Classifying The Cosmos

Author : Steven J. Dick
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3030103803
Total Pages : 494 pages
Book Rating : 4.04/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Classifying the Cosmos written by Steven J. Dick and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-03-21 with total page 494 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the invention of the telescope 400 years ago, astronomers have rapidly discovered countless celestial objects. But how does one make sense of it all? Astronomer and former NASA Chief Historian Steven J. Dick brings order to this menagerie by defining 82 classes of astronomical objects, which he places in a beginner-friendly system known as "Astronomy’s Three Kingdoms.” Rather than concentrating on technicalities, this system focuses on the history of each object, the nature of its discovery, and our current knowledge about it. The ensuing book can therefore be read on at least two levels. On one level, it is an illustrated guide to various types of astronomical wonders. On another level, it is considerably more: the first comprehensive classification system to cover all celestial objects in a consistent manner. Accompanying each spread are spectacular historical and modern images. The result is a pedagogical tour-de-force, whereby readers can easily master astronomy’s three realms of planets, stars, and galaxies.

Author : Brian K. Smith
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN 13 : 9780195060546
Total Pages : 408 pages
Book Rating : 4.47/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Classifying the Universe written by Brian K. Smith and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 1994-01 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a comprehensive examination of the 'varna' system - a classificatory scheme laid out in the classical Hindu Vedic literature and thought to underlie the concept of caste, which continues to exert a powerful and pervasive influence over Indian life.

Author : Steven J. Dick
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3030416143
Total Pages : 795 pages
Book Rating : 4.40/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Space, Time, and Aliens written by Steven J. Dick and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-05-11 with total page 795 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this comprehensive and interdisciplinary volume, former NASA Chief Historian Steven Dick reflects on the exploration of space, astrobiology and its implications, cosmic evolution, astronomical institutions, discovering and classifying the cosmos, and the philosophy of astronomy. The unifying theme of the book is the connection between cosmos and culture, or what Carl Sagan many years ago called the “cosmic connection.” As both an astronomer and historian of science, Dr. Dick has been both a witness to and a participant in many of the astronomical events of the last half century. This collection of papers presents his reflections over the last forty years in a way accessible to historians, philosophers, and scientists alike. From the search for alien life to ongoing space exploration efforts, readers will find this volume full of engaging topics relevant to science, society, and our collective future on planet Earth and beyond.

Author : Steven J. Dick
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1107276713
Total Pages : 475 pages
Book Rating : 4.10/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Discovery and Classification in Astronomy written by Steven J. Dick and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2013-09-09 with total page 475 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Astronomical discovery involves more than detecting something previously unseen. The reclassification of Pluto as a dwarf planet in 2006, and the controversy it generated, shows that discovery is a complex and ongoing process – one comprising various stages of research, interpretation and understanding. Ranging from Galileo's observation of Jupiter's satellites, Saturn's rings and star clusters, to Herschel's nebulae and the modern discovery of quasars and pulsars, Steven J. Dick's comprehensive history identifies the concept of 'extended discovery' as the engine of progress in astronomy. The text traces more than 400 years of telescopic observation, exploring how the signal discoveries of new astronomical objects relate to and inform one another, and why controversies such as Pluto's reclassification are commonplace in the field. The volume is complete with a detailed classification system for known classes of astronomical objects, offering students, researchers and amateur observers a valuable reference and guide.

Author : Dava Sobel
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0143111345
Total Pages : 353 pages
Book Rating : 4.44/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Glass Universe written by Dava Sobel and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2017-10-31 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From #1 New York Times bestselling author Dava Sobel, the "inspiring" (People), little-known true story of women's landmark contributions to astronomy A New York Times Book Review Notable Book Named one of the best books of the year by NPR, The Economist, Smithsonian, Nature, and NPR's Science Friday Nominated for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award "A joy to read.” —The Wall Street Journal In the mid-nineteenth century, the Harvard College Observatory began employing women as calculators, or “human computers,” to interpret the observations their male counterparts made via telescope each night. At the outset this group included the wives, sisters, and daughters of the resident astronomers, but soon the female corps included graduates of the new women's colleges—Vassar, Wellesley, and Smith. As photography transformed the practice of astronomy, the ladies turned from computation to studying the stars captured nightly on glass photographic plates. The “glass universe” of half a million plates that Harvard amassed over the ensuing decades—through the generous support of Mrs. Anna Palmer Draper, the widow of a pioneer in stellar photography—enabled the women to make extraordinary discoveries that attracted worldwide acclaim. They helped discern what stars were made of, divided the stars into meaningful categories for further research, and found a way to measure distances across space by starlight. Their ranks included Williamina Fleming, a Scottish woman originally hired as a maid who went on to identify ten novae and more than three hundred variable stars; Annie Jump Cannon, who designed a stellar classification system that was adopted by astronomers the world over and is still in use; and Dr. Cecilia Helena Payne, who in 1956 became the first ever woman professor of astronomy at Harvard—and Harvard’s first female department chair. Elegantly written and enriched by excerpts from letters, diaries, and memoirs, The Glass Universe is the hidden history of the women whose contributions to the burgeoning field of astronomy forever changed our understanding of the stars and our place in the universe.

Author : Marcia Bartusiak
Publisher : Vintage
ISBN 13 : 0307513238
Total Pages : 722 pages
Book Rating : 4.36/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Archives of the Universe written by Marcia Bartusiak and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2010-05-19 with total page 722 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An unparalleled history of astronomy presented in the words of the scientists who made the discoveries. Here are the writings of Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton, Halley, Hubble, and Einstein, as well as that of dozens of others who have significantly contributed to our picture of the universe. From Aristotle's proof that the Earth is round to the 1998 paper that posited an accelerating universe, this book contains 100 entries spanning the history of astronomy. Award-winning science writer Marcia Bartusiak provides enormously entertaining introductions, putting the material in context and explaining its place in the literature. Archives of the Universe is essential reading for professional astronomers, science history buffs, and backyard stargazers alike.

Author : Dominic Front
Publisher : Richards Education
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 178 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Download or read book Unlocking the Cosmos: A Guide to Mastering Astronomy written by Dominic Front and published by Richards Education. This book was released on with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In "Unlocking the Cosmos: A Guide to Mastering Astronomy," readers will embark on an exhilarating journey through the cosmos, from the wonders of the solar system to the mysteries of the distant universe. This comprehensive guide provides aspiring astronomers with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate the night sky, understand celestial phenomena, and delve into the forefront of astronomical research. Whether you're a novice stargazer or an experienced astronomer, this book is your ultimate companion to unraveling the secrets of the universe.

Author : David J. Eicher
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1107068851
Total Pages : 299 pages
Book Rating : 4.58/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The New Cosmos written by David J. Eicher and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2015-12-03 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fascinating and spectacular exploration of the cosmos that provides readers with a definitive view of the latest discoveries.

Author : Jean-René Roy
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1108417019
Total Pages : 311 pages
Book Rating : 4.13/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Unveiling Galaxies written by Jean-René Roy and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-10-12 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A thought provoking study of the powerful impact of images in guiding astronomers' understanding of galaxies through time.

Author : James Geach
Publisher : Reaktion Books
ISBN 13 : 1780233965
Total Pages : 273 pages
Book Rating : 4.63/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Galaxy written by James Geach and published by Reaktion Books. This book was released on 2014-10-15 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Each night, we are able to gaze up at the night sky and look at the thousands of stars that stretch to the end of our individual horizons. But the stars we see are only those that make up our own Milky Way galaxy—but one of hundreds of billions in the whole of the universe, each separated by inconceivably huge tracts of empty space. In this book, astronomer James Geach tells the rich stories of both the evolution of galaxies and our ability to observe them, offering a fascinating history of how we’ve come to realize humanity’s tiny place in the vast universe. Taking us on a compelling tour of the state-of-the-art science involved in mapping the infinite, Geach offers a first-hand account of both the science itself and how it is done, describing what we currently know as well as that which we still do not. He goes back one hundred years to when scientists first proved the existence of other galaxies, tracking our continued improvement in the ability to collect and interpret the light that stars in faraway galaxies have emitted through space and time. He discusses examples of this rapidly accelerating research, from the initial discovery that the faint “spiral nebulae” were actually separate star systems located far beyond the Milky Way to the latest observations of the nature of galaxies and how they have evolved. He also delves into the theoretical framework and simulations that describe our current “world model” of the universe. With one hundred superb color illustrations, Galaxy is an illuminating guide to the choreography of the cosmos and how we came to know our place within it that will appeal to any stargazer who has wondered what was beyond their sight.