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Books > Science & Mathematics > Astronomy, space & time > Space travel & exploration
110 times wider than Earth; 15 million degrees at its core; an
atmosphere so huge that Earth is actually within it: come and meet
the star of our solar system Light takes eight minutes to reach
Earth from the surface of the Sun. But its journey within the Sun
takes hundreds of thousands of years. What is going on in there?
What are light and heat? How does the Sun produce them and how on
earth did scientists discover this? In this astonishing and
enlightening adventure, you'll travel millions of miles from inside
the Sun to its surface and to Earth, where the light at the end of
its journey is allowing you to read right now. You'll discover how
the Sun works (including what it sounds like), the latest research
in solar physics and how a solar storm could threaten everything we
know. And you'll meet the groundbreaking scientists, including the
author, who pieced this extraordinary story together.
This book recounts the stories of the astronomical pioneers who
forever changed our views of the cosmos. The chapters delve into
their fascinating lives over the centuries, showing how these
pivotal minds built upon the work of their predecessors and
unlocked the unique properties of specific stars. From ancient
astronomy to modern imaging and spectroscopy, each tale at once
showcases the pace of scientific discovery and the shared passions
that drove these starwatchers. Accompanying the stories are a
plethora of constellation and finder charts, stellar coordinates
and directions, and suggestions for viewing specific stars, all of
which are visible to the naked eye or through a small telescope. In
addition, the histories on specific star names and designations are
given, along with an overview of the most popular catalogues and
online databases that readers can use for reference.
Gunther Buttman's The Shadow of the Telescope was the first
full-length biography of the nineteenth-century astronomer, Sir
John Herschel. First published in German, this intriguing text
chronicles the life and works of the third of the Herschel
astronomers, the son of William and the nephew of Caroline. John
was extremely intelligent, graduating as Senior Wrangler in the
notoriously difficult Mathematical Tripos at Cambridge University.
While less famous than his father and aunt, he nevertheless went on
to make important discoveries in the field of astronomy. He named
seven moons of Saturn and four moons of Uranus, the planet his
father had only recently discovered. Making admirable use of John's
unpublished correspondence, diaries, and notebooks, Buttman covers
his extensive astronomical observations at Cape Town in South
Africa, his pioneering work in photography and in physical optics
in Britain, his unhappy experiences as Master of the Mint, and much
more.
Taking inspiration from Siv Cedering's poem in the form of a
fictional letter from Caroline Herschel that refers to "my long,
lost sisters, forgotten in the books that record our science", this
book tells the lives of twenty-five female scientists, with
specific attention to astronomers and mathematicians. Each of the
presented biographies is organized as a kind of "personal file"
which sets the biographee's life in its historical context,
documents her main works, highlights some curious facts, and
records citations about her. The selected figures are among the
most representative of this neglected world, including such
luminaries as Hypatia of Alexandra, Hildegard of Bingen, Elisabetha
Hevelius, and Maria Gaetana Agnesi. They span a period of about
4000 years, from En HeduAnna, the Akkadian princess, who was one of
the first recognized female astronomers, to the dawn of the era of
modern astronomy with Caroline Herschel and Mary Somerville. The
book will be of interest to all who wish to learn more about the
women from antiquity to the nineteenth century who played such key
roles in the history of astronomy and science despite living and
working in largely male-dominated worlds.
Follow Monte Ross of the Laser Space Signal Observatory as he
explores the challenges in searching for evidence of
extraterrestrials, the programs that have failed, and those that
continue. The book circumvents the failure of searches at radio
frequencies by being the first to explore electromagnetic
frequencies besides RF and microwave as possible signal sources,
taking into consideration all the ways that extraterrestrials might
try to communicate with us. Throughout the presentation, all the
ideas, concepts, and approaches are explained clearly, without the
use of complex math or physics.
What do you do with impossible dreams? When do you let them go?
Niamh Shaw, scientist, engineer and performer, had always felt that
something was missing in her life. Stepping away from a full-time
academic career, she initially thought that it might be acting. But
when in that career, she knew that she still hadn't found what she
was looking for. While making her first theatre show, looking at
her life choices and childhood ambitions, the realisation that she
still wanted to fulfil her childhood dream to go to space, but had
done nothing to achieve this goal, was painful and disappointing
for her. Why had she given up on this dream? She realised that if
she didn't pursue it, she would spend the rest of her life
regretting that she had given up on herself. And so this
40-year-old woman from Ireland began a journey she is determined to
finish. Along the way she is also inspiring people to love science
as much as she does. An account of her journey so far, Niamh's
story reminds us that we must fight to be the person we are
destined to be.
The scale of the cosmos can be baffling, with distances so vast and
timescales to long that it's easy to dismiss them as being
completely divorced from our everyday life. But in this new book Dr
Marek Kukula, Public Astronomer at the Royal Observatory,
Greenwich, shows you the myriad ways we are intrinsically connected
to the rest of the universe and how everything on Earth - from the
ground beneath our feet to the technology in our pockets - has
origins in space. Discover how rocks from space reveal what
conditions are like at our planet's core, how the desolate surface
of the moon holds ancient clues to Earth's earliest life forms, and
how buried treasure in the Nile reveals the watery past of Mars.
Discover how the atoms of your own body were forged in the heart of
a star, how you can see the echo of creation on your TV, and the
ways in which technology developed for observing the most far-flung
corners of space is now used to diagnose potentially fatal human
diseases. The Intimate Universe is a curated tour of the most
fascinating phenomena and discoveries in astronomy, revealing how
we are inextricably, inspirationally linked to the cosmos.
Proving to be both varied and fascinating, moons are far more
common than planets in our Solar System. Our own Moon has had a
profound influence on Earth, not only through tidal effects, but
even on the behaviour of some marine animals. Many remarkable
things have been discovered about the moons of the giant outer
planets from Voyager, Galileo, Cassini, and other spacecraft.
Scientists have glimpsed volcanic activity on Io, found oceans of
water on Titan, and captured photos of icy geysers bursting from
Enceladus. It looks likely that microbial life beyond the Earth may
be discovered on a moon rather than a planet. In this Very Short
Introduction David Rothery introduces the reader to the moons of
our Solar System, beginning with the early discoveries of Galileo
and others, describing their variety of mostly mythological names,
and the early use of Jupiter's moons to establish position at sea
and to estimate the speed of light. Rothery discusses the
structure, formation, and influence of our Moon, and those of the
other planets, and ends with the recent discovery of moons orbiting
asteroids, whilst looking forward to the possibility of finding
moons of exoplanets in planetary systems far beyond our own. ABOUT
THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford
University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every
subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get
ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts,
analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make
interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
The Sun is the closest star to Earth, and the only one we can observe in any sort of detail. As such it is a fascinating field of study, and one that is well-suited to amateur astronomers - the Sun is close enough to need little magnification. It also has the practical advantage, unlike every other astronomical object, of being visible in the daytime!During solar eclipses, there are momentary chances to observe and photograph some spectacular and scientifcally interesting sights.Studying the Sun nonetheless needs specialist knowledge. Safety is paramount, as without the right precautions the heat and light of the Sun would instantly blind the observer. But given the right techniques, the Sun is a rewarding subject for amateur astronomers: in this book, Professor Chris Kitchin provides all the information needed for safe solar observing.
Beyond Einstein takes readers on an exciting excursion into the discoveries that have led scientists to the brightest new prospect in theoretical physics today -- superstring theory. What is superstring theory and why is it important? This revolutionary breakthrough may well be the fulfillment of Albert Einstein's lifelong dream of a Theory of Everything, uniting the laws of physics into a single description explaining all the known forces in the universe. Co-authored by one of the leading pioneers in superstrings, Michio Kaku, and completely revised and updated with the newest groundbreaking research, the book approaches scientific questions with the excitement of a detective story, offering a fascinating look at the new science that may make the impossible possible.
Man kann ohne Obertreibung sagen, daE es die Astronomie seit tiber
fUnftausend J ahren als exakte Wissenschaft gibt. In dieser ganzen
Zeit beriihrte sie die letzten Fragen der Mensch- heit. Ihre
Geschichte niederzuschreiben stellt uns vor zahlIose Probleme. Wir
beginnen mit einer Zeit, die wir weitgehend durch
Schlu&folgerungen kennen; wir gehen dann zu Zeiten tiber, von
denen wir wissen, da& das meiste Indizienmaterial
verlorengegangen ist; und wir enden bei den letzten Dekaden eines
Jahrhunderts, das den Astronomen Beachtung und wirtschaftliche
Mittel in nie dagewesenem Umfang beschert hat. Aus einem typischen
Jahrhundert der hellenistischen Ara, einem goldenen Zeitalter der
Astronomie, mogen wir eine Handvoll Texte haben. 1m Gegensatz dazu
werden heute jedes Jahr mehr als zwanzig- tausend astronomische
Artikel veroffentlicht, und, tiber fUnfJahre genommen, ist die Zahl
der Astronomen, unter deren Namen diese erscheinen, von der Ordnung
vierzigtausend. Wenn diese Geschichte also am Anfang wie eine
Skizze anmutet, ist sie notwendiger- weise am Schlu& eine
Silhouette, die den Gegenstand ebenso durch das definiert, was sie
ausla&t, als dadurch, was sie enthalt. Sie schreitet in einem
solchen Ma& immer schneller voran, daE der Raum, der einem
Dutzend hochstwichtiger neuer Bticher gewidmet wird, ein kleiner
Bruchteil davon ist, was am Anfang einer heute ganz trivial
erscheinenden Aussage eingeraumt wird. Das ist kein Zufall.
Explore the beauty and awe of the heavens through the rich
celestial prints and star atlases offered in this third edition
book. The author traces the development of celestial cartography
from ancient to modern times, describes the relationships between
different star maps and atlases, and relates these notions to our
changing ideas about humanity's place in the universe. Also covered
in this book are more contemporary cosmological ideas,
constellation representations, and cartographic advances. The text
is enriched with 226 images (141 in color) from actual, antiquarian
celestial books and atlases, each one with an explanation of unique
astronomical and cartographic features. This never-before-available
hardcover edition includes two new chapters on pictorial style maps
and celestial images in art, as well over 50 new images.
Additionally, the color plates are now incorporated directly into
the text, providing readers with a vibrant, immersive look into the
history of star maps.
Arthur Koestler's extraordinary history of humanity's changing
vision of the universe In this masterly synthesis, Arthur Koestler
cuts through the sterile distinction between 'sciences' and
'humanities' to bring to life the whole history of cosmology from
the Babylonians to Newton. He shows how the tragic split between
science and religion arose and how, in particular, the modern
world-view replaced the medieval world-view in the scientific
revolution of the seventeenth century. He also provides vivid and
judicious pen-portraits of a string of great scientists and makes
clear the role that political bias and unconscious prejudice played
in their creativity.
Diamond Worlds, Super Earths, Pulsar Planets and the New Search for
Life Beyond our Solar System
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) was founded in 1919, in
the wake of the First World War, together with its sister Unions in
related natural sciences. It will thus turn 100 years in 2019.
Written by a mixed team of insiders and outsiders, this book
presents the IAU in the changing context of the historical,
scientific and technological development of astronomy during the
past 100 years. While much important scientific progress took place
already before 1945, the book naturally focuses on the accelerating
evolution during the second half of the century. In the past few
decades, the previously narrow IAU focus on organising professional
astronomy has broadened to include societally relevant activities
such as addressing the hazard of asteroid impacts, the planetary
status of Pluto in the Solar System, and the hugely successful
International Year of Astronomy. Most recently, it is spearheading
a combination of science literacy and public outreach. The book
will be of interest to professional astronomers as well as an
astronomically interested general audience. The book features live
personal interviews with as many of the key actors as still
possible.
There are many books covering different facets of astrophotography,
but few of them contain all the necessary steps for beginners in
one accessible place. Astrophotography is Easy! fills that void,
serving as a guide to anybody interested in the subject but
starting totally from scratch. Assuming no prior experience, the
author runs through the basics for how to take astrophotos using
just a camera-including cell phones and tablets-as well as a
telescope and more sophisticated equipment. The book includes
proven techniques, checklists, safety guidelines, troubleshooting
tips, and more. Each chapter builds upon the last, allowing readers
to master basic techniques before moving on to more challenging
material. Also included is a comprehensive list of additional books
and resources on a variety of topics so readers can continue
expanding their skills. Astrophotography Is Easy! doesn't simply
teach you the basic skills for becoming an astrophotographer: it
provides you with the foundations you will need for a lifelong
pursuit.
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