Hi All,
There is almost certainly something else I should be doing, but I ran across this book and I rather like it. Here are the publication details:
"Archives of the universe: a treasury of astronomy's historic works of discovery, Edited and with introductions by Marcia Bartusiak."
Bartusiak, Marcia (1950-)
Vintage Books 2004
695 pages
QB15.A75 2004
520'9-dc22
Bartusiak gives us an interesting history of astronomy. She strings together many fundamental discoveries with clear introductions. These are given in the discoverer's own words. In virtually all the truly great scientific works there are often a few paragraphs or passing remarks where the author gives the gist of the idea in plain language. Bartusiak has done an excellent job of sorting this out. Good English translations are provided were needed.
In addition to this she has chosen the clearest expressions of the topics considered, while avoiding complex mathematics and mountains of data. On the whole the book is clear and accessible even to the novice, while not lacking in value to the more advanced reader. A good bibliography is provided and is useful for further study.
The discoveries considered range from the ancient's stargazing to the foundations of modern cosmology. She has also managed to avoid the thicket of archaic terminology that complicates things for someone not familiar with literature of scientific history. The book contains the ideas of seventy-five renowned astronomers and thinkers arranged into eight parts. The parts are in largely historic order, but the work is not historiography.
The first part (The Ancient Sky) ranges from the ancient observations of celestial regularities by the Mayans up to the work of Ptolemy. If you have ever wondered what the precession of the equinoxes is, here is your chance to find out.
The second part (Revolutions) covers the time from Copernicus, through Kepler up to Newton and Halley. This is when the basic facts concerning the arrangement of the solar system emerged. This was also an era when the very shape of the earth changed beneath one's feet and heavens lost their timeless form.
The third part (Taking Measure) fills out the "shape" of the universe and covers the time up to the late 18th century. The position and arrangement of the stars is discovered and the nature of the Milky Way is revealed. Developments in orbital mechanics led to the discovery of the planets Uranus and Neptune and a host of asteroids and comets. Early ideas about the origin of the solar system and the mystery of the nebulae fascinate the mind's eye. You might be surprised at some of the thinkers that made some of these contributions.
Part four (Touching the Heavens) describes a fundamental shift that occurred in mid-19th century. The stars, including the sun, had always been distant and little was really known about them. The most that could be done was to observe the gravitational interactions between the sun, the planets and their moons. The likes of Fraunhofer and Kirchhoff began to look at the sun in more detail. They soon realized that earthly elements are constituents of the solar atmosphere. After having recognized the elements in the sun with spectroscopes it was soon realized that the same applies to the other stars. Of course the planets were not overlooked. The application of earthbound science celestial problems opens a new realm of physical astronomy.
The fifth part (Einsteinian Cosmos) starts out with Einstein's special and general theory of relativity and how these relate to the large-scale structure of the universe. The math in this book is sparse; however, on p.315 we find Einstein's field equation. This is where the "lambda factor" that became, as Einstein later put it his greatest blunder. Peculiar objects from white dwarves to black holes are presented. The basic ideas of physical cosmology are set before the reader.
Part six (the Milky Way and Beyond) considers the size, content and disposition of the universe. We see how certain types of stars, e.g., the Cepheid's, are used to gauge distance. The arrangement of the stars in the galaxy and the position of the sun in it are explained using these gauges. Looking beyond the galaxy we discover island universes at truly enormous distances. For many, but not all, the discovery that the universe is expanding came as a shock.
Part seven (New Eyes, New Universe) is about extending our reach from the visible to the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Observing infrared, ultraviolet, x-ray and gamma radiation bring many new things to light. (So to speak.) Some of it is close to home, on a cosmic scale, e.g., the Van Allen radiation belts or the geology of Mars. More exotic objects, such as quasars or pulsars are also discovered. Neutrino astronomy is introduced.
Part eight (Accelerating Outward) is about some newer things about which the last word has not been spoken. We start with Zwicky's discovery of dark matter. We also look at the inflationary, the accelerating and the bubbly universe models and how gravitational lensing might is being used to study the shape of the universe. The Hubble Deep field is explored in the context of galaxian evolution. Of course, much closer to home, there are the extra-solar planets. All these things are topics of modern day research.
I sure that many of you will find this a great "summer read."
Dr. R.
