Beyond Southern Skies tells the story of the planning and construction of the Parkes Telescope in rural New South Wales, Australia, and surveys its achievements over the past thirty years. Radio astronomy in Australia had its origins in the secret radar research that was carried out during World War II by CSIRO's Radiophysics Laboratory in Sydney. This research group grew to be the largest and most diversified of its kind, and the giant dish at Parkes became a powerful symbol of the growing confidence among Australian scientists. Readers will be fascinated by Peter Robertson's lively account of the personalities, politics and controversy that lay behind the decision to build the Parkes Telescope. This book also gives an accessible description of the technical achievements of the telescope since its completion in 1961 and discusses its contributions to our understanding of the universe.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
' ... a valuable history of Australian radioastronomy ... well researched, easy to read and generously illustrated.' Nature ' ... a superbly researched account of the whole history of radio astronomy ...' JBAA 'Beyond Southern Skies has been held to high standards of readability and accuracy ... provides interesting insight into the personalities of many of the central characters in the story: They really were human.' Science 'As a historical account of a major scientific instrument and its supporting team of scientists, Beyond Southern Skies has been held to high standards of readability and accuracy.' Science 'His narrative provides interesting insight into the personalities of many of the central characters in the story ... This book is a most worthy tribute to two of the most important figures.' Taffy Bowen and John Bolton, Science
Sprache
Verlagsort
Zielgruppe
Illustrationen
115 Halftones, unspecified; 15 Line drawings, unspecified
Maße
Höhe: 256 mm
Breite: 181 mm
Dicke: 26 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-0-521-41408-1 (9780521414081)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Foreword; Preface; Part I. Joe Pawsey - The Founder: 1. In the beginning; 2. Physicists take to the air; 3. From Venus to Cygnus; 4. Radiophysics leads the way; Part II. Taffy Bowen - The Builder: 5. Finding the funds; 6. Turning concepts into blueprints; 7. Erecting the acre of Ear; 8. Radio astronomy in transition; Part III. John Bolton - The Astronomer: 9. Starting with a splash; 10. Sailing on a new ocean; 11. How astronomy is done at Parkes; 12. Laboratory of the extremes; Endnotes; Selected bibliography; Index.
