Measuring the Universe : Cosmic Dimensions from Aristarchus to Halley / Albert Van Helden.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Van Helden, Albert, Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Astronomy--History.

Astronomy.

Cosmological distances.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (213 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Chicago : University of Chicago Press, [2010]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Measuring the Universe is the first history of the evolution of cosmic dimensions, from the work of Eratosthenes and Aristarchus in the third century B.C. to the efforts of Edmond Halley (1656-1742). "Van Helden's authoritative treatment is concise and informative; he refers to numerous sources of information, draws on the discoveries of modern scholarship, and presents the first book-length treatment of this exceedingly important branch of science."-Edward Harrison, American Journal of Physics "Van Helden writes well, with a flair for clear explanation. I warmly recommend this book."-Colin A. Ronan, Journal of the British Astronomical Association

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Acknowledgments

1. Shared Expectations

2. The Beginnings: Aristarchus and Hipparchus

3. Ptolemy

4. The Ptolemaic System Enshrined

5. Copernicus and Tycho

6. Young Kepler

7. Galileo and the Telescope

8. Kepler's Synthesis

9. Gassendi, Hortensius, and the Transit of Mercury of 1631

10. From Horrocks to Riccioli

11. The Micrometer from Huygens to Flamsteed

12. Cassini, Flamsteed, and the New Measure

13. The New Consensus and Halley's Legacy

14. Conclusion: Measurement, Theory, and Speculation

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 24. Apr 2020)

ISBN:

9786613058652

9781283058650

1283058650

9780226848907

0226848906

OCLC:

699510397