Here is the tale of Canada’s intriguing development of the science of Radio Astronomy. In 1946 the lone figure of Arthur Covington started monitoring the radio emission of the Sun, a programme that continues to this day. By the 1960s Canada had progressed to constructing two radio observatories at either ends of the country (the DRAO and the ARO), and universities were coming onboard. The story continues through the dire times for these and follows their fortunes and fates right up to the present, with Canada now playing key roles in billion-dollar international telescope projects. It concludes with the construction and operation of Canada’s own transformational telescope, CHIME. Anecdotes and images throughout the book liven the story. The authors—two practising astronomers—have painstakingly put together this fascinating story, drawing on first-hand experiences, valuable contributions from many colleagues, and the research of science historian, Richard Jarrell (1942-2013). This book fills a gap in the substantial literature on the history of radio astronomy. Carefully-researched by three experts and based on input by further experts in the field, it documents the extensive scientific and (especially) technical innovations of Canadian scientists and engineers. This includes the important Canadian absolute flux-density calibrations, the critical Canadian contribution to low-frequency radio astronomy and VLBI, and the long-running solar monitoring programme. Frank discussions about the excellent 46-m ARO telescope and its fate lead into considerations of Canada’s contributions to recent international projects – the JCMT, ALMA and the upcoming SKA. The book concludes with a description of CHIME, Canada’s own new-generation radio installation. Ken Kellermann, Senior Scientist Emeritus, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, USA

This is the story of the astronomer Milton La Salle Humason, whose career was integral to developing our understanding of stellar and universal evolution and who helped to build the analytical basis for the work of such notable astronomers and astrophysicists as Paul Merrill, Walter Adams, Alfred Joy, Frederick Seares, Fritz Zwicky, Walter Baade and Edwin Hubble. Humason's unlikely story began on the shores of the Mississippi River in Winona, Minnesota, in 1891 and led to the foot of Mount Wilson outside Los Angeles, California, twelve years later. It is there where he first attended summer camp in 1903 and was captivated by its surroundings. The mountain would become the backdrop for his life and career over the next six decades as he helped first build George Ellery Hale's observatory on the summit and then rose to become one of that institution's leading figures through the first half of the twentieth century. The story chronicles Humason's life on Mount Wilson, from his first trip to the mountain to his days as a muleskinner, leading teams of mules hauling supplies to the summit during the construction of the observatory, and follows him through his extraordinary career in spectroscopy, working beside Edwin Hubble as the two helped to reconstruct our concept of the universe. A patient, knowledgeable and persistent observer, Humason was later awarded an honorary doctorate for his work, despite having no formal education beyond the eighth grade. His skill at the telescope is legendary. During his career he photographed the spectra of stars, galaxies and other objects many thousands of times fainter than can be seen with the naked eye and pushed the boundary of the known universe deeper into space than any before him. His work, which included assisting in the formulation of Hubble's Law of redshifts, helped to set the field of cosmology solidly on its foundation. Milton Humason was one of the most charismatic characters in science during the first half of the 20th century. Uneducated, streetwise, moonshining, roguish, humble and thoroughly down to earth, he rose by sheer chance, innate ability and incredible will to become the leading deep space observer of his day. "The Renaissance man of Mount Wilson," as Harlow Shapley once referred to him, Humason's extraordinary life reminds us that passion and purpose may find us at any moment.

Cosmic Roots traces the five-thousand-year conflict between science and religion - and how it has shaped our modern secular worldview.Told with rare clarity and striking insight, this fascinating and thought-provoking book focuses on the history of cosmology and its sister science astronomy. For it was discoveries within these great disciplines which first led to the conflict between science and religion. The story begins with the cosmological beliefs of the ancients - from the flat Earth models of the Sumerians and Hebrews to the Greek notion of the orbits of planets as divine circles. Topics progress from Aristotle and Ptolemy's integrated planetary models to the Sun-centered cosmologies of Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, and the great Isaac Newton. Their combined scientific achievements stand as testimony to the power and imagination of the human mind.This meticulously researched narrative also traces the roots of Western religion, based on historical events and archeological evidence. It takes us on a captivating journey through Western religious history - from ancient paganism to the ethical monotheism of the Hebrews, Christians, and Moslems. Along the way, we follow the rise and fall of civilizations, of empires, cycles of war and peace, unification and division.The book concludes with how Darwin came up with his theory of evolution and the impact of modern physics on religious beliefs. The cumulative effect of the scientific discoveries presented in Cosmic Roots has, for better or for worse, led to the separation of science and religion we see in Western culture today.

This open access book on the history of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory covers the scientific discoveries and technical innovations of late 20th century radio astronomy with particular attention to the people and institutions involved. The authors have made extensive use of the NRAO Archives, which contain an unparalleled collection of documents pertaining to the history of radio astronomy, including the institutional records of NRAO as well as the personal papers of many of the pioneers of U.S. radio astronomy. Technical details and extensive citations to original sources are given in notes for the more technical readers, but are not required for an understanding of the body of the book. This book is intended for an audience ranging from interested lay readers to professional researchers studying the scientific, technical, political, and cultural development of a new science, and how it changed the course of 20th century astronomy.

This book tells the story of a unique scientific and human adventure, following the life and science of Bruno Touschek, an Austrian born physicist, who conceived and built AdA, the first matter-antimatter colliding-beam storage ring, the ancestor of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN where the Higgs Boson was discovered in 2012. Making extensive use of archival sources and personal correspondence, the author offers for the first time a unified history of European efforts to build modern-day particle accelerators, from the dark times of war-ravaged Europe up to the rebuilding of science in Germany, UK, Italy and France through the 1950s and early 1960s. This book, the result of several years of scholarly research work, includes numerous previously unpublished photos as well as original drawings by Bruno Touschek.

August Mobius was one of the 19th century's most influential mathematicians and astronomers. Written by six distinguished contributors, this book explores the work of Mobius and his brilliant German contemporaries. The work emphasizes those achievements which in many ways can be seen to reflect the exciting advances taking place at the time throughout the entire scientific world. The background to Mobius's life and labors is provided by John Fauvel. Gert Schubring examines the mathematical community in 19th-century Germany, while Allan Chapman describes the revolution in astronomy that took place during the period. Jeremy Gray analyzes Mobius's contribution to geometrical mechanics and Norman Biggs traces his role in the development of topological ideas. Finally, Ian Stewart explores the legacy Mobius left to mathematics in our own century. This stimulating volume will appeal to all scientists in the fields that Mobius helped advance--physics, mathematics, and astronomy--as well as general readers interested in the history of science.

'Mind-inflating' Wired 'A grand vision of the marvels we've discovered, and the immensity of what we still don't understand' Sunday Times What if the ancient Greeks were right, and the universe really did spring into being out of chaos and the void? How could we know? And what must its first moments have been like? To answer these questions, scientists are delving into all the hidden crevices of creation. Armed with giant telescopes and powerful particle accelerators, they probe the subtle mechanisms by which our familiar world came to be, and try to foretell the manner in which it will end. The result of all this collective effort is a complex tale, stranger at times than even our most ancient creation myths. Yet its building blocks give us the power to work marvels our predecessors could scarcely comprehend. In Genesis, the CERN physicist and bestselling author Guido Tonelli does poetic justice to that great story, the accomplishment of countless minds working together across the ages.

Research shows that students learn best by doing. This workbook, written by two master teachers, contains 36 field-tested activities, including nine new to the Second Edition, that span the introductory astronomy course and can be used in any size of classroom. Each activity is now self-contained with an introduction that provides necessary background material for students. Activities are built around a concept that leads students from basic knowledge to a deeper understanding through guided interactions. The Second Edition is supported by Smartwork5, so instructors can easily assess student understanding.

This thesis describes advances in the understanding of HgCdTe detectors. While long wave (15 m) infrared detectors HgCdTe detectors have been developed for military use under high background irradiance, these arrays had not previously been developed for astronomical use where the background irradiance is a billion times smaller. The main pitfall in developing such arrays for astronomy is the pixel dark current which plagues long wave HgCdTe. The author details work on the success of shorter wavelength development at Teledyne Imaging Sensors, carefully modeling the dark current-reverse bias voltage curves of their 10 m devices at a temperature of 30K, as well as the dark current-temperature curves at several reverse biases, including 250 mV. By projecting first to 13 and then 15 m HgCdTe growth, values of fundamental properties of the material that would minimize tunneling dark currents were determined through careful modeling of the dark current-reverse bias voltage curves, as well as the dark current-temperature curves. This analysis was borne out in the 13 m parts produced by Teledyne, and then further honed to produce the necessary parameters for the 15 m growth. The resulting 13 m arrays are being considered by a number of ground-based astronomy research groups.

This volume examines the way in which cultural ideas about "the heavens" shape religious ideas and are shaped by them in return. Our approaches to cosmology have a profound effect on the way in which we each deal with religious questions and participate in the imaginative work of public and private world-building. Employing an interdisciplinary team of international scholars, each chapter shows how religion and cosmology interrelate and matter for real people. Historical and contemporary case studies are included to demonstrate the lived reality of a variety of faith traditions and their interactions with the cosmos. This breadth of scope allows readers to get a unique overview of how religion, science and our view of space have, and will continue to, impact our worldviews. Offering a comprehensive exploration of humanity and its relationship with cosmology, this book will be an important reference for scholars of Religion and Science, Religion and Culture, Interreligious Dialogue and Theology, as well as those interested in Science and Culture and Public Education.

A commentary on the astronomical references of holy scripture. Facsimile reprint of the first edition, including index and 34 illustrations.

We humans are collectively driven by a powerful - yet not fully explained - instinct to understand. We would like to see everything established, proven, laid bare. The more important an issue, the more we desire to see it clarified, stripped of all secrets, all shades of gray. What could be more important than to understand the Universe and ourselves as a part of it? To find a window onto our origin and our destiny? This book examines how far our modern cosmological theories - with their sometimes audacious models, such as inflation, cyclic histories, quantum creation, parallel universes - can take us towards answering these questions. Can such theories lead us to ultimate truths, leaving nothing unexplained? Last, but not least, Heller addresses the thorny problem of why and whether we should expect to find theories with all-encompassing explicative power.

This book is a sequel to Heaven and Earth in Ancient Greek Cosmology (Springer 2011). With the help of many pictures, the reader is introduced into the way of thinking of ancient believers in a flat earth. The first part offers new interpretations of several Presocratic cosmologists and a critical discussion of Aristotle's proofs that the earth is spherical. The second part explains and discusses the ancient Chinese system called gai tian. The last chapter shows that, inadvertently, ancient arguments and ideas return in the curious modern flat earth cosmologies.

Full color publication. Topics discussed include: Rocketdyne - F-1 Saturn V First Stage Engine; Rocketdyne - J-2 Saturn V 2nd & 3rd Stage Engine; Rocketdyne - SE-7 & SE-8 Engines; Aerojet - AJ10-137 Apollo Service Module Engine; Aerojet - Attitude Control Engines; TRW - Lunar Descent Engine; and Rocketdyne - Lunar Ascent Engine.

In their approach to Earth dynamics the authors consider the fundamentals of Jacobi Dynamics (1987, Reidel) for two reasons. First, because satellite observations have proved that the Earth does not stay in hydrostatic equilibrium, which is the physical basis of today's treatment of geodynamics. And secondly, because satellite data have revealed a relationship between gravitational moments and the potential of the Earth's outer force field (potential energy), which is the basis of Jacobi Dynamics. This has also enabled the authors to come back to the derivation of the classical virial theorem and, after introducing the volumetric forces and moments, to obtain a generalized virial theorem in the form of Jacobi's equation. Thus a physical explanation and rigorous solution was found for the famous Jacobi's equation, where the measure of the matter interaction is the energy. The main dynamical effects which become understandable by that solution can be summarized as follows: * the kinetic energy of oscillation of the interacting particles which explains the physical meaning and nature of the gravitation forces; * separation of the shell's rotation of a self-gravitating body with respect to the mass density; difference in angular velocities of the shell rotation; * continuity in changing the potential of the outer gravitational force field together with changes in density distribution of the interacting masses (volumetric center of masses); * the nature of the precession of the Earth, the Moon and satellites; the nature of the rotating body's magnetic field and the generation of the planet's electromagnetic field. As a final result, the creation of the bodies in the Solar System having different orbits was discussed. This result is based on the discovery that all the averaged orbital velocities of the bodies in the Solar System and the Sun itself are equal to the first cosmic velocities of their proto-parents during the evolution of their redistributed mass density. Audience The work is a logical continuation of the book Jacobi Dynamics and is intended for researchers, teachers and students engaged in theoretical and experimental research in various branches of astronomy (astrophysics, celestial mechanics and stellar dynamics and radiophysics), geophysics (physics and dynamics of the Earth's body, atmosphere and oceans), planetology and cosmogony, and for students of celestial, statistical, quantum and relativistic mechanics and hydrodynamics.

The Adriatic Meetings have traditionally been conferences on the most - vanced status of science. They are one of the very few conferences in physics aiming at a very broad participation of young and experienced researchers with di?erent backgrounds in particle physics. Particle physics has grown into a highly multi-faceted discipline over the sixty years of its existence, mainly because of two reasons: Particle physics as an experimental science is in need of large-scale laboratory set-ups, involving typically collaborations of several hundreds or even thousands of researchers and technicians with the most diverse expertise. This forces particle physics, being one of the most fundamental dis- plines of physics, to maintain a constant interchange and contact with other disciplines, notably solid-state physics and laser physics, cosmology and - trophysics, mathematical physics and mathematics. Since the expertise necessary in doing research in particle physics has become tremendously demanding in the last years, the ?eld tends to organize purely expert conferences, meetings and summer schools, such as for detector development, for astroparticle physics or for string theory. TheAdriaticMeetingthroughitsentirehistoryhasbeenaplaceforest- lishing exchange between theory and experiment. The 9th Adriatic Meeting successfully continued this tradition and even intensi?ed the cross-discipline communication by establishing new contacts between the community of c- mologists and of particle physicists. The exchange between theorists and - perimentalists was impressively intensive and will certainly have a lasting e?ect on several research projects of the European and world-wide physics community.

This book includes a selection of reviewed and enhanced contributions presented at the SpaceOps 2021, the 16th International Conference on Space Operations, held virtually in May 2021. The chapter selections were made based upon their relevance to the current space operations community. The contributions represent a cross-section of three main subject areas: Mission Management - management tasks for designing, preparing and operating a particular mission; Spacecraft Operations - preparation and implementation of all activities to operate a space vehicle (crewed and uncrewed) under all conditions; and Ground Operations - preparation, qualification, and operations of a mission dedicated ground segment and appropriate infrastructure including antennas, control centers, and communication means and interfaces. The book promotes the SpaceOps Committee's mission to foster the technical interchange on all aspects of space mission operations and ground data systems while promoting and maintaining an international community of space operations experts.

This book illuminates a few highly significant events in history in which astronomers have helped keep contacts between astronomers of different states in moments of international political tensions or even crises. The chapters, written by 20 international authors, focus on four periods where astronomers were particularly active in international relations: 1. The WWI period, the epoch of the creation of the IAU, in the context of the simultaneous creation of other scientific unions. The book also singles out the important role of A.S. Eddington and his network "across forbidden borders". 2. The Cold war period and its consequences, when several countries were divided between opposite blocs. "The China crisis" is told here from different viewpoints by Chinese astronomers, both from the mainland and from Taiwan, in parallel with the evolution of astronomy in South and North Korea. Germany's twisted path in its membership of the IAU, from its admission in 1951 to its reunification in 1991 is shown as another example. 3. The book then highlights a third period, when radio astronomers, in particular, were very active in "building bridges" between East and West. It also tells the history of how the apparently innocuous issue of the "lunar nomenclature" became extremely sensitive. The part ends on two chapters on Russian robotic missions and lunar surface features as well on the Russian participation in the "International Virtual Observatory" project. 4. The fourth part reports for the first time on the "hidden story" of the relations between the IAU and the United Nations after the "Moon race" when the United Nations decided to challenge the IAU's authority on "extraterrestrial names". The final chapter reviews how twenty years later UNESCO and the IAU had become strong partners in the difficult, but highly successful organization of the International Year of Astronomy (2002-2009), and of the "Astronomy and World Heritage" intitiative (2008).

Despite remarkable advances in astronomy, space research, and related technology since the first edition of this book was published, the philosophy of the prior editions has remained the same throughout. However, because of this progress, there is a need to update the information and present the new findings. In the fourth edition of Astronomy: Principles and Practice, much like the previous editions, the celebrated authors give a comprehensive and systematic treatment to the theories of astronomy.
This reference furthers your study of astronomy by presenting the basic software and hardware, providing several straightforward mathematical tools, and discussing some simple physical processes that are either involved in the astronomer's tools of trade or concerned in the mechanisms associated with astronomical bodies. The first six chapters introduce the simple observations that can be made by the eye as well as discuss how such observations were interpreted by previous civilizations. The next several chapters examine the interpretation of positional measurements and the basic principles of celestial mechanics. The authors then explore radiation, optical telescopes, and radio and high-energy technologies. They conclude with practical projects and exercises.
New to the Fourth Edition:
Revised values such as the obliquity of the ecliptic
Expanded material that is devoted to new astronomies and techniques such as optical data recording
A listing of Web sites that offer information on relevant astronomical events
Revised and expanded, this edition continues to offer vital information about the fundamentals of astronomy. Astronomy: Principles and Practice, Fourth Edition satisfies the need of anyone who has a strong desire to understand the philosophy and applications of the science of astronomy.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy. The first part discusses the basic theoretical and observational topics related to black hole astrophysics; the optics and the detectors employed in X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy; and past, present, and future X-ray and gamma-ray missions. The second part then describes data reduction and analysis, the statistics used in X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy, and demonstrates how to write a successful proposal and a scientific paper. Data reduction in connection with specific X-ray and gamma-ray missions is covered in the appendices. Presenting the state of the art in X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy, this is both a valuable textbook for students and an important reference resource for researchers in the field.

This graduate textbook on optimal spacecraft trajectories demonstrates the theory and applications of using the minimum amount of propellant possible to reach a target destination. The author aims to produce the only comprehensive treatment of various aspects of this topic. It includes problems at the ends of the chapters and some of the appendices. But it is also suitable as a scholarly reference book as it includes recent research from the author and his colleagues.

This book describes the complexity of impact hazards associated with asteroids and comets. The challenge in this regard lies in the heterogeneous nature of these bodies that endanger our planet, which is why we are conducting new experiments to better understand their unique physicochemical properties. Several generations of astronomers have tracked and mapped the orbits of asteroids and comets over the past few centuries, and telescopic surveys have only begun to discover "new" interstellar objects. In addition, cutting-edge software allow our computers to combine the orbits of these elusive bodies to study how they evolve over time and seek to match asteroid complexes as fragments of asteroidal and cometary disruptions. Impact hazards represent one of the greatest threats to the survival of human beings in the medium term. Geological studies show that the stratigraphic record holds clear geological evidence of these rare but transcendental encounters in the history of life on our planet. The study and quantification of past catastrophes can give us clues to face future challenges in the form of potential impacts. Further, it would be illogical to assume that Earth's interaction with space is limited to major impacts. Every night, Earth is struck by millions of particles, and dozens of meteor showers occur around the globe every year. The study of lake and ocean sediments reveals the magnitude of the continuous contribution of interplanetary matter reaching Earth: roughly 100,000 tons per year. Accordingly, the goal of this book is to underscore the need for society-wide awareness of the dangers associated with asteroid and comet impacts, on the basis of scientific evidence and with no intention of sparking alarmism. After all, we ourselves may only be the fruit of an opportunity given to mammals sixty-five million years ago to evolve after the conflagration that would be the downfall of the dinosaurs. If we have learned to read Earth's geological history, we should consider ourselves a very fortunate species, and its teachings should equip us to face this problem. The also book emphasizes the role of space missions to gain insights on these bodies, particularly describing the relevance of the DART (NASA) and Hera (ESA) missions to deflect and study Dimorphos, respectively, the small satellite of the Didymos binary asteroid.