Astronomy and History Selected Essays

Astronomy and History Selected Essays PDF Author: O. Neugebauer
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461255597
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 522

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Book Description
The collection of papers assembled here on a variety of topics in ancient and medieval astronomy was originally suggested by Noel Swerdlow of the University of Chicago. He was also instrumental in making a selection* which would, in general, be on the same level as my book The Exact Sciences in Antiquity. It may also provide a general background for my more technical History of Ancient Mathematical Astronomy and for my edition of Astronomi cal Cuneiform Texts. Several of these republished articles were written because I wanted to put to rest well-entrenched historical myths which could not withstand close scrutiny of the sources. Examples are the supposed astronomical origin of the Egyptian calendar (see [9]), the discovery of precession by the Babylonians [16], and the "simplification" of the Ptolemaic system in Copernicus' De Revolutionibus [40]. In all of my work I have striven to present as accurately as I could what the original sources reveal (which is often very different from the received view). Thus, in [32] discussion of the technical terminology illuminates the meaning of an ancient passage which has been frequently misused to support modern theories about ancient heliocentrism; in [33] an almost isolated instance reveals how Greek world-maps really looked; and in [43] the Alexandrian Easter computus, held in awe by many historians, is shown from Ethiopic sources to be based on very simple procedures.

Astronomy and History Selected Essays

Astronomy and History Selected Essays PDF Author: O. Neugebauer
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461255597
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 522

Get Book Here

Book Description
The collection of papers assembled here on a variety of topics in ancient and medieval astronomy was originally suggested by Noel Swerdlow of the University of Chicago. He was also instrumental in making a selection* which would, in general, be on the same level as my book The Exact Sciences in Antiquity. It may also provide a general background for my more technical History of Ancient Mathematical Astronomy and for my edition of Astronomi cal Cuneiform Texts. Several of these republished articles were written because I wanted to put to rest well-entrenched historical myths which could not withstand close scrutiny of the sources. Examples are the supposed astronomical origin of the Egyptian calendar (see [9]), the discovery of precession by the Babylonians [16], and the "simplification" of the Ptolemaic system in Copernicus' De Revolutionibus [40]. In all of my work I have striven to present as accurately as I could what the original sources reveal (which is often very different from the received view). Thus, in [32] discussion of the technical terminology illuminates the meaning of an ancient passage which has been frequently misused to support modern theories about ancient heliocentrism; in [33] an almost isolated instance reveals how Greek world-maps really looked; and in [43] the Alexandrian Easter computus, held in awe by many historians, is shown from Ethiopic sources to be based on very simple procedures.

Essays on Medieval Computational Astronomy

Essays on Medieval Computational Astronomy PDF Author: José Chabás Bergón
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004281754
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 421

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Book Description
During the Middle Ages and early modern times tables were a most successful and economical way to present mathematical procedures and astronomical models and to facilitate computations. Before the sixteenth century astronomical models introduced by Ptolemy in Antiquity were rarely challenged, and innovation consisted in elaborating new methods for calculating planetary positions and other celestial phenomena. Essays on Medieval Computational Astronomy includes twelve articles that focus on astronomical tables, offering many examples where the meaning and purpose of such tables has been determined by careful analysis. In evaluating the work of medieval scholars we are mindful of the importance of applying criteria consistent with their own time, which may be different from those appropriate for other periods.

The Stars in Their Courses

The Stars in Their Courses PDF Author: Isaac Asimov
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description


Astronomy Across Cultures

Astronomy Across Cultures PDF Author: Helaine Selin
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9401141797
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 678

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Book Description
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.

Astronomy 101

Astronomy 101 PDF Author: Carolyn Collins Petersen
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1440563608
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
Explore the curiosities of our galaxy with this comprehensive, digestible guide to astronomy! Too often, textbooks obscure the beauty and wonder of outer space with tedious discourse that even Galileo would oppose. Astronomy 101 cuts out the boring details and lengthy explanations, and instead, gives you a lesson in astronomy that keeps you engaged as you discover what's hidden beyond our starry sky. From the Big Bang and nebulae to the Milky Way and Sir Isaac Newton, this celestial primer is packed with hundreds of entertaining astronomy facts, charts, and photographs you won't be able to get anywhere else. So whether you’re looking to unravel the mystery behind black holes, or just want to learn more about your favorite planets, Astronomy 101 has all the answers—even the ones you didn’t know you were looking for.

Essays on Philosophical Subjects

Essays on Philosophical Subjects PDF Author: Adam Smith
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Astronomy
Languages : en
Pages : 468

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Book Description


The Essays of Adam Smith

The Essays of Adam Smith PDF Author: Adam Smith
Publisher: Good Press
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 1003

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Book Description
Edited by James Hutton and Joseph Black, showcases the philosophical and ethical musings of the renowned Adam Smith. This classic work invites readers to explore timeless reflections on philosophy and ethics.

Essays in Astronomy

Essays in Astronomy PDF Author: Sir John Frederic William Hershel
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781410200501
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 580

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Book Description
Authors and essays in this volume are:Sir Robert Stawell Ball: Atoms and Sunbeams -- The Wanderings of the North PoleSir William Thomson (Lord Kelvin): The Age of the Sun?s HeatRichard Anthony Proctor: The Past and Future of our EarthRobert Simpson Woodward: Mathematical Theories of the EarthGiovanni Virginio Schiaparelli: The Rotation and Physical Constitution of the Planet Mercury -- The Planet Mars George Howard Darwin: Meteorites and Stellar Systems William Harkness: Magnitude of the Solar System Ormsby McKnight Mitchel: The Stability of the Solar SystemEdmund Ledger: The New Planet, ErosEdward Singleton Holden:Sidereal Astronomy: Old and New-- Photography the Servant of Astronomy-- The Beginnings of American AstronomySir John Frederick William Herschel: Stellar ParallaxCharles S. Hastings: The History of the TelescopeWilliam Huggins: Results of Spectrum Analysis Applied to Heavenly Bodies-- Celestial Spectroscopy-- The New Astronomy David Gill: An Astronomer?s Work in a Modern ObservatoryPierre Simon: The System of the WorldCThe Nebular Hypothesis George M. Searle: Marquis de Laplace -- Are the Planets Habitable ?

A Brief History of Radio Astronomy in the USSR

A Brief History of Radio Astronomy in the USSR PDF Author: S. Y. Braude
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400728336
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 265

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Book Description
This translation of A Brief History of Radio Astronomy in the USSR makes descriptions of the antennas and instrumentation used in the USSR, the astronomical discoveries, as well as interesting personal backgrounds of many of the early key players in Soviet radio astronomy available in the English language for the first time. This book is a collection of memoirs recounting an interesting but largely still dark era of Soviet astronomy. The arrangement of the essays is determined primarily by the time when radio astronomy studies began at the institutions involved. These include the Lebedev Physical Institute (FIAN), Gorkii State University and the affiliated Physical-Technical Institute (GIFTI), Moscow State University Sternberg Astronomical institute (GAISH) and Space Research Institute (IKI), the Department of Radio Astronomy of the Main Astronomical Observatory in Pulkovo (GAO), Special Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (BAO), Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, Academy of Sciences of the Ukraine (SSR), Institute of Radio Physics and Electronics of the USSR Academy of Sciences (IRE), Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, the Ionosphere and Radio-Wave Propagation Institute (IZMIRAN), Siberian Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, the Ionosphere and Radio-Wave Propagation (SibIZMIRAN), the Radio Astrophysical Observatory of the Latvian Academy of Sciences and Leningrad State University. A Brief History of Radio Astronomy in the USSR is a fascinating source of information on a past era of scientific culture and fields of research including the Soviet SETI activities. Anyone interested in the recent history of science will enjoy reading this volume.

Neptune: From Grand Discovery to a World Revealed

Neptune: From Grand Discovery to a World Revealed PDF Author: William Sheehan
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030542181
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 403

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Book Description
The 1846 discovery of Neptune is one of the most remarkable stories in the history of science and astronomy. John Couch Adams and U.J. Le Verrier both investigated anomalies in the motion of Uranus and independently predicted the existence and location of this new planet. However, interpretations of the events surrounding this discovery have long been mired in controversy. Who first predicted the new planet? Was the discovery just a lucky fluke? The ensuing storm engaged astronomers across Europe and the United States. Written by an international group of authors, this pathbreaking volume explores in unprecedented depth the contentious history of Neptune’s discovery, drawing on newly discovered documents and re-examining the historical record. In so doing, we gain new understanding of the actions of key individuals and sharper insights into the pressures acting on them. The discovery of Neptune was a captivating mathematical moment and was widely regarded at the time as the greatest triumph of Newton’s theory of universal gravitation. The book therefore begins with Newton’s development of his ideas of gravity. It examines too the mathematical calculations related to the discovery of Neptune, using new theories and tools provided by advances in celestial mechanics over the past twenty years. Through this process, the book analyzes why the mathematical approach that proved so potent in the discovery of Neptune, grand as it was, could not help produce similar discoveries despite several valiant attempts. In the final chapters, we see how the discovery of Neptune marked the end of one quest—to explain the wayward motions of Uranus—and the beginning of another quest to fill in the map and understand the nature of the outer Solar System, whose icy precincts Neptune, as the outermost of the giant planets, bounds.