A short history of observatories.
Publisher: University of Oregon Books
Published: 1973
Place of publication: Eugene
Language: eng
Number of pages: 164
Subjects: Astronomical observatories -- History
Description: The developing relationship between astronomical instruments and the structures that house them is discussed by an art historian who begins her narrative in Galileo's time and moves through the intervening centuries into our own day. "Early observatories were hardly more than observation platforms, built of wood and equipped with shutters or revolving roofs ..." writes Mrs. Donnelly. As telescopes increased in complexity and size, provision for a specially tailored physical setting became necessary. Mrs. Donnelly discusses the structural and artistic logic dictated by the maturing science and shows in textual descriptions and accompanying plates the results of this blending of science and architecture.
Notes: Bibliography: p. [150]-159.