A History of Astronomy - Brossura

Pannekoek, Anton

Brossura

ISBN 10: 0486659941 ISBN 13: 9780486659947

Casa editrice: Dover Pubns, 2003

Riassunto

“A carefully reasoned history of astronomy ... clearly the work of a man who loved his subject.” — The Times (London) Literary Supplement.
Few histories of astronomy offer the special human dimension of this book. For Professor Pannekoek (University of Amsterdam), the history of astronomy consists of the growth of man’s concept of his world. The study of the cosmos became an essential part of the history of human culture, an adventure of the mind.
In this well-balanced account of that adventure, the author is at pains to relate the development of astronomy to the social and cultural background in which it is nurtured. Thus, the effect of changes in political conditions, the influence of geography, and the growth of industry and of communications methods are clearly and incisively described.
Dr. Pannekoek begins with an unusually detailed account of astronomy in ancient times, including Babylonian sky-lore, Assyrian astrology, the Ptolemaic worldview, Hellenistic astronomy, the epicycle theory, and Arabian astronomy. The growth of astronomy after Copernicus constitutes the second part of the book, acquainting the reader with the epoch-making work of Kepler and Newton and the astonishing developments of celestial mechanics during the eighteenth century. Part III begins with Herschel, the gifted amateur whose observations opened up new horizons, and ends with Eddington’s pioneering studies of the internal constitutions of stars.
Comprehensive, well-written and full of small, revealing details that attest to the scope and depth of the author’s learning, this splendid survey belongs in the library of every astronomer — or anyone interested in the grand mystery of the cosmos and man’s attempts to penetrate it.

Su questo libro

Contenuti:

INTRODUCTION PART ONE: ASTRONOMY IN THE ANCIENT WORLD 1. Life and the Stars 2. Agriculture and the Calendar 3. Old Babylonian Sky-Lore 4. Assyrian Astrology 5. New-Babylonian Science 6. Chaldean Tables 7. Egypt 8. China 9. Greet Poets and Philosophers 10. Calendar and Geometry 11. Systems of World Structure 12 Hellenistic Astronomy 13. The Epicycle Theory 14. The Close of Antiquity 15. Arabian Astronomy PART TWO: ASTRONOMY IN REVOLUTION 16. Dark Europe 17. The Renascence of Science 18. Copernicus 19. Astronomical Computing 20. Tycho Brahe 21. The Reform of the Calendar 22. The Struggle over the World System 23. Kepler 24. Mechanics and Philosophy 25. The Telescope 26. Newton 27. Practical Astronomy 28. Astronomers on the Move 29. Refined Practice 30. Refined Theory PART THREE: ASTRONOMY SURVEYING THE UNIVERSE 31. The World Widens 32. The Technical Basis 33. Distances and Dimensions 34. Celestial Mechanics 35. Plurality of Worlds 36. Cosmogony and Evolution 37. The Sun 38. Passing Luminaries 39. Peculiar Stars 40. Common Stars 41. The Galactic System 42. Into Endless Space 43. The Life of the Stars APPENDICES REFERENCES INDEX

Product Description:

Well-balanced, carefully reasoned study relates astronomy to political, social conditions of the day. Part I covers ancient astronomy, including Ptolemaic theory; Part II discusses Copernicus, Kepler, Newton, laws of celestial mechanics. Part III covers modern developments up to work of Eddington. Author saw astronomy as an adventure of the mind. Illustrated.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Dover Pubns
• Data di pubblicazione: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0486659941
• ISBN 13: 9780486659947
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero di pagine: 521