The History of Astronomy
(Part of the Oxford's Very Short Introductions series Series and Very Short Introductions (#88) Series)
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Book Overview
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.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0192803069
ISBN13:9780192803061
Release Date:July 2003
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Length:144 Pages
Weight:0.29 lbs.
Dimensions:0.4" x 4.4" x 7.1"
Customer Reviews
2 ratings
A lucid overview
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
Lucid overview of the development of astronomy as a science, from ancient times till the mid-19th century.
Centuries of Astronomy in 123 Pages
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
This is an excellent short history of developments in astronomy from prehistory to the 19th century. And there is perhaps no one better suited than Michael Hoskin to write it: he is the editor of the `Cambridge Illustrated History of Astronomy'; he has also been the long-standing editor of the `Journal for the History of Astronomy.' He if anyone can distill millennia of stargazing to under 125 pages. The six short chapters cover the sky in prehistory, astronomy in antiquity, astronomy in the middle ages, the Copernican revolution, astronomy in the age of Newton, and developments in stellar and nebular astronomy (looking beyond our solar system). The book also provides a number of useful illustrations. This is a great primer, a perfect pocket introduction to the history of astronomy.
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