Items related to Seeing and Believing: How the Telescope Opened Our...
Synopsis
An entertaining, concise look at the impact of the advent of the telescope on the way humans view the universe and their place in it focuses on the visionaries, beginning with Galileo, who created and perfected it. 25,000 first printing. Tour.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review
Journalist Richard Panek begins his historical essay on the telescope with the Hubble Deep Field. This extended exposure by space telescope is a picture that looks out of our galaxy--farther, immeasurably farther, than the human eye has seen before. It exemplifies the purpose of all telescopes: "To address our place in the universe, literally. To size up all of space and figure out where we are in it." How and why did this particular technology have such profound effects?
Panek first considers Galileo, who "raised his new instrument toward the night sky and understood at once that there was more to see--and more to seeing--than meets the eye.... Unlike spectacles or magnifying lenses, the optic tube offered not just a distortion of what was already there, but more. It revealed evidence that was different from what the naked eye could see, evidence that wasn't otherwise there." Panek goes on to look at the, ahem, luminaries of observational astronomy--William Herschel, George Ellery Hale, Edwin Hubble--showing how faith in the telescope grew and our mental image of the universe expanded until "all the assumptions safely based on observation are gone." Panek's prose is vivid and beautiful, sustaining this (curiously) unillustrated book as it traces the astronomer's quest for light and dark, sight and belief. --Mary Ellen Curtin
About the Author
Richard Panek has written about astronomy and science for the New York Times, Natural History, Esquire, and Outside. He is also a PEN Award-winning fiction writer whose short stories have appeared in Ploughshares and on National Public Radio. He lives in New York City.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherViking Pr
- Publication date1998
- ISBN 10 0670876283
- ISBN 13 9780670876280
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages198
- Rating
Buy New
Learn more about this copy
US$ 21.75
Shipping:
US$ 4.00
Within U.S.A.
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Stock Image
Seeing and Believing: How the Telescope Opened Our Eyes and Minds to the Heavens
Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00052577858
Quantity: 3 available
Stock Image
Seeing and Believing: How the Telescope Opened Our Eyes and Minds to the Heavens
Seller: Wonder Book, Frederick, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: As New. Like New condition. Very Good dust jacket. A near perfect copy that may have very minor cosmetic defects. Seller Inventory # N26P-01087
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Seeing and Believing: How the Telescope Opened Our Eyes and Minds to the Heavens
Seller: Wonder Book, Frederick, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Very Good. Very Good condition. Very Good dust jacket. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp. Bundled media such as CDs, DVDs, floppy disks or access codes may not be included. Seller Inventory # T14B-03976
Quantity: 2 available
Stock Image
Seeing and Believing: A Short History of the Telescope and How We Look at the Universe
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Fair. No Jacket. Former library book; Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.6. Seller Inventory # G0670876283I5N10
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Seeing and Believing : A Short History of the Telescope and How we Look at the Universe
Published by
Penguin Publishing Group, 1998
ISBN 10: 0670876283
ISBN 13: 9780670876280
Used
Hardcover
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # GRP83353281
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Seeing and Believing : A Short History of the Telescope and How we Look at the Universe
Published by
Penguin Publishing Group, 1998
ISBN 10: 0670876283
ISBN 13: 9780670876280
Used
Hardcover
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Very Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # 38608334-75
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Seeing and Believing : A Short History of the Telescope and How we Look at the Universe
Published by
Penguin Publishing Group, 1998
ISBN 10: 0670876283
ISBN 13: 9780670876280
Used
Hardcover
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Very Good. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # 38826302-6
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Seeing and Believing: How the Telescope Opened Our Eyes and Minds to the Heavens
Seller: The Maryland Book Bank, Baltimore, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Used - Very Good. Seller Inventory # 6-L-3-0199
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Seeing and Believing: How the Telescope Opened Our Eyes and Minds to the Heavens
Seller: HPB-Emerald, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!. Seller Inventory # S_394218532
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Seeing and Believing: A Short History of the Telescope and How we Look at the Universe
Seller: Lou Manrique - Antiquarian Bookseller, Port Townsend, WA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 198 pp. "Galileo fit two lenses in a cylindrical tube and aimed it towards the sky." and our world changed". By the beginning of 1996 our world expanded by 40 billion galaxies! Ex-library, minimally stamped. Seller Inventory # 6606EJ
Quantity: 1 available