Parallax
The Race to Measure the Cosmos
1st edition
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Word Count
84,000 words, Guess
Page Count
336 pages
Physical Format
Hardcover
Identifiers
- Internet Archiveparallaxracetome0000hirs
- Internet Archiveparallax00alan
- ISBN-100716737116
- ISBN-139780716737117
- Goodreads2569159
and 5 more
- LibraryThing430433
- Library of Congress Control Number00068147
- OCLC Control Number45583430
- Better World Books9780716737117
- Open LibraryOL7835196M
Classifications
- LCCQB813 .H57 2001
- LCCQB813.H57 2001
Description
"Parallax charts the historical path of observational astronomy's most daunting challenge: measuring the distance to a star." "The greatest scientific minds applied themselves in vain to the problem across the millennia, beginning with the ancient Greeks. Not until the nineteenth century would three astronomers, armed with the best telescopes of the age, race to conquer this astronomical Everest - their contest ending in a virtual dead heat.". "Against a backdrop filled with kidnappings, dramatic rescue, swordplay, madness, and bitter rivalry, Alan Hirshfeld brings to life the heroes of this remarkable story. Meet the destitute boy plucked from a collapsed building who becomes the greatest telescope maker the world has ever seen; the hot-tempered Dane whose nose is lopped off in a duel over mathematics; the merchant's apprentice forced to choose between the lure of money and his passion for astronomy; and the musician who astounds the world by discovering a new planet from his own backyard.". "Illustrated with diagrams, period engravings, and paintings, Parallax is an unforgettable tale that illuminates the distinctly human side of science."--BOOK JACKET.
First Sentence
Meet the photon.
Subjects
Other Editions
- Parallax: The Race to Measure the Cosmos
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