The Cosmic Century: A History of Astrophysics and Cosmology - Hardcover

Longair, Malcolm S.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521474361 ISBN 13: 9780521474368

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2006

Synopsis

The twentieth-century witnessed the development of astrophysics and cosmology from subjects which scarcely existed to two of the most exciting and demanding areas of contemporary scientific inquiry. In this book Malcolm Longair reviews the historical development of the key areas of modern astrophysics, linking the strands together to show how they have led to the extraordinarily rich panorama of modern astrophysics and cosmology. While many of the great discoveries were derived from pioneering observations, the emphasis is upon the development of theoretical concepts and how they came to be accepted. These advances have led astrophysicists and cosmologists to ask some of the deepest questions about the nature of our Universe and have pushed astronomical observations to the very limit. This is a fantastic story, and one which would have defied the imaginations of even the greatest story-tellers.

About this title

Book Description:

The twentieth-century witnessed the development of astrophysics and cosmology from subjects which scarcely existed to two of the most exciting areas of contemporary scientific inquiry. This book reviews the historical development of the subjects, to show how they have led to the extraordinarily rich panorama of modern astrophysics and cosmology.

About the Author:

Malcolm Longair is Emeritus Jacksonian Professor of Natural Philosophy and Director of Development at the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge. He has held many highly distinguished positions within physics and astronomy and has served on and chaired many international committees, boards and panels, working with both NASA and the European Space Agency. He has received much recognition for his work, including the Pilkington Prize of the University of Cambridge for Excellence in Teaching and a CBE in the millennium honours list for his services to astronomy and cosmology. His previous well-received books for Cambridge University Press include Theoretical Concepts in Physics (2003), The Cosmic Century: A History of Astrophysics and Cosmology (2005) and High Energy Astrophysics (2011).

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0521474361
• ISBN 13: 9780521474368
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 565