Cosmic Perspectives
Published on 14. September 1989
Book
Hardback
270 pages
978-0-521-34354-1 (ISBN)
Description
Modern cosmology and its relationship to the development of human civilization is the subject of this book. Astronomers, cosmologists and historians have contributed fourteen essays covering a wide range of subjects. These include the place of astronomy in China by Joseph Needham, frontiers in cosmology by Fred Hoyle, the dark matter problem by Bernard Carr and the origin of life by Cyril Ponnamperuma. There are also contributions on astrology, science fiction and science. The collection as a whole is an engaging selection of modern astronomy. All the chapters are written at a level suitable for general readership.
Reviews / Votes
"...it will be of interest to many lay readers, containing nice articles on the history of astronomy, the frontiers of cosmology, debunking astrology, and astronomy and science fiction." MercuryMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
593 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-521-34354-1 (9780521343541)
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 Classification
Content
1. Astronomy in ancient and medieval China Joseph Needham; 2. Indian astronomy: an historical perspective B. V. Subbarayappa; 3. Making of astronomy in ancient India Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya; 4. The impact of astronomy on the development of western science Jean-Claude Pecker; 5. Man and the Universe Hubert Reeves; 6. Understanding the Universe - challenges and directions in modern observational astronomy Harlan Smith, Jr: 7. Frontiers in cosmology Fred Hoyle; 8. Did the Universe originate in a big bang? Jayant Narlikar; 9. The dark matter problem Bernard Carr; 10. Geometry and the Universe C. V. Vishveshwara; 11. The origin and evolution of life Cyril Ponnamperuma; 12. The anthropic principle: self selection as an adjunct to natural selection Brandon Carter; 13. Astrology and science: an examination of the evidence Ivan Kelly, Roger Culver and Peter Loptson; 14. Astronomy and science fiction Allen Janis.