Michael Hoskin - The History of Astronomy; A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions #88) (epub, mobi)

Astronomy, perhaps the first of the sciences, was already well developed by the time of Christ. Seventeen centuries later, after Newton showed that the movements of the planets could be explained in terms of gravitation, it became the paradigm for the mathematical sciences. In the 19th century the analysis of star-light allowed astrophysicists to determine both the chemical composition and the radial velocities of celestial bodies, while the development of photography enabled distant objects invisible to the human eye, to be studied and measured in comfort. Also, technical developments during and since World War II greatly enlarged the scope of the science by permitting the study of radiation.


ISBN13: 9780192803061



Genre: History, Science