5.99 |
Customer Reviews
There are no customer reviews yet. Create your own review
| |||
Video reviews
|
 |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > History > Other Historical Subjects > History of Science
- Books > Science & Nature > Astronomy & Cosmology > Astronomy > Popular Astronomy
- Books > Science & Nature > Astronomy & Cosmology > Space Travel & Exploration
- Books > Science & Nature > Mathematics > Popular Maths
- Books > Scientific, Technical & Medical > Astronomy & Cosmology > Astronomy
- Books > Scientific, Technical & Medical > Astronomy & Cosmology > Space Travel & Exploration
- Books > Study Books > Undergraduate & Postgraduate > Arts & Humanities > History > By Series > Very Short Introductions
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
Babylon to Voyager and Beyond: A...
Babylon to Voyager and Beyond covers planetary research from the time...
Read more
|
Beauty without the Beast |
Treat Someone
With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is). |
||||||||
| |||||
Your Recent History
(What's this?)|
You have no recently viewed items or searches.
After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session. |
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
| ||||
Amazon Home | |
| International Sites: United States | Germany | France | Japan | Canada | China | |
| Business Programs: Sell on Amazon | Fulfilment by Amazon | Join Associates | Join Advantage | |
| Customer Service | Help | View Basket | Your Account | |
| About Amazon.co.uk | Careers at Amazon | |
| Conditions of Use & Sale | Privacy Notice © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates |