Minggu, 15 September 2013

Curiosities of the Sky, by Garrett Serviss

Curiosities of the Sky, by Garrett Serviss

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Curiosities of the Sky, by Garrett Serviss

Curiosities of the Sky, by Garrett Serviss



Curiosities of the Sky, by Garrett Serviss

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What Froude says of history is true also of astronomy: it is the most impressive where it transcends explanation. It is not the mathematics of astronomy, but the wonder and the mystery that seize upon the imagination. The calculation of an eclipse owes all its prestige to the sublimity of its data; the operation, in itself, requires no more mental effort than the preparation of a railway time-table.

Curiosities of the Sky, by Garrett Serviss

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #6318282 in Books
  • Published on: 2015-03-15
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Dimensions: 9.00" h x .28" w x 6.00" l, .38 pounds
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 120 pages
Curiosities of the Sky, by Garrett Serviss

About the Author Garrett Putnam Serviss (March 24, 1851–May 25, 1929) was an astronomer, popularizer of astronomy, and early science fiction writer. Serviss was born in upstate New York, and majored in science at Cornell. He took a law degree at Columbia, but never worked as an attorney.


Curiosities of the Sky, by Garrett Serviss

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Most helpful customer reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. A Historical View of Astronomy By Liz Shaw This book is nearly a century old, and it is fascinating reading for astronomy buffs as you can see the historical development of the science of astronomy at a time when technology like spectroscopy was just coming into use. The author presents his subject in an interesting way that any non-scientist can read and enjoy. If you are interested at all in astronomy, you'd probably enjoy this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Fascinating Glimpse into Science 100 Years Ago By Meks Librarian A book about astronomical phenomena, written by Garrett P. Serviss and first published in 1909, "Curiosities of the Sky" offers a fascinating glimpse into the state of science just a little over 100 years ago.A lot of what we take for granted and as firmly established scientific facts were either unknown back then, or still unproven theories, around half a century before the first man-made satellite would be orbiting our planet.The author never speculates but describes everything based on what was then known as facts, and whenever he is dealing with something unproven, he says so.The book is divided into chapters about such topics as comets and meteors, northern lights, seemingly completely black and void areas in the universe, the "unfixedness" of what we call fixed stars, the violent history of the Moon, and - maybe most fascinating of all for the modern reader - the possibility of past or present life on Mars.Remember, this was written when the only means of observing the universe were telescopes based on Earth - no Hubble or James Webb space telescopes yet, and radioastronomy had not yet been invented. But photography was already widely used in science, and the author often refers to photographs to illustrate a certain point. My (free) kindle ebook came without any, but the way everything is described is good enough for the imagination without pictures.An excerpt from the preface reads: "The idea of the author is to tell about these things in plain language, but with as much scientific accuracy as plain language will permit, showing the wonder that is in them without getting away from the facts. Most of them have hitherto been discussed only in technical form, and in treatises that the general public seldom sees and never reads."This "plain language" is rather poetic at times, and makes for very good reading, easy to understand for anyone remotely interested in astronomy without necessitating a degree in astrophysics.It was not the first time I've come across Garrett Putnam Serviss. He lived from 1851 to 1919 and was an American astronomer as well as an early science fiction writer. And it was as the latter that I first "met" him: as the author of "A Columbus of Space", a book I have reviewed here..I have mentioned above that the chapter about Mars is maybe the most fascinating part of the book. You have, I assume, heard the name Schiaparelli in connection with our neighbour planet. If not, let me just briefly tell you that it was by the Italian scientist (1835 - 1910) that the world first heard of "canali" on Mars - presumed channels for irrigation of the dry surface, built by the presumedly highly intelligent Marsians and clearly "seen" by Schiaparelli and many others, such as his American colleague Lowell (1855 - 1916), of equally scientific minds, through their telescopes.We have long come to learn the truth about Mars - there are no channels, and never have been. But at a time when their existence was rarely doubted within the scientific community, Garrett P. Serviss wrote that most interesting chapter.A lot of other things in the book have since been thoroughly examined and explained with the help of modern technology. We know a lot more about "solar wind", for instance, black holes and novae, and what comets are really made of. Still, it is interesting to see how people put their minds to explaining things as best as they could, with the means they had. And who knows how our up-to-date knowledge of astronomy will appear to a reader in another 100 years!

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five Stars By Reader Excellent Foundation Literature on this subject. Well written and stands as seminal treatise.

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Curiosities of the Sky, by Garrett Serviss

Curiosities of the Sky, by Garrett Serviss

Curiosities of the Sky, by Garrett Serviss
Curiosities of the Sky, by Garrett Serviss

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