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The Cosmos A Historical Perspective
Craig G. Fraser
Book Code: GR3218
ISBN: 0-313-33218-5
ISBN-13: 978-0-313-33218-0
200 pages, 29 figures; 2 tables
Greenwood Press
Publication: 7/30/2006
List Price: $65.00 (UK Sterling Price: £37.95)
Discount Price: $52.00 Greenwood Press Fall 2008 Backlist Sale. Use code 0826. Save 20%. Ends 12/31/2008.
Availability: In Stock
Media Type: Hardcover
Also Available: Ebook
Trim Size: 7 x 10
Subjects: Reviews:
  • The complex relationship between theories (including theories that eventually proved to be incorrect) and observation is a central focus throughout this concise, thought-provoking historical analysis. Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals.
    —Choice     February 2007
  • [A] good account of the development of cosmology over the last two or three millennia.
    —Astronomy Now     2006
  • From Plato's erroneous promulgation that the planets have circular orbits to calculation in 2003 of Hubble's constant, Fraser offers a lucid introduction to historical perspectives on the nature of the cosmos. The history of Western (including Islamic) cosmology is divided into four periods: early mythologies, classical Greek thought through Copernicus, heliocentric and Newtonian views, and the modern era starting in the 1920s with realization of the multi-galactic nature of the universe. The volume includes a timeline, a glossary, and b&w illustrations.
    —SciTech Book News     December 2006
Description: Everyone knows that the universe is extremely old and extremely large. But how did scientists determine just how old and how large? How do astronomers know that there are upwards of 100 billion galaxies in the universe if the nearest one is over 40,000 light-years away? How do we know what the stars are made of? The answer is that our current knowledge of the universe has arisen from the work and ideas of scientists and philosophers over hundreds of years. While it's only been during the last several decades that scientists have had the technology and theories to really understand how the universe works, humans have thought about such issues for millennia. And the scientists who today are attempting to understand the most complex issues of the universe build upon the work and thought of the thinkers of the last hundreds of years. The Cosmos: A Historical Perspective provides an accessible introduction to the many ways humans have conceived of the universe throughout history and what ideas have led to our current understanding of the cosmos. The book examines:
  • The Scientific Revolution and the new ideas of the Earth's place in the cosmos
  • The importance of nineteenth-century physics and chemistry in determining the compositions of stars
  • Einstein's Theory of Relativity and how it altered how scientists thought about gravity
  • New, cutting-edge science that may alter, yet again, our conceptions of the cosmos, such as the inflationary universe and the possibility of "dark energy."
  • Jargon and mathematics is kept to a minimum, and the volume includes an annotated bibliography and a timeline. The Cosmos is an ideal introduction for students studying space science and the history and nature of the scientific understanding of the universe.
    • Table of Contents:
    • Preface
    • Timeline
    • Introduction
    • abylonian and Chinese Astronomy and Cosmology
    • Greek Astronomy and Cosmology
    • Cosmology from Islam to Copernicus
    • Cosmology from Brahe to Newton
    • Stellar Astronomy: The Universe Beyond the Solar System
    • A Universe of Galaxies: The Triumph of the Island Universe Theory
    • The Expansion of the Universe
    • From Universal Expansion to the Big Bang
    • The Big-Band Universe: Grom 1965 to the 21st Century
    • Glossary
    • Bibliography
    LC Card Number: 2006006367
    LCC Class: QB981
    Dewey Class: 523
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