Winner of the AAS 2019 Donald E. Osterbrock Book Prize for Historical Astronomy Grabbing the attention of poets, politicians and the general public alike, a series of spectacular astronomical events in the late 1800s galvanized Americans to take a greater interest in astronomy than ever before. At a time when the sciences were not yet as well established in the United States as they were in Europe, this public interest and support provided the growing scientific community in the United States with the platform they needed to advance the field of astronomy in the United States. Earlier in the 19th century comets, meteors and the discovery of the planet Neptune were all sources of inspiration to the general public. The specific events to be considered here are the total solar eclipses of 1868, 1869 and 1878 and the transits of Venus of 1874 and 1882. The available media responded to public interest as well as generating more interest. These events laid the groundwork that led to today's thriving network of American amateur astronomers and provide a fascinating look at earlier conceptions of the stars.

Eclipses, Transits, and Comets of the Nineteenth Century: How America's Perception of the Skies Changed (Astrophysics and Space Science Library, 406)

Science & Math

Orchiston, Wayne

Cottam, Stella

Astronomy & Space Science

Springer

Dr. Orchiston is a foremost authority on the subject of New Zealand astronomy, and here are the collected papers of his fruitful studies in this area, including both those published many years ago and new material. The papers herein review traditional Maori astronomy, examine the appearance of nautical astronomy practiced by Cook and his astronomers on their various stopovers in New Zealand during their three voyagers to the South Seas, and also explore notable nineteenth century New Zealand observatories historically, from significant telescopes now located in New Zealand to local and international observations made during the 1874 and 1882 transits of Venus and the nineteenth and twentieth century preoccupation of New Zealand amateur astronomers with comets and meteors.New Zealand astronomy has a truly rich history, extending from the Maori civilization in pre-European times through to the years when explorers and navigators discovered the region, up to pioneering research on the newly emerging field of radio astronomy during WWII and in the immediate post-war years. A complete survey of a neglected but rich national astronomical history, this does the subject full and comprehensive justice. 

Exploring the History of New Zealand Astronomy: Trials, Tribulations, Telescopes and Transits (Astrophysics and Space Science Library, 422)

This book marks the centennial of Tebbutt's death with a major biographical account surveying his scientific contributions to astronomy, prefaced with a foreword by Sir Patrick Moore. During the second half of the nineteenth century, Tebbutt was Australia's foremost astronomer. He devoted his time and funds to astronomy, and built a truly international reputation that far surpassed Australia's leading professional astronomers of the day. This book marks the centennial of Tebbutt's death with a major biographical account. Tebbutt's remarkable record of achievement extends over more than half a century.
Orchiston's book covers the whole of Tebbutt's career, from his yearly observatory reports and comet discoveries to his time as the first president of Sydney's branch of the British Astronomical Association.

John Tebbutt: Rebuilding and Strengthening the Foundations of Australian Astronomy (Historical & Cultural Astronomy)

History

Australia & Oceania

Dr. Orchiston is a foremost authority on the subject of New Zealand astronomy, and here are the collected papers of his fruitful studies in this area, including both those published many years ago and new material. The&nbsp;papers herein&nbsp;review traditional Maori astronomy,&nbsp;examine the appearance of nautical astronomy&nbsp;practiced by Cook and&nbsp;his astronomers on their various stopovers in New Zealand during their three voyagers to the South Seas, and also explore notable nineteenth century New Zealand observatories historically, from significant telescopes now located in New Zealand to local and international observations made during the 1874 and 1882 transits of Venus and the nineteenth and twentieth century preoccupation of New Zealand amateur astronomers with comets and meteors. New Zealand astronomy has a truly rich history, extending from the Maori civilization in pre-European times through to the years when explorers and navigators discovered the region, up to pioneering research on the newly emerging field of radio astronomy during WWII and in the immediate post-war years. A complete survey of a neglected but rich national astronomical history, this does the subject full and comprehensive justice.&nbsp;

The evolution of Australian radio astronomy from 1945 to 1960 has been studied in detail by numerous historians of science in recent years. This Open Access book is the first to present an overview of this remarkable chapter in Australian science.&nbsp; The book begins in the post-war period, as the Radiophysics Laboratory in Sydney switched from secret wartime research on radar to peacetime applications of this new technology. Next follows the detection of radio waves from space and the ensuing transformation of this fledgling science into the dominant research program at the Radiophysics Lab. Drawing from this history, the book shows how by 1960 the Radiophysics Lab had become the largest and most successful radio astronomy group in the world. The final chapter presents an overview of Australian radio astronomy from 1960 to the present day, as Australia prepares to co-host the multi-national, multi-billion-dollar Square Kilometre Array. Nearly 300 high-quality images complement the text, drawn from a wide range of sources including the extensive collection held by the CSIRO Radio Astronomy Image Archive. The book will be an essential reference for readers interested in the scientific and cultural development of radio astronomy. <div> </div> This book is published open access under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Golden Years of Australian Radio Astronomy: An Illustrated History (Historical & Cultural Astronomy)

Robertson, Peter

Sullivan III, Woodruff T.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Orchiston, Wayne. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Orchiston, Wayne

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Orchiston, Wayne. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Eclipses, Transits, and Comets of the Nineteenth Century: How America's Perception of the Skies Changed (Astrophysics and Space Science Library, 406)

Exploring the History of New Zealand Astronomy: Trials, Tribulations, Telescopes and Transits (Astrophysics and Space Science Library, 422)

John Tebbutt: Rebuilding and Strengthening the Foundations of Australian Astronomy (Historical & Cultural Astronomy)

Exploring the History of New Zealand Astronomy: Trials, Tribulations, Telescopes and Transits (Astrophysics and Space Science Library, 422)

Golden Years of Australian Radio Astronomy: An Illustrated History (Historical & Cultural Astronomy)