An Acre of Glass : A History and Forecast of the Telescope.0801882346An acre of glass; a history and forecast of the telescope telescope, traditionally, a system of lenses, mirrors, or both, used to gather light from a distant object and form an image of it. Traditional optical telescopes, which are the subject of this article, also are used to magnify objects on earth and in astronomy; . Zirker, Jack B. Johns Hopkins Noun 1. Johns Hopkins - United States financier and philanthropist who left money to found the university and hospital that bear his name in Baltimore (1795-1873) Hopkins 2. U. Press 2005 343 pages $30.00 Hardcover QB88 In this text for general readers, Zirker explains how recent innovations in telescope technology have enabled the construction of giant, ground-based observatories that utilize mirrors up to 100 meters in diameter. He also traces the technology's history and describes how scientists have used telescopes to learn about objects in our own solar system solar system, the sun and the surrounding planets, natural satellites, dwarf planets, asteroids, meteoroids, and comets that are bound by its gravity. The sun is by far the most massive part of the solar system, containing almost 99.9% of the system's total mass. and those in the farthest reaches of space. He concludes with a discussion of some space-based observatories that are scheduled to be launched over the next decade. Zirker is former director of the National Solar Observatory The mission of the National Solar Observatory is to advance knowledge of the Sun, both as an astronomical object and as the dominant external influence on Earth, by providing forefront observational opportunities to the research community. . ([c]20062005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR) |
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