Wandering Star

The Astronomical Revolution That Moved the Earth
1. Auflage 2027
ISBN: 978-1-041-15504-1
Verlag: Taylor & Francis

Buch, Englisch, 208 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm

Reihe: Discovering Physics

Wandering Star is an innovative popular science book for curious readers interested in astronomy, physics and mathematics. Its goal is to describe the workings of the Solar System by explaining how gravity governs the motions of planets, moons and even the Sun itself.

The book first introduces the Solar System and the fundamental problem of planetary motion. Next, it recounts the extraordinary story of how humanity solved that problem—exploring the revolutionary breakthroughs of Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler, Galileo and Newton—culminating in the crucial development of Newton’s law of universal gravitation.

Alongside this narrative, Wandering Star offers “Satellite” chapters that dive into related phenomena such as tides, eclipses, orbital resonances and even how the date of Easter is determined. These concise explorations broaden the reader’s understanding without requiring specialized background.

Blending storytelling and history, Wandering Star is both a guide to how the Solar System works and an account of how we came to know it. It celebrates not just our knowledge of the Solar System, but the centuries-long quest that brought us to understand it; inviting readers to explore the universe with curiosity and confidence.

Key features:

- Explains how gravity controls the motion of the objects in the Solar System.

- Provides an accessible history of the discovery of the laws of astronomy and how this discovery contributed to the Scientific and Industrial Revolutions.

- Is accompanied by interactive support materials comprising forty “Satellites” describing interesting, peripheral topics, and eight appendices providing a deeper understanding of the underlying mathematics.

Zielgruppe

Adult education and General

Autoren/Hrsg.

Rugaber, Spencer

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Per ardua ad astra  2. Good Day Sunshine  3. The Inconstant Moon  4. Wandering Star 5. False Dawn 6. Nicolaus Copernicus: Sunshine Superman 7. Tycho Brahe: Hven and Earth 8. Johannes Kepler: Law and Order 9. Galileo Galilei: Eye in the Sky 10. Isaac Newton: Universal Soldier 11. Escape Velocity 12. Come the Revolution

Über Autor(innen)

Dr. Spencer Rugaber is a retired Senior Research Scientist in the College of Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His research interests span software engineering, artificial intelligence and human-computer interaction. He has worked in the software development industry, in the federal government as Program Director at the U. S. National Science Foundation and in academia at Georgia Tech since 1988. Dr. Rugaber is co-author of LogiQL, a Query Language for Smart Databases, and his article on Program Understanding is included in the Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Technology. He has also authored more than 100 research papers appearing in technical journals and conference proceedings. Since retiring, Dr. Rugaber has served as an adjunct faculty member in the College of Computing at Georgia Tech and as an advisor to several startup technology companies. In his spare time, he enjoys tennis, reading science fiction and learning how the universe works.