The Illustrated History of Astronomy

Author: (English) Michelle Hoskin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-03-01
Features: Mature writing style, rich illustrations. Cambridge Illustrated History of Astronomy is truly a unique, comprehensive collection of both theoretical and practical astronomy spanning ancient and modern times. In the distant corners of the Islamic world, how did medieval Muslims use astronomy to calculate the direction of Mecca? Who was the only Greek to realize that the Earth might revolve around the Sun? And how did Christopher Columbus misapply the knowledge of an eclipse he found in an astronomical almanac? Intriguing anecdotes and fascinating details are woven together in this book, depicting how we observe the sky and explaining what humans have seen when observing celestial phenomena in different historical periods; how these observations have influenced human beliefs and myths; and the contributions of great astronomers to today's astronomical knowledge. This is a vivid and highly visual history of astronomy—it is an engaging read for both experts and non-experts. A unprecedented illustrated world history of astronomy with approachable writing, clear explanations of technical concepts, numerous beautiful line drawings and color illustrations, a systematic timeline, a glossary of terms, a bibliography for further reading, and a comprehensive Chinese index! The editor and other authors are authorities in the field of world history of astronomy, and the translator is a middle-aged scholar and expert in the field of astronomy in China. Whether we are stargazers or not, astronomy is related to our lives. Through careful observations of the sky's apparent motion over many centuries, we can determine our lives through calendars; and our understanding of the patterns of stellar and planetary activity has directly influenced our religious and cosmic views. Cambridge Illustrated History of Astronomy traces the historical footsteps of astronomy as a science, describing in detail the discoveries that led to our current understanding of space and the universe. The book shows how contemplation based on astronomical observations formed the basic part of human mythology since ancient times; it also reveals how astronomy evolved alongside geometry and mathematics into a precise and serious science; and it describes the significant contributions of great thinkers such as Pythagoras, Galileo, Descartes, and Newton to astronomy.