Conceptions of cosmos : from myths to the accelerating universe : a history of cosmology / Helge S. Kragh.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kragh, Helge, 1944-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Cosmology--History.

Cosmology.

Physical Description:

276 p. : ill.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2007.

Summary:

This book presents the history of how the universe at large became the object of scientific understanding. Starting with the ancient creation myths, it offers an integrated and comprehensive account of cosmology that covers all major events from Aristotle's Earth-centred cosmos to the recent discovery of the accelearting universe.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

Introduction

1 From myths to the Copernican universe

1.1 Ancient cosmological thought

1.2 The Greek cosmos

1.3 Medieval cosmology

1.4 The Copernican revolution

2 The Newtonian era

2.1 Newton's infinite universe

2.2 Enlightenment cosmologies

2.3 Astrophysics and the nebulae

2.4 Thermodynamics and gravitation

2.5 The Via Lacta

3 Foundations of modern cosmology

3.1 Early relativistic models

3.2 The expanding universe

3.3 Towards a finite-age universe

3.4 Alternative cosmologies

4 The hot Big Bang

4.1 Cosmology-a branch of nuclear physics?

4.2 The steady-state challenge

4.3 Relativistic standard cosmology

5 New horizons

5.1 Early-universe cosmology

5.2 Observational surprises

5.3 Anthropic and other speculations

5.4 The problem of creation

5.5 Cosmology in perspective

References

Index

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. [253]-265) and index.

Description based on metadata supplied by the publisher and other sources.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

0-19-170621-3

0-19-966514-1

1-4294-7052-6

1-280-75347-1

0-19-152616-9

OCLC:

437093050