Hubble: A New Window to the Universe - Hardcover

Fischer, Daniel; Duerbeck, Hilmar

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0387946721 ISBN 13: 9780387946726

Publisher: Copernicus, 1996

Synopsis

At last, a book presenting the fantastic achievements of the first five years of the Hubble Space Telescope observations! While a number of books for the general public emphasise the technological accomplishments of this multi-billion dollar project or deal with the well-publicised flaw in the telescopes optics, this ground-breaking book concentrates on its astronomical success. The authors use results and spectacular images from Hubble itself to illustrate a wide range of astronomical topics, from the great questions about the universe as a whole, to quasars and black holes, and from the life and death of stars to our planetary neighbours in the solar system. The book is rounded off with an overview of the plans for the future of this fascinating telescope. The text contains a large number of spectacular images, as well as self-contained portraits of astronomers and explanations of astronomical topics and instruments. Written in a lively style, this compendium serves as a testament to the significant role the Hubble has played in astronomical accomplishment and discovery over the past five years.

About this title

Review

Most people's knowledge of the Hubble Space Telescope is limited to NASA's sheepish admission that the HST was built with a flawed optical system, a fact discovered shortly after the billion-dollar telescope's 1990 launch. But this blunder is just one chapter in the Hubble saga, a story that begins with the HST's initial conception in 1946 and continues to today's constant stream of stunning images that Hubble beams back to Earth. In Hubble: A New Window to the Universe, astronomy writer Daniel Fischer and research astronomer Hilmar Duerbeck seek to put the telescope back in its proper context: not as a symbol of government ineptitude, but as a complex, cutting-edge instrument of tremendous importance to science.

Fischer and Duerbeck accomplish this not only by sharing the fruits of Hubble's far-reaching vision in the form of dozens of striking, otherworldly images, but also by detailing the telescope's history and intricate inner workings. The bulk of the book by far, though, is a discussion of what Hubble has allowed us to see, interspersed with helpful diagrams, photographs, and illustrations. Hubble is a great find for anyone in search of a meaty primer on deep-space astronomy. --Paul Hughes

About the Author

Daniel Fischer studied astronomy at the University of Bonn and is now editor for the monthly astronomy magazine Sterne und Weltraum (Stars and Space). He is also an editor with the news station Skyweek and is a co-author of the successful book Der Jupiter Crash.

Hilmar Duerbeck has taught at the University of Mnster, was visiting researcher at the European Southern Observatory La Silla and visiting professor in Santiago, Chile. He has written many scientific articles and has translated several popular science books into German.

About this edition

• Publisher: Copernicus
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0387946721
• ISBN 13: 9780387946726
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 175