eBook PDF Download Digital Library
Author: Tom VanDamme
Publisher:
Published: 2014-04
Total Pages: 118
ISBN-13: 9780983139157
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Early Astronomical Measurement I is the fourth book of a series created by Falling Apple Science. In this book we learn how people discovered the size of Earth, the Sun, and the Moon and find out how to do the calculations for yourself.
Author: Hugh Thurston
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Published: 2012-12-06
Total Pages: 277
ISBN-13: 146124322X
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →People must have watched the skies from time immemorial. Human beings have always shown intellectual curiosity in abundance, and before the invention of modern distractions people had more time-and more mental energy-to devote to stargazing than we have. Megaliths, Chinese oracle bones, Babylonian clay tablets, and Mayan glyphs all yield evi dence of early peoples' interest in the skies. To understand early astronomy we need to be familiar with various phenomena that could-and still can-be seen in the sky. For instance, it seems that some early people were interested in the points on the horizon where the moon rises or sets and marked the directions of these points with megaliths. These directions go through a complicated cycle-much more complicated than the cycle of the phases of the moon from new to full and back to new, and more complicated than the cycle of the rising and setting directions of the sun. Other peoples were interested in the irregular motions of the planets and in the way in which the times of rising of the various stars varied through the year, so we need to know about these phenomena, i. e. , about retrogression and about heliacal rising, to usc the technical terms. The book opens with an explanation of these matters. Early astronomers did more than just gaze in awe at the heavenly bodies; they tried to understand the complex details of their movements. By 300 H. C.
Author: Asger Aaboe
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Published: 2011-06-27
Total Pages: 187
ISBN-13: 1461301092
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Phenomena in the heavens are of great importance to many, and much of the lore of astronomy and astrology dates back to the earliest days of civilisation. The astronomy of the ancients is thus of interest not only as history but also as the basis for much of what is known or believed about the heavens today. This book discusses important topics in Babylonian and Greek astronomy.
Author: James J Kolata
Publisher: Morgan & Claypool Publishers
Published: 2015-12-01
Total Pages: 155
ISBN-13: 1681741644
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Cosmology is the study of the origin, size, and evolution of the entire universe. Every culture has developed a cosmology, whether it be based on religious, philosophical, or scientific principles. In this book, the evolution of the scientific understanding of the Universe in Western tradition is traced from the early Greek philosophers to the most modern 21st century view. After a brief introduction to the concept of the scientific method, the first part of the book describes the way in which detailed observations of the Universe, first with the naked eye and later with increasingly complex modern instruments, ultimately led to the development of the "Big Bang" theory. The second part of the book traces the evolution of the Big Bang including the very recent observation that the expansion of the Universe is itself accelerating with time.
Author: Sir Robert Wilson
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 2017-03-14
Total Pages: 335
ISBN-13: 1400887518
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →When astronomers today look up at the night sky they picture a spectacular and infinite universe--full of pulsars, quasars, and black holes and ruled by arcane laws of space and time. Once, ancient astronomers looked up and saw only points of light tracing calm movements across the heavens. But they too were moved to wonder about the meaning of what they saw. In Astronomy through the Ages, Sir Robert Wilson tells the story of how our understanding of the universe has evolved through history--of how the sedate and stable star field of ancient times has been replaced by the vast and explosive universe we know today. Wilson, one of the most distinguished astronomers of the twentieth century, begins by tracing the astronomical studies of the ancient Babylonians, Egyptians, and Greeks and reviews important early contributions from India, China, and the Islamic world. He explains the development of the sun-centered model of the universe in Renaissance Europe. He then tells how the development of the telescope, photography, and spectroscopy pushed back the limits of the observable universe and eventually brought astronomy into the twentieth century. Finally, he describes the rapid advances in radio and space astronomy and other methods over the past fifty years that have ushered in a new "golden age" of astronomy. These advances have not only allowed observation of deep space but also enabled scientists to unlock the secrets of the universe itself from its origin to its possible fate. Wilson himself has played an important role in these discoveries as the developer of one of the most successful astronomical satellites ever launched, the International Ultraviolet Explorer. While focusing on the human side of astronomical discovery, Wilson also provides readers with a basic understanding of difficult concepts, explaining relativity and quantum mechanics without using technical language or mathematics. Remarkable in its scope and clarity,Astronomy through the Ages provides an accessible view of historical discoveries and modern advances and shows why excitement about astronomy is even greater today than when Galileo first gazed in wonder at the rings of Saturn. Originally published in 1998. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
Author: James Evans
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 1998-10-01
Total Pages: 495
ISBN-13: 019987445X
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy combines new scholarship with hands-on science to bring readers into direct contact with the work of ancient astronomers. While tracing ideas from ancient Babylon to sixteenth-century Europe, the book places its greatest emphasis on the Greek period, when astronomers developed the geometric and philosophical ideas that have determined the subsequent character of Western astronomy. The author approaches this history through the concrete details of ancient astronomical practice. Carefully organized and generously illustrated, the book can teach readers how to do real astronomy using the methods of ancient astronomers. For example, readers will learn to predict the next retrograde motion of Jupiter using either the arithmetical methods of the Babylonians or the geometric methods of Ptolemy. They will learn how to use an astrolabe and how to design sundials using Greek and Roman techniques. The book also contains supplementary exercises and patterns for making some working astronomical instruments, including an astrolabe and an equatorium. More than a presentation of astronomical methods, the book provides a critical look at the evidence used to reconstruct ancient astronomy. It includes extensive excerpts from ancient texts, meticulous documentation, and lively discussions of the role of astronomy in the various cultures. Accessible to a wide audience, this book will appeal to anyone interested in how our understanding of our place in the universe has changed and developed, from ancient times through the Renaissance.
Author: W. T. Sullivan
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2004
Total Pages: 436
ISBN-13: 9780521616027
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Recollection by pioneers in radio astronomy, to mark the fiftieth anniversary of extraterrestrial radio emission in 1933.
Author: Steven Soter
Publisher:
Published: 2001
Total Pages: 253
ISBN-13: 9781565846029
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Leading scientists offer a collection of essays that furnish illuminating explanations of recent discoveries in modern astrophysics--from the Big Bang to black holes--the possibility of life on other worlds, and the emerging technologies that make such research possible, accompanied by incisive profiles of such key figures as Carl Sagan and Georges Lemaetre. Original.
Author: Yulia Frumer
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published: 2018-01-18
Total Pages: 290
ISBN-13: 022651644X
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Variable hours in a changing society -- Towers, pillows, and graphs: variation in clock design -- Astronomical time measurement and changing conceptions of time -- Geodesy, cartography, and time measurement -- Navigation and global time -- Time measurement on the ground in Kaga domain -- Clock-makers at the crossroads -- Western time and the rhetoric of enlightenment
Author: Anne Rooney
Publisher: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc
Published: 2017-12-15
Total Pages: 218
ISBN-13: 1508177031
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →This volume traces humanity's exploration of the heavens from Neolithic times to NASA. Moving beyond early superstitions and cosmology, scientific study began by first making calendars and predicting astronomical events. The invention of the telescope around 1600 marked a watershed in the field of astronomy. Since the first recognition that the planets are other worlds, the wonders of space have puzzled and enthralled us. With a wealth of full-color and archival images and a compelling narrative style, this text charts our fascination with stars from before Stonehenge to the search for exoplanets and extraterrestrial life.
