Philosophy
Christmas isn't far away and good cheer is always spread by books.
From Amazon.com:
Booklist:
Edmund Halley is best known for discovering and calculating the period of the comet named after him. Before he was astronomer royal, Halley was a notable voyager in search of confirmation of his theory of Earth's magnetism. His three voyages so dedicated, undertaken in ships smaller than a modern oceangoing yacht, failed to bring confirmation of his theory and, moreover, were much troubled by unruly subordinates, a problem as common in those days as weevils in the bread and algae in the water. Halley survived all three voyages, of course, and returned with the basis for calculating the distance between the geographical and magnetic North Poles, a large boon for accurate navigation and mapmaking. Like Dava Sobel's Longitude (1995) and Galileo's Daughter (1999), this is a useful portrait of one of the people who assembled the vast jigsaw puzzle that is our image of the world we live in. It is also substantially as well researched and as readable as Sobel's popular books. Roland Green. Copyright © American Library Association.
"...(this) meticulously researched history makes wonderfully clear... (Halley) braved court intrigue, shipboard treachery and tropical disease... inventing geophysics..." -- John Rennie, Editor in Chief, Scientific American.
"...Wakefield brilliantly portrays...the turbulent politics and smoky coffeehouses of turn-of-the-century London – a truly truly compelling narrative." -- Owen Gingerich, author of The Book Nobody Read: Chasing The Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus.
"...a terrific read filled with interesting material on the history of science and the development of navigation..." -- Andrew Johnston, Geographer, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
"...there was much more to this enigmatic friend of Isaac Newton than periodic comets. ...(a) beautifully written book..." -- David Aguilar, Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
- Orrery Planetarium
Specialized...transit of Venus. The phrase 'transit of Venus' refers to the passage of the planet Venus across the face of the sun, as seen from Earth. Such transits occur in pairs eight years apart, with an interval of over 100 years between...
- Halley's Comet And The Ancient Greeks--466 Bc
"Halley's comet 'was spotted by the ancient Greeks'" by Paul Rincon September 10th, 2010 BBC News A celestial event seen by the ancient Greeks may be the earliest sighting of Halley's comet, new evidence suggests. According to ancient...
- The Royal Observatory...the Beginnings
I almost forgot but today is the official beginning of The Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England as decreed by King Charles II. "Greenwich Becomes Royal Pane on the Stars" by Randy Alfred June 22nd, 2009 Wired 1675: Britain's King Charles...
- Halley's Comet--human Companion And Part Of The Bayeux Tapestry
King Harold and nation cower in fear at the close passage of Halley's Comet. I witnessed Halley's Comet in 1986...my one and only encounter. I suppose that this is the most documented coment sharing mankind's history David Newton's animated...
- Mr. Whipple--comet Man
NASA: On April 20, 2007, the comet had just dipped inside the orbit of Mercury, perilously close to the sun, when a solar eruption struck and literally tore the comet's tail off. This surely has happened to comets before, but for the first time...
Philosophy
Book review--"Halley's Quest"
Halley's Quest
by
Julie Wakefield
ISBN-10: 0309095948
ISBN-13: 978-0309095945
by
Julie Wakefield
ISBN-10: 0309095948
ISBN-13: 978-0309095945
Christmas isn't far away and good cheer is always spread by books.
From Amazon.com:
Booklist:
Edmund Halley is best known for discovering and calculating the period of the comet named after him. Before he was astronomer royal, Halley was a notable voyager in search of confirmation of his theory of Earth's magnetism. His three voyages so dedicated, undertaken in ships smaller than a modern oceangoing yacht, failed to bring confirmation of his theory and, moreover, were much troubled by unruly subordinates, a problem as common in those days as weevils in the bread and algae in the water. Halley survived all three voyages, of course, and returned with the basis for calculating the distance between the geographical and magnetic North Poles, a large boon for accurate navigation and mapmaking. Like Dava Sobel's Longitude (1995) and Galileo's Daughter (1999), this is a useful portrait of one of the people who assembled the vast jigsaw puzzle that is our image of the world we live in. It is also substantially as well researched and as readable as Sobel's popular books. Roland Green. Copyright © American Library Association.
"...(this) meticulously researched history makes wonderfully clear... (Halley) braved court intrigue, shipboard treachery and tropical disease... inventing geophysics..." -- John Rennie, Editor in Chief, Scientific American.
"...Wakefield brilliantly portrays...the turbulent politics and smoky coffeehouses of turn-of-the-century London – a truly truly compelling narrative." -- Owen Gingerich, author of The Book Nobody Read: Chasing The Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus.
"...a terrific read filled with interesting material on the history of science and the development of navigation..." -- Andrew Johnston, Geographer, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
"...there was much more to this enigmatic friend of Isaac Newton than periodic comets. ...(a) beautifully written book..." -- David Aguilar, Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
- Orrery Planetarium
Specialized...transit of Venus. The phrase 'transit of Venus' refers to the passage of the planet Venus across the face of the sun, as seen from Earth. Such transits occur in pairs eight years apart, with an interval of over 100 years between...
- Halley's Comet And The Ancient Greeks--466 Bc
"Halley's comet 'was spotted by the ancient Greeks'" by Paul Rincon September 10th, 2010 BBC News A celestial event seen by the ancient Greeks may be the earliest sighting of Halley's comet, new evidence suggests. According to ancient...
- The Royal Observatory...the Beginnings
I almost forgot but today is the official beginning of The Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England as decreed by King Charles II. "Greenwich Becomes Royal Pane on the Stars" by Randy Alfred June 22nd, 2009 Wired 1675: Britain's King Charles...
- Halley's Comet--human Companion And Part Of The Bayeux Tapestry
King Harold and nation cower in fear at the close passage of Halley's Comet. I witnessed Halley's Comet in 1986...my one and only encounter. I suppose that this is the most documented coment sharing mankind's history David Newton's animated...
- Mr. Whipple--comet Man
NASA: On April 20, 2007, the comet had just dipped inside the orbit of Mercury, perilously close to the sun, when a solar eruption struck and literally tore the comet's tail off. This surely has happened to comets before, but for the first time...