PDF-(READ)-The Copernican Revolution: Planetary Astronomy in the Development of Western Thought

For scientist and layman alike this book provides vivid evidence that the Copernican Revolution has by no means lost its significance today Few episodes in the development of scientific theory show so clearly how the solution to a highly technical problem can alter our basic thought processes and attitudes Understanding the processes which underlay the Revolution gives us a perspective in this scientific age from which to evaluate our own beliefs more intelligently With a constant keen awareness of the inseparable mixture of its technical philosophical and humanistic elements Thomas S Kuhn displays the full scope of the Copernican Revolution as simultaneously an episode in the internal development of astronomy a critical turning point in the evolution of scientific thought and a crisis in Western mans concept of his relation to the universe and to GodThe book begins with a description of the first scientific cosmology developed by the Greeks Mr Kuhn thus prepares the way for a continuing analysis of the relation between theory and observation and belief He describes the many functionsastronomical scientific and nonscientificof the Greek concept of the universe concentrating especially on the religious implications He then treats the intellectual social and economic developments which nurtured Copernicus break with traditional astronomy Although many of these developments including scholastic criticism of Aristotles theory of motion and the Renaissance revival of Neoplatonism lie entirely outside of astronomy they increased the flexibility of the astronomers imagination That new flexibility is apparent in the work of Copernicus whose De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres is discussed in detail both for its own significance and as a representative scientific innovationWith a final analysis of Copernicus life workits reception and its contribution to a new scientific concept of the universeMr Kuhn illuminates both the researches that finally made the heliocentric arrangement work and the achievements in physics and metaphysics that made the planetary earth an integral part of Newtonian science These are the developments that once again provided man with a coherent and selfconsistent conception of the universe and of his own place in itThis is a book for any reader interested in the evolution of ideas and in particular in the curious interplay of hypothesis and experiment which is the essence of modern science Says James Bryant Conant in his Foreword Professor Kuhns handling of the subject merits attention forhe points the way to the road which must be followed if science is to be assimilated into the culture of our times. Planetary Precession We have seen above how information concerning the distribution of density within a planet (in particular, the polar moment of inertia factor, C/MRwe can also obtain such informat Exam 1 will be returned . Monday?. Exam 2 is . scheduled for . Monday . March . 31 (a month away. ). Tentatively will cover . the rest of . Chapter 5 (Kepler, Galileo and Descartes), all of Chapters 6 & 7 . Fundamental. . Astrophysics. Definition. . and . purpose. Astronomy. . appeared. a . few. . thousand. . years. . ago. as a . descriptive. . “. science. ” . on. . the. position and . motion. Chapter 1.5. What is a revolution?. What do the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Scientific Revolution all have in common?. The . S. cientific Revolution covers some major areas. Astronomy. Scientific reasoning. WHAT IS ASTRONOMY?. Astronomy – the study of the universe. Astronomy? Impossible to understand and madness to investigate.. — Sophocles, c. 420 BCE. Rotation: The turning of the Earth on its own axis. (and a bit about graphs). Sections 3.1-3.3. Nicholas Copernicus. 19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543. Sees that Ptolemaic system both inaccurate and overly complex.. Proposes a simpler . sun-centered system . And How Imitation . is . T. he . Greatest Form of Flattery. The Industrial Revolution was a significant turning point in world history. During the Industrial Revolution, machines were used to manufacture goods. The Age of Steam. What was the Industrial Revolution?. Was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in. agriculture,. manufacturing, . mining, . transport, and . technology . It had a profound effect on the socioeconomic and cultural conditions starting in the United Kingdom, then subsequently spreading throughout Europe, North America, and eventually the world.. 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. Planetary Surface Processes is the first advanced textbook to cover the full range of geologic processes that shape the surfaces of planetary-scale bodies. Using a modern, quantitative approach, this book reconsiders geologic processes outside the traditional terrestrial context. It highlights processes that are contingent upon Earth\'s unique circumstances and processes that are universal. For example, it shows explicitly that equations predicting the velocity of a river are dependent on gravity: traditional geomorphology textbooks fail to take this into account. This textbook is a one-stop source of information on planetary surface processes, providing readers with the necessary background to interpret new data from NASA, ESA and other space missions. Based on a course taught by the author at the University of Arizona for 25 years, it is aimed at advanced students, and is also an invaluable resource for researchers, professional planetary scientists and space-mission engineers. Stargazing: Photographs of the Night Sky from the Archives of NASA is a photographic collection of the night sky\'s most extraordinary phenomena.These images from the archives of NASA reveal stunning photos of the cosmos, from radiant aurora borealis to awe-inspiring lunar eclipses.Complete with a preface by Bill Nye, this collection of photographs perfectly captures the wonder of looking up at the night sky.• Each breathtaking photo is paired with an informative caption about the scientific phenomena it reveals and the technology used to capture it• Beautiful on display on the coffee table• A go-to gift for both serious and casual stargazersThis collection of photographs illuminates the darkness of space in a whole new way.Blending art and science, the magnificent images of Stargazing captures the imagination of anyone interested in astronomy, travel, photography, and space exploration.• The only book from NASA that focuses solely on the night sky• A perfect gift for space lovers, stargazers, science geeks, scientists, parents, students, recent graduates, photographers and photography lovers, and NASA fans• Great for those who loved Earth and Space: Photographs from the Archives of NASA by Nirmala Nataraj, Infinite Wonder: An Astronaut\'s Photographs from a Year in Space by Scott Kelly, and The Hubble Cosmos: 25 Years of New Vistas in Space by David H. Devorkin and Robert W. Smith Comprehensive, authoritative coverage of interferometric techniques for radio astronomy In this Second Edition of Interferometry and Synthesis in Radio Astronomy, three leading figures in the development of large imaging arrays, including very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI), describe and explain the technology that provides images of the universe with an angular resolution as fine as 1/20,000 of an arcsecond. This comprehensive volume begins with a historical review followed by detailed coverage of the theory of interferometry and synthesis imaging, analysis of interferometer response, geometrical relationships, polarimetry, antennas, and arrays. Discussion of the receiving system continues with analysis of the response to signals and noise, analog design requirements, and digital signal processing. The authors detail special requirements of VLBI including atomic frequency standards, broadband recording systems, and antennas in orbit. Further major topics include: * Calibration of data and synthesis of images* Image enhancement using nonlinear algorithms* Techniques for astrometry and geodesy* Propagation in the neutral atmosphere and ionized media* Radio interference* Related techniques: intensity interferometry, moon occultations, antenna holography, and optical interferometry Interferometry and Synthesis in Radio Astronomy, Second Edition is comprehensive in that it provides an excellent overview of most radio astronomical instrumentation and techniques. 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. Newly revised edition of Professor Crowe\'s accessible, enlightening book re-creates the change from an earth-centered to a sun-centered conception of the solar system. The work is organized around a hypothetical debate: Given the evidence available in 1615, which system (Ptolemaic, Copernican, Tychonic, etc.) was most deserving of support?