Sky and Ocean Joined: The US Naval Observatory 1830-2000

ISBN-13: 9780521815994 / Angielski / Twarda / 2002 / 624 str.

Steven J. Dick

Opis

This volume is, first and foremost, a story of the relations between space, time and navigation, from the rise of the chronometer in the U.S. to the Global Positioning System of satellites, for which the Naval Observatory provides the time to a billionth of a second per day. It is a story of the history of technology, in the form of telescopes, lenses, detectors, calculators, clocks and computers over 170 years. It describes how one scientific institution under government and military patronage has contributed, through all the vagaries of history, to almost two centuries of unparalleled progress in astronomy.

Recenzje

'Dick has produced a text which is also extremely readable, with many relevant and interesting illustrations and a very thorough index. The entire production is of the highest standard, and both author and publisher are to be congratulated on the care which has gone into the design and content of the book. In the opinion of the reviewer this book is an outstanding example of the genre, quite the most important contribution to the literature of the history of astronomy to appear for many years.' The Antiquarian Astronomer

Spis treści

Acknowledgements; Abbreviations; Introduction; Prelude: perspectives and problems: the nation, the navy, the stars; Part I. The Founding Era, 1830–65: 1. From depot to national observatory, 1830–46; 2. A choice of roles: the Maury years, 1844–61; 3. Foundations of the American Nautical Almanac Office, 1849–65; 4. Gilliss and the Civil War years; Part II. The Golden Era, 1866–93: 5. Scientific life and work; 6. Asaph Hall, the great refractor and the moons of Mars; 7. William Harkness and the transits of Venus of 1874 and 1882; 8. Simon Newcomb and his work; Part III. The Twentieth Century: 9. Observatory circle: a new site and administrative challenges for the twentieth century; 10. Space: the astronomy of position and its uses; 11. Time: a service for the world; 12. Navigation: from stars to satellites; Summary; Select bibliographical essay; Appendices; Index.