Eclipses, Transits, and Comets of the Nineteenth Century (eBook)

How America's Perception of the Skies Changed

Stella Cottam, Wayne Orchiston (Autoren)

eBook Download: PDF

2014 | 2015
XI, 336 Seiten
Springer International Publishing (Verlag)
978-3-319-08341-4 (ISBN)

Infos

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.

Stella Cottam has B.S. degrees in physics and medical technology from Fordham University and the University of Nevada, respectively, an M.S. in library science from the University of Kentucky, a Master of Astronomy from the University of Western Sydney in Australia, and a Ph.D. through the Centre for Astronomy at James Cook University in Australia. Her thesis topic was 'The Popularization of Astronomy in the United States of America Subsequent to the Transits of Venus of 1874 and 1882 and the Total Solar Eclipses of 1868, 1869 and 1878' and her supervisors were Wayne Orchiston and Richard Stephenson. She has worked as a microbiologist at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky (USA). Wayne Orchiston is an Associate Professor in the Center for Astronomy at James Cook University (Australia), where he supervises a large pool of off-campus Ph.D. students and carries out research on the history of Australian, English, French, Indian, New Zealand and U. S. astronomy. He also edits the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage.

Inhalt

Introduction.- Historical Overview- The United States and Astronomy Until the 1860S.- Scientific Overview.- Popular Astronomy and the Solar Eclipses of 1868, 1869 and 1878.- Popular Astronomy and the Transits of Venus of 1874 and 1882.- Discussion.- Concluding Remarks.- References.

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 16.9.2014
• Reihe/Serie: Astrophysics and Space Science Library
• Reihe/Serie: Astrophysics and Space Science Library
• Zusatzinfo: XI, 336 p. 240 illus., 83 illus. in color.
• Verlagsort: Cham
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Astronomie / Astrophysik
• Themenwelt: Technik
• Schlagworte: 19th Century Media Coverage • 19th Century Solar Eclipses • American Astronomy History • Historical Media Coverage of Astronomy • History of Popular Astronomy • Popularization of Astronomy • Public Reaction to Astronomy • Reaction to Discovery of Neptune • Transit of Venus
• ISBN-10: 3-319-08341-4 / 3319083414
• ISBN-13: 978-3-319-08341-4 / 9783319083414