The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy

The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy PDF Author: James Evans
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019987445X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 495

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Book Description
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.

The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy

The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy PDF Author: James Evans
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019987445X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 495

Get Book

Book Description
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.

A History of Astronomy

A History of Astronomy PDF Author: Anton Pannekoek
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 0486659941
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 562

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Book Description
Well-balanced, carefully reasoned study covers such topics as Ptolemaic theory, work of Copernicus, Kepler, Newton, Eddington's work on stars, much more. Illustrated. References.

Astronomy in Ancient Times

Astronomy in Ancient Times PDF Author: Richard Hantula
Publisher: Gareth Stevens Publishing LLLP
ISBN: 9780836839784
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 36

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Book Description
Discusses how people studied astronomy in the past and what they used their observations for.

The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy

The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy PDF Author: James Evans
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 9780195095395
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 510

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Book Description
Birth of astronomy -- Celestial sphere -- Some applications of spherics -- Calendars and time reckoning -- Solar theory -- Fixed stars -- Planetary theory -- Frequently used tables -- Appendix : patterns for models.

History of Indian Astronomy: The Siamese Manuscript

History of Indian Astronomy: The Siamese Manuscript PDF Author: Anil Narayanan
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 1483496325
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 470

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Book Description
The Siamese Manuscript holds the distinction of being the very first document relating to Indian Astronomy to reach Europe in a pristine form. Some fragments of Indian Astronomy had undoubtedly reached Europe in earlier times, but those tidbits were likely received in a highly altered form due to difficulties in translation, and the so-called cultural barrier. The Siamese Manuscript helped overcome this barrier by being a compendium of Indian astronomical knowledge in plain Siamese. The timing of the arrival of the manuscript in Europe was significant. After a couple hundred years the Renaissance was finally bearing fruit, and European intellectual prowess was at a peak. The deeper principles of Indian Astronomy, which had gone over the heads of the Greeks and the Arabs who first encountered them, could now be fully understood and appreciated for the first time by people outside India.

Astronomy in Ancient Times

Astronomy in Ancient Times PDF Author: Isaac Asimov
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 32

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Book Description


Understanding Our Universe (Third Edition)

Understanding Our Universe (Third Edition) PDF Author: Stacy Palen
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780393631760
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 576

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Book Description


Exploring Ancient Skies

Exploring Ancient Skies PDF Author: David H. Kelley
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 038726356X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 623

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Book Description
Exploring Ancient Skies brings together the methods of archaeology and the insights of modern astronomy to explore the science of astronomy as it was practiced in various cultures prior to the invention of the telescope. The book reviews an enormous and growing body of literature on the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean, the Far East, and the New World (particularly Mesoamerica), putting the ancient astronomical materials into their archaeological and cultural contexts. The authors begin with an overview of the field and proceed to essential aspects of naked-eye astronomy, followed by an examination of specific cultures. The book concludes by taking into account the purposes of ancient astronomy: astrology, navigation, calendar regulation, and (not least) the understanding of our place and role in the universe. Skies are recreated to display critical events as they would have appeared to ancient observers - events such as the supernova of 1054, the 'lion horoscope' or the 'Star of Bethlehem.' Exploring Ancient Skies provides a comprehensive overview of the relationships between astronomy and other areas of human investigation. It will be useful as a reference for scholars and students in both astronomy and archaeology, and will be of compelling interest to readers who seek a broad understanding of our collective intellectual history.

Greek Astronomy

Greek Astronomy PDF Author: Thomas L. Heath
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108062806
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
Published in 1932, this collection of translated excerpts on ancient astronomy was prepared by Sir Thomas Little Heath (1861-1940).

Hellenistic Astronomy

Hellenistic Astronomy PDF Author: Alan C. Bowen
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004400567
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 783

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Book Description
In Hellenistic Astronomy: The Science in Its Contexts, renowned scholars address questions about what the ancient science of the heavens was and the numerous contexts in which it was pursued.