Drawing on his experience as historian of astronomy, practicing astrophysicist, and director of Lick Observatory, Donald Osterbrock uncovers a chapter in the history of astronomy by providing the story of the Yerkes Observatory. "An excellent description of the ups and downs of a major observatory." Jack Meadows, "Nature" "Historians are much indebted to Osterbrock for this new contribution to the fascinating story of twentieth-century American astronomy." Adriaan Blaauw, "Journal for the History of Astronomy" "An important reference about one of the key American observatories of...
Drawing on his experience as historian of astronomy, practicing astrophysicist, and director of Lick Observatory, Donald Osterbrock uncovers a chapter...
Donald E. Osterbrock Peter H. Raven Donald Osterbrock
What is the origin of the universe? How did life appear on Earth and why was much of that life destroyed at various times in Earth's history? In this book four noted scientists--physicist Alan H. Guth, astronomer George Wetherill, biologist Lynn Margulis, and paeleobiologist David Raup-- propose answers to these questions, discussing the newest developments in some exciting areas of current research. "Comprises four excellent essays. . . . The authors of this book seek to elucidate the remote, unusual events that most influenced the history of the cosmos and the earth. They describe...
What is the origin of the universe? How did life appear on Earth and why was much of that life destroyed at various times in Earth's history? In this ...
This is the biography of James E. Keeler (1857 1900), a distinguished pioneer of astrophysics, the application of the methods of physics to understanding the nature of the stars, nebulae, planets, comets, and other objects that populate the universe. Keeler was an outstanding scientist, and his fellow astronomers and physicists at the end of the nineteenth century considered him the leading astronomical spectroscopist of his generation. His career was closely linked with that of George Ellery Hale, founder of Yerkes Observatory. Keeler himself was the first astronomer at Lick Observatory, and...
This is the biography of James E. Keeler (1857 1900), a distinguished pioneer of astrophysics, the application of the methods of physics to understand...
Although less well known outside the field than Edwin Hubble, Walter Baade was arguably the most influential observational astronomer of the twentieth century. Written by a fellow astronomer deeply familiar with Baade and his work, this is the first biography of this major figure in American astronomy. In it, Donald Osterbrock suggests that Baade's greatest contribution to astrophysics was not, as is often contended, his revision of Hubble's distance and age scales for the universe. Rather, it was his discovery of two distinct stellar populations: old and young stars. This discovery...
Although less well known outside the field than Edwin Hubble, Walter Baade was arguably the most influential observational astronomer of the...
The world's first mountain-top observatory and America's first big-science research center, Lick Observatory exemplifies astronomy's dramatic development in the past century. A dedicated Confederate naval officer and his jack-of-all-trades foreman used the bequest of a miserly California eccentric to transform an isolated mountain peak into the world's premier research observatory. Its first staff included a director from West Point and three of the outstanding astronomers of their time. Since its dedication in 1888, Lick Observatory has been the site of many of the most important discoveries...
The world's first mountain-top observatory and America's first big-science research center, Lick Observatory exemplifies astronomy's dramatic developm...
