Synopses & Reviews
Trace the development of astronomy from early Greek stargazers to the ambitious pioneers: Brahe, Copernicus, Kepler, and Newton - who braved persecution and ridicule to fight for a science that relied not on ancient authorities and scriptures, but on logic, math, and careful observation. As Motz and Weaver show, the fruits of this noble pursuit - the elegant, simple natural laws - opened our eyes to the elusive rotations of the heavenly bodies, and gave rise to classical physics, and, finally, the vigorous, thriving science of astronomy today. These engaging authors go on to depict the brilliant revolution in astronomy that shattered classical physics and transformed our concepts of time, space, and matter. Beginning with Einstein's theory of relativity, Motz and Weaver celebrate and savor the twentieth century's greatest advances in physics, chemistry, and mathematics, each of which have dramatically reshaped modern astronomy.
Review
"With unusual clarity, Motz and Weaver have written an account of the unfolding of knowledge about the cosmos that is as explosive as the universe itself. Good solid history is coupled with insights into complex modern theory and a formidable ability to get all this across to the uninitiated." Hugh Downs, host of ABC's 20/20
About the Author
Jefferson Hane Weaver co-authored (with Lloyd Motz) the highly popular book Conquering Mathematics. He received his M.A., his M.Phil., and his Ph.D. at the Columbia Graduate School of the Arts and Sciences. He lives in Fort Lauderdale with his wife, Shelley, and his four children.
Table of Contents
- The Origins of Astronomy
- The Ancient Cosmologies
- The Greek Philosophers and the Early Greek Astronomers
- From Aristarchus to Ptolemy: The Birth of Accurate Observational Astronomy
- The Revival of European Astronomy
- Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler
- Galileo, the Astronomical Telescope, and the Beginning of Modern Astronomy
- The Newtownian Era
- The Rise of Modern Astronomy
- Post-Newtonian Astronomy
- The Beginning of the New Age of Astronomy: Beyond the Solar System
- Astronomy as a Branch of Physics
- The New Physics and Its Impact on Astronomy
- Relativity and Astronomy
- The Origin and Development of Astrophysics
- Stellar Evolution and the Beginning of Galactic Astronomy
- Beyond the Stars: The Galaxies
- Cosmology