Babylon to Voyager and Beyond
Babylon to Voyager and Beyond describes the fascinating story of planetary research from the time of the Babylonians and Ancient Greeks to the modern age of space exploration. In it, David Leverington outlines the key astronomical discoveries in their historical context, covering not only the successes but also the main failures. Babylon to Voyager and Beyond is written to be accessible to both amateur and professional astronomers, and those interested in the history of science. Extensively illustrated, the book concludes with a description of the extensive planetary discoveries made by spacecraft, and the discoveries of planets around other stars.
- Covers planetary research from ancient times up until more recent years
- A scholarly account of progress in understanding our solar system and its constituent bodies
- Includes extensive footnotes and glossary
Reviews & endorsements
"An unusually complete and authoritative overview and a valuable library resource. Highly recommended." Choice
"...highly readable...Given the level of unusual detail and high quality illustrations included, this volume belongs in the science collections of public libraries of all sizes, college and university libraries supporting both graduate and undergraduate programs in astronomy and allied planetary sciences, and museum libraries at institutions which emphasize astronomy and space science as part of their collections' profiles." E-STREAMS
Product details
December 2007Paperback
9780521004619
572 pages
244 × 165 × 30 mm
0.899kg
111 b/w illus. 9 tables
Available
Table of Contents
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1. The ancients
- 2. Copernicus and the new cosmology
- 3. Kepler and Galileo - the fall of epicycles and the start of telescopic astronomy
- 4. The mid and late seventeenth century
- 5. Consolidation
- 6. The solar system expands
- 7. The inner solar system in the nineteenth century
- 8. The outer solar system in the nineteenth century
- 9. Quiet interlude - the twentieth century prior to the space age
- 10. The space age - terrestrial planets
- 11. The space age - the outer planets
- Glossary
- Bibliography
- Units
- Name index
- Subject index.