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From ancient times, humans have tried to understand the workings of the world around them. The roots of modern physical science go back to the very earliest mechanical devices such as levers and rollers, the mixing of paints and dyes, and the importance of the heavenly bodies in early religious observance and navigation. The physical sciences as we know them today began to emerge as independent academic subjects during the early modern period, in the work of Newton and other 'natural philosophers', and numerous sub-disciplines developed during the centuries that followed. This part of the Cambridge Library Collection is devoted to landmark publications in this area which will be of interest to historians of science concerned with individual scientists, particular discoveries, and advances in scientific method, or with the establishment and development of scientific institutions around the world.

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60 results in Cambridge Library Collection - Astronomy

Page 1 of 3

Les origines de l'astronomie chinoise
  • Léopold de Saussure
  • Preface by Gabriel Ferrand
  • Published online:
    05 June 2016
    Print publication:
    21 May 2015
    First published in:
    1930
  • Descended from French Protestants who had emigrated to Geneva, Léopold de Saussure (1866–1925) began his career in the French navy. Before retiring with the rank of lieutenant in 1899, he had learned Chinese and how to accurately observe the stars. The study of ancient Chinese astronomy then became the focus of his scholarly energies, and he made a number of significant contributions. Posthumously published in 1930, this work gathers together eleven of the twelve articles that originally appeared in the journal T'oung Pao between 1907 and 1922. In his preface, the French orientalist Gabriel Ferrand (1864–1935) quotes a letter, written by Saussure a month before his death, noting a shift of opinion: he now believed China had been influenced by the Middle East rather than vice versa. Irrespective of the question of priority, Saussure's work here reveals the depth of his understanding of the Chinese system.

Recherches sur l'histoire de l'astronomie ancienne
  • Paul Tannery
  • Published online:
    05 November 2015
    Print publication:
    30 April 2015
    First published in:
    1893
  • The French mathematician and historian of science Paul Tannery (1843–1904) worked as an administrator in the state tobacco industry while researching and publishing on a wide variety of topics, including editions of Fermat and Descartes as well as of the Greek mathematician Diophantus of Alexandria. This 1893 work reviews the history of ancient Greek astronomy, beginning with a survey of what the Greeks actually meant by the use of the terms 'astronomy' and 'astrology', and going on to consider the work of Pythagoras and the other pre-Socratics, Aristotle and the Alexandrian mathematicians. At its core is a detailed analysis of Claudius Ptolemy's Almagest, which attempts to trace each of the Greek master's theories - on the sphericity and circumference of the earth, on the sun, moon and planets, and on the prediction of eclipses - back to its historical origins in Greek mathematical and philosophical thought.

Photographs of Stars, Star-Clusters and Nebulae
  • Together with Information Concerning the Instruments and the Methods Employed in the Pursuit of Celestial Photography
  • Volume 1
  • Isaac Roberts
  • Published online:
    05 November 2015
    Print publication:
    31 October 2010
    First published in:
    1893
  • A geologist and fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, Isaac Roberts (1829–1904) made significant contributions to the photography of star-clusters and nebulae. By championing reflecting rather than refracting telescopes, Roberts was able to perceive previously unnoticed star-clusters, and was the first to identify the spiral shape of the Great Andromeda Nebula. Roberts' use of a telescope for photographing stars, and a long exposure time, provided greater definition of stellar phenomena than previously used hand-drawings. Although Roberts' conclusions about the nature of the nebulae he photographed were not always correct, the book is significant for the possibilities it suggests for nebular photography. Published in London in 1893 and 1899, the two-volume Photographs of Stars represents the summation of his work with his assistant W. S. Franks at his observatory in Crowborough, Sussex. Volume 1 contains 51 collotype plates of stars, and descriptions of his instruments and methods.

On the Determination of the Distance of a Comet from the Earth
  • And Other Works
  • J. W. Lubbock
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    21 August 2014
  • Even while professionally engaged in banking, Sir John William Lubbock (1803–65) applied his formidable mind to scientific questions. Several of his early writings on astronomy - his particular sphere of interest - are gathered together in this reissue, notably On the Determination of the Distance of a Comet from the Earth, and the Elements of its Orbit (1832), On the Theory of the Moon and on the Perturbations of the Planets (1833), and An Elementary Treatise on the Computation of Eclipses and Occultations (1835). Lubbock received a Royal Society medal for tidal research in 1834, and herein is his Elementary Treatise on the Tides (1839). Also included is Lubbock's On the Heat of Vapours and on Astronomical Refractions (1840), in which he relates celestial observations to Gay-Lussac's gas expansion law. The collection closes with On the Discovery of the Planet Neptune (1861), Lubbock's lecture discussing how John Couch Adams first predicted the planet's existence.

An Original Theory or New Hypothesis of the Universe, Founded upon the Laws of Nature
  • And Solving by Mathematical Principles the General Phænomena of the Visible Creation, and Particularly the Via Lactea
  • Thomas Wright
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    06 November 2014
    First published in:
    1750
  • Although his yeoman father is said to have burnt his books to discourage excessive studiousness, Thomas Wright (1711–86) nevertheless acquired considerable knowledge in the fields of mathematics, navigation and astronomy. Later benefitting from the patronage of wealthy families, he also surveyed estates, designed gardens, and tutored aristocrats. He is best known, however, for his contribution to astronomy: this illustrated work of 1750 was his most famous publication. Written in the form of nine letters, the book quotes both poets and scientists in the opening discussion as Wright sets out to fuse, rather than separate, science and religion. Combining his observations of the Milky Way with his theological belief in a universe of perfect order, he notes, among other things, that our galaxy appears to be disc-shaped. While largely ignored by contemporary astronomers, Wright's ideas can be seen as a forerunner to more sophisticated conceptions of our galaxy's configuration.

Astronomical Dialogues between a Gentleman and a Lady
  • Wherein the Doctrine of the Sphere, Uses of the Globes, and the Elements of Astronomy and Geography Are Explain'd
  • John Harris
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    13 November 2014
    First published in:
    1719
  • An Anglican clergyman and fellow of the Royal Society, John Harris (c.1666–1719) was an important promulgator of Newtonian science, through private teaching, public lectures and published writing. His Lexicon Technicum (1704) may be considered the first encyclopaedia in English. In the present work, published in 1719, Harris presents for his well-to-do readership a series of didactic conservations between a gentleman of science and an aristocratic lady. He aims to induce 'persons of birth and fortune' to dedicate some of their 'happy leisure … to the improvement of their minds', and uses quotes from poets such as Samuel Butler and John Dryden to help elucidate scientific concepts. In particular, Harris explains the use of contemporary scientific apparatus (and expensive status symbols) such as terrestrial and celestial globes. The book ends with a description of the ultimate contemporary symbol of scientific refinement: the orrery, a working model of the solar system.

Observations of Comets from BC 611 to AD 1640
  • Extracted from the Chinese Annals, Translated with Introductory Remarks
  • John Williams
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    06 November 2014
    First published in:
    1871
  • Long before their western counterparts, Chinese astronomers developed remarkably accurate methods for making their measurements, recording detailed observations since ancient times. Of particular interest to John Williams (1797–1874), assistant secretary to the Royal Astronomical Society, were Chinese observations of comets. Noting that previous translations of these records had been incomplete, Williams sought to produce a fuller catalogue. The present work, published in 1871, presents Chinese comet observations between 611 BCE and 1640 CE, using the encyclopaedia of Ma Duanlin and the great historical Shiji as major references. Williams provides useful context in his introductory remarks, mentioning the tests by which the accuracy of the Chinese records can be verified. He also includes chronological tables and a Chinese celestial atlas, enabling comparison between the Chinese and Western systems for dates and stars respectively.

The Description and Use of the Globes, and the Orrery
  • To Which Is Prefixed, by Way of Introduction, a Brief Account of the Solar System
  • Joseph Harris
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    13 November 2014
    First published in:
    1731
  • Born in rural Wales, to which he always felt a close connection, Joseph Harris (c.1704–64) moved to London in 1724, presenting the Astronomer Royal, Edmond Halley, with a testimonial of his mathematical ability. Harris then found work as an astronomer and teaching of navigation; his observations of magnetism and solar eclipses taken in Vera Cruz in 1726 and 1727 were relayed to the Royal Society by Halley. Harris' illustrated introduction to the solar system was originally printed for the instrument-maker Thomas Wright and the globe-maker Richard Cushee; it is here reissued in its 1731 first edition. Clearly describing the use of astronomical apparatus such as globes and orreries, it proved very popular, going through fourteen printings by 1793. Harris starts with an overview of the solar system and the fixed stars, and then shows how to solve astronomical problems using globes and orreries.

An Introduction to Practical Astronomy
  • Containing Descriptions of the Various Instruments that Have Been Usefully Employed in Determining the Places of the Heavenly Bodies
  • Volume 2
  • William Pearson
  • Published online:
    05 February 2015
    Print publication:
    05 September 2013
  • Although astronomical guides were available in the early nineteenth century, they tended to come from continental presses and were rarely in English. This two-volume work by the clergyman and astronomer William Pearson (1767–1847) aimed, with brilliant success, to compile data from extant sources into one of the first English practical guides to astronomy. Most of the tables were updated and improved versions, and some were wholly reconstructed to streamline the calculation processes. Sir John Herschel dubbed it 'one of the most important and extensive works on that subject which has ever issued from the press', and for his efforts Pearson was awarded the gold medal of the Astronomical Society. First published in 1829, Volume 2 provides full descriptions of a range of astronomical instruments, alongside instructions for their use and some pertinent equations and tables. In the history of science, Pearson's work reflects the contemporary challenges of celestial study.

A Handbook of Double Stars
  • For the Use of Amateurs
  • Edward Crossley, Joseph Gledhill, James M. Wilson
  • Published online:
    05 February 2015
    Print publication:
    03 November 2011
    First published in:
    1879
  • Used to describe both binary systems and optical doubles, the term 'double star' has been familiar to astronomers since the seventeenth century. This book, first published in 1879, outlines the history of their study, and describes the methods and equipment needed in order to observe the fascinating phenomenon. Written for non-specialists by Fellows of the Royal Society Edward Crossley (1841–1904), Joseph Gledhill (1837–1906) and James M. Wilson (1836–1931), the catalogue of over 1,200 double stars appears beside detailed notes and does not assume mathematical expertise. Also offered are a fully worked example of how to find the orbit of a binary star, and illustrations of telescopes, observatories, and even custom-made observation chairs. This reissue includes the supplement with corrections and notes published in 1880. A standard reference text in the late nineteenth century, the work remains a resources for students and scholars of the history of astronomy.

Essays from the Edinburgh and Quarterly Reviews
  • With Addresses and Other Pieces
  • John Herschel
  • Published online:
    18 December 2014
    Print publication:
    17 July 2014
    First published in:
    1857
  • First published in 1857, this work comprises assorted noteworthy writings by the mathematician and astronomer Sir John Herschel (1792–1871), reflecting his diverse scientific and literary interests. It includes a piece on terrestrial magnetism, a review of William Whewell's writings on the history and philosophy of science, and several addresses to the Royal Astronomical Society. Of particular interest is Herschel's commentary on Adolphe Quetelet's work on probability, which advocated applying statistics and probability calculus to social and political questions. Herschel's article not only influenced the growth of social science in Britain, but also played an important role in James Clerk Maxwell's development of a statistical treatment of heat phenomena. Also included in this collection are Herschel's translations of poems by Schiller (accompanied by the original German) as well as examples of his own verse. In an intriguing appendix, Herschel outlines a method for compiling vocabularies of indigenous peoples.

In Pursuit of a Shadow
  • By a Lady Astronomer
  • Elizabeth Brown
  • Published online:
    18 December 2014
    Print publication:
    17 July 2014
    First published in:
    1888
  • The title page calls the author of this 1888 work 'A Lady Astronomer'. She was Elizabeth Brown (1830–99), and the shadow she was pursuing was the eclipse of the sun on 19 August 1887, which could be best observed in northern Russia. Brought up by her father to make weather observations and to use a telescope, she became a member of the Liverpool Astronomical Society - on behalf of which she undertook her Russian expedition - and was later active in founding the British Astronomical Association. (The Royal Astronomical Society did not at this point admit women.) The book describes her journey, from her arrival at Hull to meet her travelling companion, to Russia, and home again. The actual viewing of the eclipse, at Kineshma, 200 miles north-east of Moscow, was spoiled by cloud cover, but her lively and observant account of her adventures is a fascinating record by a pioneering female scientist.

Popular Astronomy
  • A General Description of the Heavens
  • Camille Flammarion
  • Translated by John Ellard Gore
  • Published online:
    05 November 2014
    Print publication:
    13 February 2014
  • French astronomer Camille Flammarion (1842–1925) called the study of the heavens 'the science which concerns us most'. He believed that learning 'what place we occupy in the infinite' could delight and instruct, and might even promote an end to war and strife. Flammarion dedicated the present work to François Arago (1786–1853), author of earlier work on popular astronomy. Since Arago's time, the capabilities of telescopes and other instruments had vastly improved, advancing understanding in areas such as the composition of stars. Flammarion sought to bring this new knowledge to the public in a charming yet 'scrupulously exact' style. His highly illustrated introduction to astronomy succeeded in reaching a wide readership, selling over 100,000 French copies before this English translation appeared in 1894. The 1881 French version and Flammarion's work on the origins of the Earth, Le Monde avant la création de l'homme (1886), are also reissued in this series.

Tycho Brahe
  • A Picture of Scientific Life and Work in the Sixteenth Century
  • John Louis Emil Dreyer
  • Published online:
    05 November 2014
    Print publication:
    13 February 2014
  • Famous for his metal prosthetic nose, and for being associated with 'unlucky' days in Scandinavian folklore, Tycho Brahe (1546–1601) made the most accurate naked-eye astronomical measurements of his day. Cataloguing more than 1,000 new stars, his stellar and planetary observations helped lay the foundations of early modern astronomy. John Louis Emil Dreyer (1852–1926) was a fellow Dane, but he spent much of his working life in Ireland. When he was fourteen, he had read a book about Brahe and this inspired him to 'be an astronomer and nothing else'. First published in 1890, Dreyer's biography of his hero remained the definitive work for more than a century. He sets out to illuminate not simply the life of his subject, but also the lives and work of Brahe's contemporaries and the progress of science in the sixteenth century.

Greek Astronomy
  • Thomas L. Heath
  • Published online:
    05 November 2014
    Print publication:
    20 March 2014
  • From its beginnings in Babylonian and Egyptian theories, through its flowering into revolutionary ideas such as heliocentricity, astronomy proved a source of constant fascination for the philosophers of antiquity. In ancient Greece, the earliest written evidence of astronomical knowledge appeared in the poems of Homer and Hesiod. In the present work, first published in 1932, Sir Thomas Little Heath (1861–1940) collects some of the most notable essays and discussions of astronomical theory by Greek astronomers and mathematicians, presenting them in English translation for the modern reader. With chronological coverage, Heath's book features a thorough introduction, a doxography of what ancient authors said about the earliest theorists and longer excerpts exploring fundamental ideas. Among the pieces are extracts from Plato's Republic and Ptolemy's work on the impossibility of a moving Earth, alongside material from Aristotle, Euclid, Strabo, Plutarch and others.

The Scientific Papers of Sir William Herschel
  • Including Early Papers Hitherto Unpublished
  • Volume 1
  • William Herschel
  • Edited by John Louis Emil Dreyer
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    05 September 2013
    First published in:
    1912
  • By the time of his death, William Herschel (1738–1822) had built revolutionary telescopes, identified hundreds of binary stars, and published astronomical papers in over forty volumes of the Royal Society's Philosophical Transactions. This two-volume collection, which originally appeared in 1912, was the first to gather together his scattered publications. It draws also on a wealth of previously unpublished material, from personal letters to numerous papers presented to the Philosophical Society of Bath. Although Herschel is best known for his discovery of Uranus, this collection highlights the true range of his observations and interests. Focusing on his early work, Volume 1 includes notes on the discovery of Uranus, unpublished papers on electricity, and studies of the lunar mountains and the poles of Mars - both of which he believed to be inhabited. It also features a biographical account by the historian of astronomy J. L. E. Dreyer.

History of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1820-1920
  • John Louis Emil Dreyer, H. H. Turner
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    20 March 2014
  • Founded as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820, this illustrious organisation received its royal charter in 1831. It has counted some of the world's greatest astronomers among its members, most notably its first president, Sir William Herschel, whose family archive forms part of its extensive library. Now based in Burlington House in Piccadilly, it continues to publish journals, award medals and prizes, and support education and outreach work. Following the society's centenary, this survey of its history appeared in 1923 and comprises contributions from leading astronomers of the early twentieth century. The extracts from primary sources include the diary entry of Sir John Herschel, son of William, recording the dinner at which the society's formation was discussed. The work also provides insights into how the society was able to take advantage of imperial expansion to collect observations and data from around the world, fuelling the Victorian pursuit of scientific knowledge.

On the Determination of the Orbits of Comets
  • According to the Methods of Father Boscovich and Mr de la Place
  • Henry Englefield
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    27 June 2013
    First published in:
    1793
  • When this book first appeared in 1793, there had been no significant work on comets published in English since Edmond Halley's death some fifty years before. In Europe the field was dominated by French astronomers such as Pingré and Laplace, but their ornate styles were often difficult to translate. In this concise monograph, Sir Henry Englefield (c.1752–1822) draws both on this continental work and on his own correspondence with William Herschel to produce one of the few accessible manuals in English for the computation of cometary orbits. He includes mathematical examples as new formulae are introduced, along with detailed tables and appendices. Englefield's particular interest was in the development of scientific instruments suitable for travellers - he devised a portable telescope and lent his name to the Englefield mountain barometer - and his passion for efficiency shines through in this work, still valuable to researchers in the history of astronomy and comet science.

Theoria motus lunae exhibens omnes eius inaequalitates
  • In additamento hoc idem argumentum aliter tractatur simulque ostenditur quemadmodum motus lunae cum omnibus inaequalitatibus innumeris aliis modis repraesentari atque ad calculum revocari possit
  • Leonhard Euler
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    02 January 2014
  • The problem of the moon's orbit was one that Leonhard Euler (1707–83) returned to repeatedly throughout his life. It provided a testing ground for Newton's theory of gravitation. Could the motion of the moon be entirely accounted for by Newton's theory? Or, as Euler initially suspected, did other forces need to be invoked? For practical purposes, if the moon's orbit could be accurately predicted, its motion would provide the universal timekeeper required to solve the longitude problem. In addition to the mathematical 'three-body problem', a topic still under investigation today, Euler was faced with the statistical problem of reconciling observations rendered inconsistent by experimental error. The present work, published in Latin in 1753, is Euler's triumphant solution. It may not be the last word on a subject which has occupied mathematicians and astronomers for over three centuries, but it showed that Newton's laws were sufficient to explain lunar motion.

The Royal Observatory Greenwich
  • A Glance at its History and Work
  • E. Walter Maunder
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    22 August 2013
  • When this highly illustrated work first appeared in 1900, the day-to-day business of an astronomer was prone to misapprehension; the reality tended to be clouded by the temptation to imagine observatories as preoccupied with making awe-inspiring discoveries and glimpsing distant worlds. Describing himself as a hybrid between an engineer and an accountant, astronomer Edward Walter Maunder (1851–1928) explodes the romantic myths and takes the reader on an entertaining tour of the history and real purposes of the Royal Observatory at Greenwich. Founded with the sole aim of advancing navigation at sea, the observatory originally confined its activities to the accurate compilation of celestial charts. In exploring the observatory's various departments and the lives of its Astronomers Royal, Maunder shows how its remit slowly expanded into heliography, meteorology, spectroscopy and the study of magnetism, which transformed it from a tool of the Navy to a major institution in contemporary astronomy.

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