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Segredos do Cosmos
- GenresNonfiction
172 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1964
13 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
About the author
Colin A. Ronan
75 books3 followersColin A. Ronan was a British author and specialist in the history and philosophy of science.
He was educated at Abingdon School in Oxfordshire and served in the British Army from 1940–1946, achieving the rank of major. After the war he obtained a BSc in Astronomy, and then took an administrative post at the secretariat of The Royal Society. While there he did an MSc in the History and Philosophy of Science under Herbert Dingle at University College London. After leaving the Royal Society he took up writing, and during a long career as an author produced over forty books, mainly on astronomy, and the history and philosophy of science. Later in life he collaborated with Joseph Needham on an abridgement of Needham's great work on China, producing The Shorter Science and Civilization in China in several volumes. He played key roles in the administration of the British Astronomical Association, where he was president from 1989 to 1991, and for many years he was the editor of its journal, and director of the historical section.
For a considerable period in the 1980s and early 1990s he collaborated with Sir Patrick Moore in lecture tours. These lecture tours took the form of weekend residential symposia on single topics such as the return of Halley’s Comet. Notable and hilarious, the interplay between Ronan’s sober and intellectual analysis along with Moore’s more extravagant character, led frequent disagreements that were usually solved over several bottles of red wine. These weekends were an enormous success and made a valuable and irreplaceable contribution to the amateur astronomical scene
With his second wife Ann, he founded the Ronan Picture Library, which specialises in scientific and historical pictures. Among his many books on the history of science were studies of scientists such as Galileo, William Herschel and Edmond Halley. He also wrote scientific books for children, along with books such as The Practical Astronomer (1981) written for beginner amateur astronomers.
Ronan had an asteroid named in honour of his achievements: 4024 Ronan belongs to the Floras family, discovered by E. Bowell on November 24, 1981, at Anderson Mesa.
He was educated at Abingdon School in Oxfordshire and served in the British Army from 1940–1946, achieving the rank of major. After the war he obtained a BSc in Astronomy, and then took an administrative post at the secretariat of The Royal Society. While there he did an MSc in the History and Philosophy of Science under Herbert Dingle at University College London. After leaving the Royal Society he took up writing, and during a long career as an author produced over forty books, mainly on astronomy, and the history and philosophy of science. Later in life he collaborated with Joseph Needham on an abridgement of Needham's great work on China, producing The Shorter Science and Civilization in China in several volumes. He played key roles in the administration of the British Astronomical Association, where he was president from 1989 to 1991, and for many years he was the editor of its journal, and director of the historical section.
For a considerable period in the 1980s and early 1990s he collaborated with Sir Patrick Moore in lecture tours. These lecture tours took the form of weekend residential symposia on single topics such as the return of Halley’s Comet. Notable and hilarious, the interplay between Ronan’s sober and intellectual analysis along with Moore’s more extravagant character, led frequent disagreements that were usually solved over several bottles of red wine. These weekends were an enormous success and made a valuable and irreplaceable contribution to the amateur astronomical scene
With his second wife Ann, he founded the Ronan Picture Library, which specialises in scientific and historical pictures. Among his many books on the history of science were studies of scientists such as Galileo, William Herschel and Edmond Halley. He also wrote scientific books for children, along with books such as The Practical Astronomer (1981) written for beginner amateur astronomers.
Ronan had an asteroid named in honour of his achievements: 4024 Ronan belongs to the Floras family, discovered by E. Bowell on November 24, 1981, at Anderson Mesa.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 12, 2015
Desde que era un niño y leía la Enciclopedia de Carlitos, (tres puntos de silencio por los caídos ...) los libros de astronomía me han parecido sencillamente fascinantes. Y es que la astronomía en sí es fascinante. ¿Cómo puede alguien mirar al cielo y no hacerse preguntas? ¿O no sentirse pequeño y abrumado, soñar con lo que hay más allá de lo que alcanza a ver el ojo? Incluso visualizar recorridos por esas inimaginables inmensidades, ansiar la ingravidez, anhelar el silencio inexorable del vacío... Pero he de ir al grano. Me encantó este libro, a pesar de estar un poco desactualizado en cuanto a cifras, teorías y planteamientos, y esto se debe a que continuamente el autor recuerda que todo lo escrito y descubierto hasta la fecha está sujeto a cambios, pues la ciencia avanza cada día más vertiginosamente. La forma de narración, diagramado e ilustración es impecable, amigable al lector y fácil de entender
Debo confesar que en algún punto me imaginé a un pequeño señor Carl Sagan dibujado en las páginas, sosteniendo entre sus dedos un diagrama del movimiento estelar aparente, al tiempo que lo explicaba.
Un libro altamente recomendado, con información condensada y bien presentada. Pero he de advertirte, lector, que sólo va a abrir aún más tu apetito de galaxias, estrellas, planetas y otros cuerpos del espacio exterior.
Debo confesar que en algún punto me imaginé a un pequeño señor Carl Sagan dibujado en las páginas, sosteniendo entre sus dedos un diagrama del movimiento estelar aparente, al tiempo que lo explicaba.
Un libro altamente recomendado, con información condensada y bien presentada. Pero he de advertirte, lector, que sólo va a abrir aún más tu apetito de galaxias, estrellas, planetas y otros cuerpos del espacio exterior.
November 7, 2025
It is an old book so of course it is not updated, but the knowledge you can get from the book is great 😃
August 5, 2013
Buena obra de divulgación científica que, a pesar de estar escrita en 1969, conserva todavía muchas cosas dignas de leerse. Desde la exploración espacial (el campo donde más se ha notado el paso del tiempo) a la astrofísica estelar, pasando por la construcción de telescopios, se trata de un libro muy interesante y muy recomendable para introducirse a la ciencia aeroespacial.
March 6, 2016
#2 Biblioteca Básica SALVAT
En su tiempo debió ser un gran aporte a la astronomía y a los conocimientos generales que se tenían, aunque no está tan alejado. Además hubo mucho que no sabía.
En su tiempo debió ser un gran aporte a la astronomía y a los conocimientos generales que se tenían, aunque no está tan alejado. Además hubo mucho que no sabía.
February 5, 2016
My parents had this book about the universe. It was probably the first of its kind in my life and I still have it.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews