For millennia humans have studied the skies to help
them grow crops, navigate the seas, and earn favor from
their gods. We still look to the stars today for answers
to fundamental questions: How did the universe begin?
Will it end, and if so, how? What is our place within
it? John North has been examining such questions for
decades. In ''Cosmos'', he offers a sweeping historical
survey of the two sciences that help define our place in
the universe: astronomy and cosmology.Organizing his
history chronologically, North begins by examining
Paleolithic cave drawings that clearly chart the phases
of the moon. He then investigates scientific practices
in the early civilizations of Egypt, Greece, China, and
the Americas, whose inhabitants developed sophisticated
methods to record the movements of the planets and
stars. Trade routes and religious movements, North
notes, brought these ancient styles of scientific
thinking to the attention of later astronomers, whose
own theories - such as Copernicus' planetary theory -
led to the Scientific Revolution.The work of master
astronomers, including Ptolemy, Galileo, Kepler, and
Newton, is described in detail, as are modern-day
developments in astrophysics, such as the advent of
radio astronomy, the brilliant innovations of Einstein,
and the many recent discoveries brought about with the
help of the Hubble telescope.This new edition brings
North's seminal book right up to the present day, as
North takes a closer look at last year's
reclassification of Pluto as a dwarf planet and gives a
thorough overview of current research.With more than two
hundred illustrations and a comprehensive bibliography,
''Cosmos'' is the definitive history of astronomy and
cosmology. It is sure to find an eager audience among
historians of science and astronomers alike. |
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