(Photo credit: Quercus. Image above shows two men in period dress next to a large telescope in front of a large image of a globe)
From the ancient origins of astronomy to Dark Matter and Dark Energy, The Story of Astronomy charts the discoveries of some of the greatest minds in human history, and their attempts to unveil the secrets of the stars.
Written in an accessible and entertaining style, The story of astronomy demystifies some of the biggest breakthroughs in the history of science, as well as explaining why we have 60 minutes in an hour, how the Romans bodged the invention of the leap year and when people really discovered the Earth wasn’t flat.
In the most straightforward and compelling of ways, Peter Aughton demonstrates the beauty and wonder of what Newton, Einstein, Hubble and Hawking really achieved. Richly informative and readable this is a fascinating journey through 3000 years of stargazing.
Included are chapters on:
- The Origins of Astronomy
- Astronomy in the Dark Ages
- Galileo – the great telescope maker
- Jeremiah Horrocks – father of English astronomy
- William Herschel – gazing deeper into space
- Albert Einstein – Relativity redefines astronomy
- The Hubble universe
- Beyond the Visible Spectrum,
- Stephen Hawking – exploring the boundaries of space
Further details of The story of astronomy can be found on the main catalogue, available in ‘Catalogues’ on the Library’s website.