Starlight Detectives
Subtitle: How Astronomers, Inventors, and Eccentrics Discovered the Modern Universe
Publisher: Bellevue Literary Press
Published: 2014
Language: eng
Number of pages: 399
ISBN-13: 9781934137789
Description: "The path to a broader mode of cosmic observation was blazed by a cadre of nineteenth-century amateur astronomers and inventors, galvanized by the advent of photography, spectral analysis, and innovative technology to create the entirely new field of astrophysics. From William Bond, who turned his home into a functional observatory, to John and Henry Draper, a father and son team who were trailblazers of astrophotography and spectroscopy, to geniuses of invention such as Léon Foucault, and George Hale, who founded the Mount Wilson Observatory, Hirshfeld reveals the incredible stories-- and the ambitious dreamers-- behind the birth of modern astronomy"--Page [4] of cover.