Life of James Ferguson, F. R. S., In a Brief Autobiographical Account, and Further Extended Memoir
Life of James Ferguson, F. R. S., In a Brief Autobiographical Account, and Further Extended Memoir

Author: James Ferguson

Publisher: Forgotten Books

Published: 2018-02-11

Total Pages: 524

ISBN-13: 9780656368143

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Excerpt from Life of James Ferguson, F. R. S., In a Brief Autobiographical Account, and Further Extended Memoir: With Numerous Notes and Illustrative Engravings To supply, if possible, more ample information regarding Ferguson, the writer began so early as the year 1829 to collect, from all available sources, as opportunity offered, whatever particulars could be found and were not generally known. In an examination lately made, with a view to publication, of cor respondence, memoranda and notes, these were found to form a heterogeneous collection, comprising much interesting matter little known, as well as certain particulars apparently of trivial importance, but which, as these also indicated Ferguson's pur suits at the time, have been retained. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Instruments of Science
Instruments of Science

Author: Robert Bud

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 740

ISBN-13: 9780815315612

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With over 300 entries from the ancient abacus to X-ray diffraction, as represented by a ca. 1900 photo of an X- ray machine as well as the latest research into filmless x- ray systems, this tour of the history of scientific instruments in multiple disciplines provides context and a bibliography for each entry. Newer conceptions of "instrument" include organisms widely used in research: e.g. the mouse, drosophila, and E. coli. Bandw photographs and diagrams showcase more traditional instruments from The Science Museum, London, and the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The Haunted Observatory
The Haunted Observatory

Author: Richard Baum

Publisher: Prometheus Books

Published: 2007-06-05

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 1615923012

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For many centuries observers of the night sky interpreted the moving planets and the surrounding starry realms in terms of concentric crystalline spheres, in the center of which hung the Earth -- the hub of creation. But with the discoveries of Galileo, Copernicus, Kepler, and Newton, astronomers were suddenly struck by a momentous truth: the solar system was neither small nor intimate, but extended an unfathomable distance toward countless even more distant stars. The endless possibilities of these astounding developments fired scientists'' imaginations, leading both to further discoveries and to flights of fancy. While newly discovered facts are important and interesting, the quaint curiosities and spectral "ghosts" that led scientists astray have a fascination of their own. This is the subject of astronomer Richard Baum in this elegant narrative about the mysteries and wonders of celestial exploration. The fabled "mountains of Venus," a "city in the moon," ghostly rings around Uranus and Neptune, bright inexplicable objects seen near the sun, and the truth behind Coleridge''s "Star dogged Moon" in his famous poem about the Ancient Mariner -- these are just some of the intriguing twists and turns that astronomers took while investigating our starry neighbors. Baum vividly conveys the romance of astronomy at a time when the vistas of outer space were a new frontier and astronomers, guided only by imagination and analogy, set forth on uncharted seas and were haunted for a lifetime by marvels both seen and imagined.

Women in Early British and Irish Astronomy
Women in Early British and Irish Astronomy

Author: Mary Brück

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2009-07-25

Total Pages: 281

ISBN-13: 9048124735

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Careers in astronomy for women (as in other sciences) were a rarity in Britain and Ireland until well into the twentieth century. The book investigates the place of women in astronomy before that era, recounted in the form of biographies of about 25 women born between 1650 and 1900 who in varying capacities contributed to its progress during the eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. There are some famous names among them whose biographies have been written before now, there are others who have received less than their due recognition while many more occupied inconspicuous and sometimes thankless places as assistants to male family members. All deserve to be remembered as interesting individuals in an earlier opportunity-poor age. Placed in roughly chronological order, their lives constitute a sample thread in the story of female entry into the male world of science. The book is aimed at astronomers, amateur astronomers, historians of science, and promoters of women in science, but being written in non-technical language it is intended to be of interest also to educated readers generally.