Rock Legends [electronic resource] : The Asteroids and Their Discoverers /
Murdin, Paul.author.
This book relates the history of asteroid discoveries and christenings, from those of the early pioneering giants of Hersehel and Piazzi to modern-day amateurs. Moving from history and anecdotal information to science, the book's structure is provided by the names of the asteroids, including one named after the author. Free from a need to conform to scientific naming conventions, the names evidence hero-worship, sycophancy, avarice, vanity, whimsy, erudition and wit, revealing the human side of astronomers, especially where controversy has followed the christening. Murdin draws from extensive historical records to explore the debate over these names. Each age reveals its own biases and preferences in the naming process. Includes bibliographical references and index.
Introduction -- Chapter 1: When the Stars Fell Down -- Chapter 2: From Eyesight to Space Satellites.-Chapter 3: Find Minor Planets by Technology -- Chapter 4: Naming and Possessing -- Chapter 5: At the Edge of the Solar System -- Chapter 6: Filling the Gap -- Chapter 7: Controlled by Jupiter -- Chapter 8: The Chaotic Solar System -- Chapter 9: The Fate of Asteroids -- References.
This book relates the history of asteroid discoveries and christenings, from those of the early pioneering giants of Hersehel and Piazzi to modern-day amateurs. Moving from history and anecdotal information to science, the book's structure is provided by the names of the asteroids, including one named after the author. Free from a need to conform to scientific naming conventions, the names evidence hero-worship, sycophancy, avarice, vanity, whimsy, erudition and wit, revealing the human side of astronomers, especially where controversy has followed the christening. Murdin draws from extensive historical records to explore the debate over these names. Each age reveals its own biases and preferences in the naming process. Astronomy.
Space sciences.
Planetology.
Popular Science in Astronomy.
Space Sciences (including Extraterrestrial Physics, Space Exploration and Astronautics).
Planetology.