Stargazer: The Life and Times of the Telescope.STARGAZER stargazer, common name for any of several species of marine fishes of the family Uranoscopidae, found in southern waters, and having the mouth, nostrils, and eyes set high in the head. Stargazers lie buried in the sand, waiting for their prey of small crustaceans. : The Life and Times of the Telescope FRED WATSON Wat·son , James Dewey Born 1928. American biologist who with Francis Crick proposed a spiral model, the double helix, for the molecular structure of DNA. He shared a 1962 Nobel Prize for advances in the study of genetics. The exact origins of the telescope are lost to history. Some evidence hints that the Roman conquerors of Britain possessed telescopes in 43 A.D. More-certain records show that while Galileo experimented with the technology as early as 1609, Dutch optician optician, filler of prescriptions for and dispenser of corrective lenses. An optician may grind lenses as instructed by the prescription of an optometrist (see optometry) or ophthalmologist (see ophthalmology) or transcribe the instructions for laboratory mechanics. Hans Lipperhey was named in a rejected Dutch patent application for such a device in 1608. Lipperhey thus gets the credit for building the first working telescope, writes Watson, the astronomer-in-charge at the Anglo-Australian observatory The Anglo-Australian Observatory (AAO) is an optical astronomy observatory with its headquarters in suburban Sydney, Australia. It is jointly funded by the United Kingdom and Australian governments and operates the 3.9 metre Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) and 1. in New South Wales New South Wales, state (1991 pop. 5,164,549), 309,443 sq mi (801,457 sq km), SE Australia. It is bounded on the E by the Pacific Ocean. Sydney is the capital. The other principal urban centers are Newcastle, Wagga Wagga, Lismore, Wollongong, and Broken Hill. . Broader in scope than similar works on this subject, this book traces the development of astronomy as a science, profiles the most important scientists in the field's history, and describes the ancient-to-modern telescopes that these people have used to view the heavens. With a true insider's view, Watson has written an elegant text. It is generally understandable to any reader but occasionally lapses into complex discussions of the physics and optics of telescopes. Nevertheless, anyone interested in the history of invention or of astronomy will find this book rewarding. Da Capo Press, 2005, 352 p., b&w photos, hardcover, $24.95. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion