Notice bibliographique
- Notice
Type(s) de contenu et mode(s) de consultation : Texte noté : électronique
Auteur(s) : Hoskin, Michael
Titre(s) : William and Caroline Herschel [Texte électronique] : Pioneers in Late 18th-Century Astronomy / by Michael Hoskin
Publication : Dordrecht : Springer Netherlands : Springer e-books : Imprint: Springer, 2014
Description matérielle : 1 online resource
Collection : SpringerBriefs in Astronomy
Lien à la collection : SpringerBriefs in astronomy (Internet)
Note(s) : This beautifully structured book presents the essentials of William and Caroline Herschel's
pioneering achievements in late 18th-century astronomy. Michael Hoskin shows that
William Herschel was the first observational cosmologist and one of the first observers
to attack the sidereal universe beyond the solar system: Herschel built instruments
far better than any being used at the royal observatory. Aided by his sister Caroline,
he commenced a great systematic survey that led to his discovery of Uranus in 1781.
Unlike observers before him, whose telescopes did not reveal them as astronomical
objects, Herschel did not ignore misty patches of light. Hoskins points out Herschel's
achievement in surveying, cataloguing, and describing them as "nebulae" and even coming
to the correct conclusion that their structure evolved over time, with Newton's gravity
being the agent of change. Herschel's surveys established a new astronomy - looking
at the universe rather than the planets! Michael Hoskin's account includes sketches
and diagrams from Herschel's manuscripts in the Royal Astronomical Society Archives
in which he attempts to delineate the structure of the Milky Way galaxy. While it
is well-known that Herschel was a revolutionary in telescope design who constructed
the world's largest telescopes, Hoskin also gives the full picture of the man as an
entrepreneur who built and traded some 400 telescopes. Hoskin also pays close attention
to the role of William's sister Caroline Herschel, who is usually portrayed as a "helpmate"
to her brother. But in fact she became a significant astronomer in her own right.
This book also offers a wealth of information of the wider Herschel family. It is
enriched by a complete set of portraits of William and Caroline Herschel with an extensive
set of images of their residences and closes with a charming appendix on how visitors
to the Herschels recorded their encounters. William and Caroline Herschel - Pioneers
in Late 18th-Century Astronomy will appeal to amateur astronomers and all those interested
in popular astronomy. This book will rapidly establish itself as the primary introductory
work for students, astronomers, and scholars working on the history of natural science
in the late 18th century
Sujet(s) : Herschel, William (1738-1822)
Herschel, Caroline Lucretia (1750-1848)
Astronomie -- 18e siècle
Astronomie -- Observations -- 18e siècle
Cosmologie -- 18e siècle
Indice(s) Dewey :
520 (23e éd.) = Astronomie et sciences connexes
Identifiants, prix et caractéristiques : ISBN 9789400768758
Identifiant de la notice : ark:/12148/cb447223526
Notice n° :
FRBNF44722352
(notice reprise d'un réservoir extérieur)
