Planetary astronomy : from ancient times to the third millennium / Ronald A. Schorn.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Schorn, Ronald A. (Ronald Anthony), 1935-2018.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Astronomy--History.

Astronomy.

Planetary science.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxv, 376 p. ) ill. (some col.) ;

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

College Station : Texas A&M University Press, c1998.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In Planetary Astronomy: From Ancient Times to the Third Millennium, Ronald A. Schorn shows how times, ways of thinking, and planetary astronomy itself have changed over the millennia. Schorn presents a firsthand account of the triumphs, tragedies, and fiascos in the field. He covers why the science "fell from grace," presenting both the nonplanetary astronomers' and planetary astronomers' viewpoints. Drawing on hundreds of interviews, direct observation, and extensive documentation to render events with a sense of immediacy and reality, he gives the reader an idea of what situations were like when no one knew the answers.

Schorn's look into the world's oldest science from ancient times to the present offers more than the usual time line of events. This rare "inside" examination will interest readers of space exploration, astronomy, and the history of science.

Contents:

1. Pride of Place

2. Discovering the Nature of the Universe

3. Autumn Glory

4. New Techniques Impact Astronomy

5. Controversy and Frustration

6. Doldrums

7. The Legacy of War

8. Turn of the Tide

9. The NASA Connection

10. A Golden Age

11. Declining Prospects

12. Voyagers to the Outer Planets

13. Past and Future Imperfect.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. [313]-352) and index.

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

ISBN:

9780585380346

0585380341