A Popular History of Astronomy During the Nineteenth CenturyAgnes Mary Clerke (1842-1907) first published A Popular History of Astronomy in 1885. The work was received with widespread acclaim and brought Clerke an international reputation as a science writer. The History surveys the progress made in the field of astronomy during the nineteenth century. It is split chronologically into two parts, dealing with the first and the second half of the century. Part 1 focuses on the career of the astronomer William Herschel (1738-1822) and the development of sidereal astronomy; part 2 deals with the discovery of spectrum analysis and the progress of knowledge about sun spots and the magnetic disturbances which cause them. Clerke's work, a classic example of Victorian popular scientific literature, stands alongside Grant's earlier History of Astronomy in its success in popularising the subject. The work is important today for scholars researching the history of the discipline and its place in educated Victorian society. |
Contents
INTRODUCTION | 1 |
PROGRESS OF ASTRONOMY DURING THE FIRST | 11 |
CHAPTER II | 35 |
CHAPTER IV | 93 |
CHAPTER V | 115 |
CHAPTER VI | 140 |
RECENT PROGRESS OF ASTRONOMY | 161 |
CHAPTER II | 185 |
CHAPTER V | 257 |
CHAPTER VI | 269 |
CHAPTER VII | 288 |
CHAPTER VIII | 319 |
CHAPTER IX | 348 |
CHAPTER X | 363 |
CHAPTER XI | 384 |
CHAPTER XII | 411 |
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Common terms and phrases
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