On January 1, 1925, thirty-five-year-old Edwin Hubble announced the observation that ultimately established that our universe was a thousand trilli...
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Nov 24, 2011
Converse
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In the 1920s we found out that the universe is much bigger than we thought and getting bigger. The main person who generally gets the credit is the American astronomer Edwin Hubble, who worked at the Mount Wilson observatory near Pasadena, California. Hubble's contributions were important but not the whole story. Vesto Slipher, an astromer at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona, had noticed that the light from what were then called spiral nubulae were mostly Doppler shifted to the red end of spe
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Aug 27, 2009
Trevor
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Of course, there is that scene in Cosmos where Carl Sagan is sitting on a beach somewhere and talking about the stars. He picks up a handful of sand and says that the number of grains of sand in his hand is about as many as the number of stars you might be able to see unaided if you looked up at a clear night sky. He then says that modern cosmology has shown that there are more stars in the universe than all the grains of sand on all the beaches of the world.
This is a book about More...
This is a book about More...
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Aug 13, 2009
Joshua
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Before the first world war the universe was not much bigger than the Milky Way. Every pinpoint and smudge of light that could be seen through the best telescopes of the time were believed to exist within the confines of our own galaxy. During the decade after the war, all that changed when Edwin Hubble came to Mount Wilson to peer at the night sky through the 100 inch reflector. By 1930, we new that the universe was made of innumerable galaxies speeding away from us at every increasing veloci
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Feb 22, 2011
Billie
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Beginning in 1888, with the construction of the Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton in California, to the Mount Wison Observatory, with its 100 inch telescope where Hubble discovered, in 1925, that there were other galaxies, Bartusiak describes the many astronomers and the advances in telescopes that lead to Hubble's discoveries. The story begins with a wealthy man, James Lick, who wanted to build a monument to himself, and decided to build a marble pyramid that would have been larger than the
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Sep 16, 2009
Clif
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This book provides a virtual front row seat to the discoveries of facts about the universe that were bigger, stranger, and more spectacular than anybody could have imagined at the beginning of the 20th Century. Today the newness has worn off of such terms as expanding universe, space-time continuum, and multiple galaxies. So it's good to imagine the excitement that must have been felt when these words were first uttered. If these concepts seem unfathomable now, they were even more unbelievabl
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Jun 20, 2011
Brie
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A very interesting book. I have to admit that when I first started to read it, I found the writing very dry, and only my interest in the subject kept me reading. I'm not sure whether the writing improved throughout the book, or if I became used to her writing style, but by the end I loved the book. I hope she writes a continuation covering the discovery of the Big Bang theory, and the astronomers involved in that discovery.
The author starts off talking about each astronomer and thei More...
The author starts off talking about each astronomer and thei More...
Sep 10, 2009
Grumpus
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Oh, to have been an astronomer in the heyday in the early 1900s. I've always wanted to be an astronomer (was never good in physics). Now I know what time I would have ideally wanted to be one. Everything was new...the telescopes, the country, the skies were free from light pollution, and the glory of discovery. Oh, to dream.
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Sep 20, 2011
Chance
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I found this to be an excellent run through of our findings about the universe up to this point - I feel like I have a better understanding of how we got to our current model. There was also just enough humor to prevent me from getting bored. Yay! ^_^
Jan 17, 2010
Patrick
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This book is a fantastic, popular-science history of a pivotal era in astronomy: the moment in time when we went from a belief that the Milky Way was the Universe entire, to the knowledge that the Milky Way is but one galaxy in a Universe comprising billions of others.
Both the famous names (Hubble, Einstein, etc) and the less well-known players (Vesto Slipher, Milton Humason, Georges Lemaître, etc) are represented in this fascinating, well-written, and well-researched book.
Both the famous names (Hubble, Einstein, etc) and the less well-known players (Vesto Slipher, Milton Humason, Georges Lemaître, etc) are represented in this fascinating, well-written, and well-researched book.
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Jun 14, 2009
Barbara
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Very well done popular history of the state of astronomy research in the late 1880's to pre-WWII. The title refers to Hubble's paper, released in early 1925, verifying that there were other galaxies (aka island universes at that time) than our own Milky Way. Great capsule biographies of several of the major players, such as Shapley and Hubble. Highly recommended.
Jan 06, 2011
Katy
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For someone who may not have the slightest background in astronomy and only the basic knowledge of who Einstein was, this book does a wonderful job of describing the fascinating science behind the discovery of the universe as we know it today.
Ms. Bartusiak is a wonderful author and truly painted a more meaningful picture of the night sky.
Ms. Bartusiak is a wonderful author and truly painted a more meaningful picture of the night sky.
Feb 17, 2011
Carol
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In depth survey of the scientists and lay people whose works combined to measure the distances to the galaxays. Thus opening a new vision of our place in the universe.The story is well known, but some of the lesser known people are given their due.
I've always enjoyed Marcia Bartusiak's science writing. This one is no exception.
I've always enjoyed Marcia Bartusiak's science writing. This one is no exception.
Jul 11, 2010
Matthias
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An excellent history of the century of astronomical discoveries and controversies that led ultimately to the now-accepted theory of an expanding universe. Extremely well written and often gripping.
Oct 16, 2010
Gendou
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History is boring, Astronomy is fun. So, this book was half way in between.
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