An Astronomer's Tale

Author: Gary Fildes
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1473536685
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 218

Book Description
A Bricklayer's Guide to the Galaxy . . . The inspirational memoir of a former brickie who followed his passion for the stars and built his own observatory. Perfect for readers of Robert Macfarlane, Helen Macdonald and James Rebanks - as well as fans of Brian Cox and the BBC’s Sky at Night Gary Fildes left school at sixteen, got a trade like most of his mates and was soon married with four kids. His life seemed set. But he had a secret. Something he only practised late at night with a few like-minded friends. Then one day, middle age approaching alarmingly, he acted on his lifelong passion. He finally came out. As an astronomer. Today, Gary is the founder and lead astronomer of Kielder Observatory, one of the top ten stargazing sites in the world, which he also helped to build. Situated in the beautiful forests of Kielder, Northumberland, within Europe’s largest protected dark sky park, it offers some of the UK's most spectacular views of stars, planets and galaxies. An Astronomer’s Tale is Gary’s inspirational story: part memoir, part nature writing, part seasonal guide to the night sky. It is a book brimming with passion; and at a time when the world is captivated by space, it will leave you ready to get out there and explore the wonders of the skies for yourself.

An Astronomer's Tale

Author: Gary Fildes
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1780895550
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 322

The Astronomer Who Questioned Everything

Author: Laura Alary
Publisher: Kids Can Press Ltd
ISBN: 1525304070
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 36

Book Description
Perfect for fans of STEM, this inspiring picture book biography tells the extraordinary story of pioneering astronomer Maria Mitchell. Maria longed to travel beyond her island of Nantucket. But how? Her father taught her that if you know how to read the stars, they can tell you where you need to go. They spent hours scanning the sky. Maria learned to use astronomers’ tools to measure and track stars. But what could she do with her skills? Then one day, she heard that a prize was being offered to the first person to find a new comet. Could this be the opportunity she was waiting for? From small island girl to renowned astronomer — Martha Mitchell’s story will leave kids starstruck!

The Last Stargazers

Author: Emily Levesque
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
ISBN: 1492681083
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 336

Book Description
The story of the people who see beyond the stars—an astronomy book for adults still spellbound by the night sky. Humans from the earliest civilizations through today have craned their necks each night, using the stars to orient themselves in the large, strange world around them. Stargazing is a pursuit that continues to fascinate us: from Copernicus to Carl Sagan, astronomers throughout history have spent their lives trying to answer the biggest questions in the universe. Now, award-winning astronomer Emily Levesque shares the stories of modern-day stargazers in this new nonfiction release, the people willing to adventure across high mountaintops and to some of the most remote corners of the planet, all in the name of science. From the lonely quiet of midnight stargazing to tall tales of wild bears loose in the observatory, The Last Stargazers is a love letter to astronomy and an affirmation of the crucial role that humans can and must play in the future of scientific discovery. In this sweeping work of narrative science, Levesque shows how astronomers in this scrappy and evolving field are going beyond the machines to infuse creativity and passion into the stars and space and inspires us all to peer skyward in pursuit of the universe's secrets.

Beyond Jupiter:

Author: Fred Bortz
Publisher: Joseph Henry Press
ISBN: 9780309095525
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 128

Book Description
Heidi Hammel is an out-of-this world explorer. With her feet planted firmly on Earth, she takes trips millions of miles out into space. How does she do this? Heidi Hammel is a planetary astronomer, a scientist who uses the world's most powerful telescopes to learn about planets. By making remarkable discoveries in the farthest reaches of our solar system, Heidi also helps us better understand the planet we call home. The giant planets Neptune and Uranus are Heidi's specialties. She was on the team that first spotted Neptune's Great Dark Spot, a raging storm as big as Earth. Heidi also led a team of astronomers tracking the Great Comet Crash, a spectacular event in which a fragmented comet pounded Jupiter for an entire week. There's no telling what Heidi will find when she peers into a telescope. That's what makes her work exciting. Beyond Jupiter is the fascinating story of a scientist and her science. To tell this true tale of adventure, author Fred Bortz draws on firsthand accounts from Heidi and her friends, family, and colleagues. How did a down-to-earth girl grow up to be one of the world's most highly respected astronomers? The life story of Heidi Hammel will intrigue and inspire readers of all ages.

The Sun Kings

Author: Stuart Clark
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691141266
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 224

Book Description
Recounts the story behind English astronomer Richard Carrington's observations of a mysterious explosion on the surface of the sun and how his understanding that the sun's magnetism directly influences the Earth helped usher in the modern era of astronomy.

Parallax

Author: Alan W. Hirshfeld
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 0486490939
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 338

Book Description
This lively and entertaining history of the long struggle to measure the distance to the stars will appeal to general readers as well as to amateur and professional astronomers. Readers will encounter fascinating historical characters, from ancient Greeks to 19th-century scientists. Well illustrated, with contemporary pictures plus extensive notes on further reading. 2002 edition.

Miss Leavitt's Stars

Author: George Johnson
Publisher: WW Norton
ISBN: 0393328562
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 179

Book Description
"A short, excellent account of [Leavitt’s] extraordinary life and achievements." —Simon Singh, New York Times Book Review George Johnson brings to life Henrietta Swan Leavitt, who found the key to the vastness of the universe—in the form of a “yardstick” suitable for measuring it. Unknown in our day, Leavitt was no more recognized in her own: despite her enormous achievement, she was employed by the Harvard Observatory as a mere number-cruncher, at a wage not dissimilar from that of workers in the nearby textile mills. Miss Leavitt’s Stars uncovers her neglected history.

Star Tales

Author: Ian Ridpath
Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
ISBN: 0718894782
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 226

Book Description
Every night, a pageant of Greek mythology circles overhead. Perseus flies to the rescue of Andromeda, Orion faces the charge of the snorting Bull, and the ship of the Argonauts sails in search of the Golden Fleece. Constellations are the invention of human imagination, not of nature. They are an expression of the human desire to impress its own order upon the apparent chaos of the night sky. Modern science tells us that these twinkling points of light are glowing balls of gas, but the ancient Greeks, to whom we owe many of our constellations, knew nothing of this. Ian Ridpath, award-winning astronomy writer and popularizer, has been intrigued by the myths of the stars for many years. Star Tales is the first modern guide to combine all the fascinating myths in one book, illustrated with the beautiful and evocative engravings from two of the leading star atlases: Johann Bode’s Uranographia of 1801 and John Flamsteed’s Atlas Coelestis of 1729. This classic book, now in a revised and expanded edition, presents additional information on the constellations with new and enchanting illustrations. For anyone interested in the stars and classical mythology, for anyone who is an armchair astronomer, this is the perfect gift.

Secrets of the Hoary Deep

Author: Riccardo Giacconi
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press+ORM
ISBN: 1421402068
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 544

Book Description
A Noble Prize–winning Italian astrophysicist shares his scientific autobiography and the history of the development of contemporary astronomy. The discovery of x-rays continues to have a profound effect on the field of astronomy. It has opened the cosmos to exploration in ways previously unimaginable, and fundamentally altered the methods for pursuing information about outer space. Nobel Prize–winner Riccardo Giacconi’s highly personal account of the birth and evolution of x-ray astronomy reveals the science, people, and institutional settings behind this important and influential discipline. Part history, part memoir, and part cutting-edge science, Secrets of the Hoary Deep is the tale of x-ray astronomy from its infancy through what can only be called its early adulthood. It also details how the tools, techniques, and practices designed to support and develop x-ray astronomy were transferred to optical, infrared, and radio astronomy, drastically altering the face of modern space exploration. Giacconi relates the basic techniques developed at American Science and Engineering and explains how, where, and by whom the science was advanced. From the first Earth-orbiting x-ray satellite, Uhuru, to the opening of the Space Telescope Science Institute and the lift-off of the Hubble Space Telescope to the construction of the Very Large Telescope, Giaconni recounts the ways in which the management methods and scientific methodology behind successful astronomy projects came to set the standards of operations for all subsequent space- and Earth-based observatories. Along the way he spares no criticism and holds back no praise, detailing individual as well as institutional failures and successes, reflecting upon how far astronomy has come and how far it has yet to go.