PDF-(DOWNLOAD)-A History of Astronomy (Dover Books on Astronomy)

A carefully reasoned history of astronomy clearly the work of a man who loved his subject The Times London Literary SupplementFew 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 mans concept of his world The study of the cosmos became an essential part of the history of human culture an adventure of the mindIn this wellbalanced 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 describedDr Pannekoek begins with an unusually detailed account of astronomy in ancient times including Babylonian skylore 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 epochmaking 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 Eddingtons pioneering studies of the internal constitutions of starsComprehensive wellwritten and full of small revealing details that attest to the scope and depth of the authors learning this splendid survey belongs in the library of every astronomer or anyone interested in the grand mystery of the cosmos and mans attempts to penetrate it. Working Group. Report to C 40. IAU General . Asssembly. August 6, 2015. Honolulu, HI. Ken Kellermann. NRAO. Outline. Goals of the HRA WG . 2012-2015 . Triennial Report. Deceased . radio astronomers. Conferences. This special edition of Apollo Expeditions to the Moon, an official NASA publication, commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the July 20, 1969, Moon landing with a thrilling insider\'s view of the space program.  Essays by participants — engineers, astronauts, and administrators — recall the program\'s unprecedented challenges. Written in direct, jargon-free language, this compelling adventure features more than 160 dazzling color photographs and scores of black-and-white illustrations. Insights into management challenges as well as its engineering feats include contributions from Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin, Alan Shepard, and other astronauts NASA administrator James E. Webb Christopher C. Kraft, head of the Mission Control Center and engineer Wernher von Braun. Their informative, exciting narratives explore the issues that set the United States on the path to the Moon, offer perspectives on the program\'s legacy, and examine the particulars of individual missions. Journalist Robert Sherrod chronicles the selection and training of astronauts. James Lovell, commander of the ill-fated Apollo 13, recounts the damaged ship\'s dramatic return to Earth. Geologist and Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt discusses the lunar expeditions\' rich harvest of scientific information. These and other captivating firsthand accounts form an ideal introduction to the historic U.S. space program as well as fascinating reading for all ages. This new expanded edition includes a chronology of the Apollo project, additional photographs, and a new Foreword by historian Paul Dickson that offers a modern retrospective of the Moon landing, discussing its place in the world of space exploration and its impact on American history and culture.   This official NASA history chronicles the behind-the-scenes conflicts and cooperation during the Apollo expeditions. It shows how the space agency\'s scientists, who were primarily interested in the Moon itself, worked out their differences with the engineers, who were charged with the astronauts\' safe landing and return. The close collaboration between the scientists and engineers ensured the success of a program that remains a major achievement for both fields. The first half of the book concerns the preparations for the Moon landings, tracing the development of the Apollo science program from the earliest days. The second half documents the flights that followed Apollo 11, during which twelve astronauts explored the lunar surface and returned with samples for investigation. The author drew upon the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center\'s collection of more than 31,000 Apollo-related documents and conducted more than 300 interviews with program participants to assemble this definitive survey. America\'s first successful attempt at robotic lunar exploration, the nine Project Ranger missions culminated in close-up television images of the moon\'s surface. Sponsored by NASA and executed by the Jet Propulsion Lab, the project ran from 1959 to 1965. This official NASA publication, illustrated by more than 100 photographs, presents the program\'s complete history. Written by a trio of experts, this is the definitive reference on the Apollo spacecraft and lunar modules. It traces the design of the vehicles, their development, and their operation in space. More than 100 photographs and illustrations highlight the text, which begins with NASA\'s origins and concludes with the triumphant Apollo 11 moon mission. Astronomy as a science began with the Ionian philosophers, with whom Greek philosophy and mathematics also began. While the Egyptians and Babylonians had accomplished much of astronomical worth, it remained for the unrivalled speculative genius of the Greeks, in particular, their mathematical genius, to lay the foundations of the true science of astronomy. In this classic study, a noted scholar discusses in lucid detail the specific advances made by the Greeks, many of whose ideas anticipated the discoveries of modern astronomy.Pythagoras, born at Samos about 572 B.C., was probably the first to hold that the earth is spherical in shape, while his later followers anticipated Copernicus with the then-startling hypothesis that the earth was not the center of the universe but a planet like the others. Heraclides of Pontus (c. 388–315 B.C.), a pupil of Plato, declared that the apparent daily rotation of the heavenly bodies is due, not to a rotation of the heavenly sphere about an axis through the center of the earth, but to the rotation of the earth itself around its own axis. Secondly, Heraclides discovered that Venus and Mercury revolve around the sun like satellites. Perhaps the greatest astronomer of antiquity was Hipparchus, who flourished between 161 and 126 B.C. He compiled a catalog of fixed stars to the number 850 or more, made great improvements in the instruments used for astronomical observations, and discovered the precession of the equinoxes, among other accomplishments. The astronomy of Hipparchus takes its definitive form in the Syntaxis (commonly called the Almagest) of Ptolemy, written about A.D. 150, which held the field until the time of Copernicus.The extraordinary achievements of these and many more Greek theorists are given full coverage in this erudite account, which blends exceptional clarity with a readable style to produce a work that is not only indispensable for astronomers and historians of science but easily accessible to science-minded lay readers. This special edition of Apollo Expeditions to the Moon, an official NASA publication, commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the July 20, 1969, Moon landing with a thrilling insider\'s view of the space program.  Essays by participants — engineers, astronauts, and administrators — recall the program\'s unprecedented challenges. Written in direct, jargon-free language, this compelling adventure features more than 160 dazzling color photographs and scores of black-and-white illustrations. Insights into management challenges as well as its engineering feats include contributions from Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin, Alan Shepard, and other astronauts NASA administrator James E. Webb Christopher C. Kraft, head of the Mission Control Center and engineer Wernher von Braun. Their informative, exciting narratives explore the issues that set the United States on the path to the Moon, offer perspectives on the program\'s legacy, and examine the particulars of individual missions. Journalist Robert Sherrod chronicles the selection and training of astronauts. James Lovell, commander of the ill-fated Apollo 13, recounts the damaged ship\'s dramatic return to Earth. Geologist and Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt discusses the lunar expeditions\' rich harvest of scientific information. These and other captivating firsthand accounts form an ideal introduction to the historic U.S. space program as well as fascinating reading for all ages. This new expanded edition includes a chronology of the Apollo project, additional photographs, and a new Foreword by historian Paul Dickson that offers a modern retrospective of the Moon landing, discussing its place in the world of space exploration and its impact on American history and culture.   This official NASA history chronicles the behind-the-scenes conflicts and cooperation during the Apollo expeditions. It shows how the space agency\'s scientists, who were primarily interested in the Moon itself, worked out their differences with the engineers, who were charged with the astronauts\' safe landing and return. The close collaboration between the scientists and engineers ensured the success of a program that remains a major achievement for both fields. The first half of the book concerns the preparations for the Moon landings, tracing the development of the Apollo science program from the earliest days. The second half documents the flights that followed Apollo 11, during which twelve astronauts explored the lunar surface and returned with samples for investigation. The author drew upon the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center\'s collection of more than 31,000 Apollo-related documents and conducted more than 300 interviews with program participants to assemble this definitive survey. Astronomy Across Cultures: A History of Non-Western Astronomy consists of essays dealing with the astronomical knowledge and beliefs of cultures outside the United States and Europe. In addition to articles surveying Islamic, Chinese, Native American, Aboriginal Australian, Polynesian, Egyptian and Tibetan astronomy, among others, the book includes essays on Sky Tales and Why We Tell Them and Astronomy and Prehistory, and Astronomy and Astrology. The essays address the connections between science and culture and relate astronomical practices to the cultures which produced them. Each essay is well illustrated and contains an extensive bibliography. Because the geographic range is global, the book fills a gap in both the history of science and in cultural studies. It should find a place on the bookshelves of advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, and scholars, as well as in libraries serving those groups. It should be read by anyone even remotely interested in the long saga of the universe\'s profound and lasting influence on mankind’s development. — New ScientistA grand book. — Publishers WeeklyDr. Krupp teaches us once more to look up at the stars and marvel. — Ray BradburyThe intriguing world of archaeoastronomy — the study of ancient peoples\' observations of the skies and the impact of what they saw on their cultural evolution — is the focus of this eminently readable and authoritative survey. Author E. C. Krupp, an astronomer, is the director of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California. He is one of the world\'s greatest experts on archaeoastronomy, and the author of numerous books including Beyond the Blue Horizon (1992) and In Search of Ancient Astronomies (1978). His interpretations of sky-watching customs from around the world range from everyday pursuits such as measuring time and calculating planting seasons to philosophical issues concerning the role of humanity within the larger context of the universe.Beginning with an explanation of how the sky works and how people have relied upon its guidance for centuries, Dr. Krupp explores ancient and prehistoric observatories, from sites in China and Babylonia to Scotland and Peru. He relates sky god mythology from many cultures, discusses astronomy\'s influence on funerary rites and other vigils and rituals, and profiles sacred places such as Stonehenge and the kivas of the American Southwest. An extraordinary interdisciplinary work of investigation and discovery, this book offers a compelling portrait of the ancient stargazers, their beliefs, and their customs. 208 illustrations. Bibliography. Index.This remarkable book, written by one of the greatest experts on archaeoastronomy is packed with valuable information. — Message to Eagle Written by a trio of experts, this is the definitive reference on the Apollo spacecraft and lunar modules. It traces the design of the vehicles, their development, and their operation in space. More than 100 photographs and illustrations highlight the text, which begins with NASA\'s origins and concludes with the triumphant Apollo 11 moon mission. A masterpiece of historical insight and scientific accuracy, this is the definitive work on Greek astronomy and the Copernican Revolution. Beginning with the ancient Egyptians, it ranges from the Pythagoreans and Plato to medieval European and Islamic cosmologies, concluding with detailed surveys of the works of Copernicus, Brahe, and Kepler. Written by a trio of experts, this is the definitive reference on the Apollo spacecraft and lunar modules. It traces the design of the vehicles, their development, and their operation in space. More than 100 photographs and illustrations highlight the text, which begins with NASA\'s origins and concludes with the triumphant Apollo 11 moon mission. Written by a trio of experts, this is the definitive reference on the Apollo spacecraft and lunar modules. It traces the design of the vehicles, their development, and their operation in space. More than 100 photographs and illustrations highlight the text, which begins with NASA\'s origins and concludes with the triumphant Apollo 11 moon mission.