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  3. The Construction of the Heavens
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    • Publisher:
      Cambridge University Press
      Publication date:
      05 March 2012
      19 January 2012
      ISBN:
      9781139087681
      9781107018389
      DOI:
      https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139087681
      Dimensions:
      (247 x 174 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.58kg, 214 Pages
      Dimensions:
      Weight & Pages:
      • Subjects:
      Physics and Astronomy, History, Philosophy and Foundations of Physics
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    Subjects:
    Physics and Astronomy, History, Philosophy and Foundations of Physics
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    Book description

    The astronomical observations of William Herschel (1738–1822) made him question the accepted model of the clockwork universe. This volume explains the development of Herschel's thoughts on what he called 'the construction of the heavens' and reprints his principal papers on this subject. The preliminary chapters provide an introduction to Herschel, including his unusual path to astronomy, the discovery of Uranus and his work on the evolution of stellar clusters, which eventually led him to challenge the unchanging Newtonian universe. The second half of the text comprises eight of Herschel's key papers on what we today would call cosmology, representing his progress between 1783 and 1814, fully annotated with historical notes and modern astrophysical explanations. Ideal for undergraduate and postgraduate students in the history of science and in astronomy, this volume explains Herschel's pivotal role in the transformation from the clockwork universe to the 'biological' universe of modern astronomy.

    Reviews

    ‘This highly recommended book stands alone as an outstanding academic summary of Herschel’s most important cosmological achievements.’

    Source: Astronomy Now

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    Contents

    Contents
    References

    Select bibliography

    J. A. Bennett, “Herschel’s scientific apprenticeship and the discovery of Uranus”, in G. E. Hunt (ed.), Uranus and the Outer Planets (Cambridge, 1982), 35–53.
    J. A. Bennett, “‘On the power of penetrating into space’: The telescopes of William Herschel”, JHA, 7 (1976), 75–108.
    J. L. E. Dreyer (ed.), The Scientific Papers of Sir William Herschel (2 vols, London, 1912).
    Kenneth Glyn Jones, The Search for the Nebulae (Chalfont St Giles, UK, 1975).
    Mrs John Herschel, Memoir and Correspondence of Caroline Herschel, 2nd edn (London, 1879).
    Michael Hoskin, Caroline Herschel’s Autobiographies (Cambridge, 2003).
    Michael Hoskin, Discoverers of the Universe: William and Caroline Herschel (Princeton, 2011).
    Michael Hoskin, “Herschel’s 40ft reflector: Funding and functions”, JHA, 34 (2003), 1–32.
    Michael Hoskin, “Nebulae, star clusters and the Milky Way: From Galileo to Herschel”, JHA, 39 (2008), 363–396.
    Michael Hoskin, Stellar Astronomy: Historical Studies (Chalfont St Giles, UK, 1982).
    Michael Hoskin, The Herschel Partnership: As Viewed by Caroline (Cambridge, 2003).
    Michael Hoskin, The Herschels of Hanover (Cambridge, 2007).
    Michael Hoskin, “Unfinished business: William Herschel’s sweeps for nebulae”, History of Science, 43 (2005), 305–320.
    Michael Hoskin, “Vocations in conflict: William Herschel in Bath, 1766–1782”, History of Science, 41 (2003), 315–333.
    Michael Hoskin and David Dewhirst, “William Herschel and the prehistory of stellar spectroscopy”, JHA, 37 (2006), 393–403.
    Constance A. Lubbock, The Herschel Chronicle: The Life-story of William Herschel and his Sister Caroline (Cambridge, 1933).
    Roy Porter, “William Herschel, Bath, and the Philosophical Society”, in G. E. Hunt (ed.), Uranus and the Outer Planets (Cambridge, 1982), 23–34.
    Simon Schaffer, “The great laboratories of the universe: William Herschel on matter theory and planetary life”, JHA, 11 (1980), 81–111.
    Simon Schaffer, “Uranus and the establishment of Herschel’s astronomy”, JHA, 12 (1981), 11–26.
    Wolfgang Steinicke, Observing and Cataloguing Nebulae and Clusters: From Herschel to Dreyer’s New General Catalogue (Cambridge, 2010).

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