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A History of Astronomy
“A carefully reasoned history of astronomy … clearly the work of a man who loved his subject.” — The Times (London) Literary Supplement.
Few histories of astronomy offer the special human dimension of this book. For Professor Pannekoek (University of Amsterdam), the history of astronomy consists of the growth of man’s concept of his world. The study of the cosmos became an essential part of the history of human culture, an adventure of the mind.
In this well-balanced account of that adventure, the author is at pains to relate the development of astronomy to the social and cultural background in which it is nurtured. Thus, the effect of changes in political conditions, the influence of geography, and the growth of industry and of communications methods are clearly and incisively described.
Dr. Pannekoek begins with an unusually detailed account of astronomy in ancient times, including Babylonian sky-lore, Assyrian astrology, the Ptolemaic worldview, Hellenistic astronomy, the epicycle theory, and Arabian astronomy. The growth of astronomy after Copernicus constitutes the second part of the book, acquainting the reader with the epoch-making work of Kepler and Newton and the astonishing developments of celestial mechanics during the eighteenth century. Part III begins with Herschel, the gifted amateur whose observations opened up new horizons, and ends with Eddington’s pioneering studies of the internal constitutions of stars.
Comprehensive, well-written and full of small, revealing details that attest to the scope and depth of the author’s learning, this splendid survey belongs in the library of every astronomer — or anyone interested in the grand mystery of the cosmos and man’s attempts to penetrate it.
Few histories of astronomy offer the special human dimension of this book. For Professor Pannekoek (University of Amsterdam), the history of astronomy consists of the growth of man’s concept of his world. The study of the cosmos became an essential part of the history of human culture, an adventure of the mind.
In this well-balanced account of that adventure, the author is at pains to relate the development of astronomy to the social and cultural background in which it is nurtured. Thus, the effect of changes in political conditions, the influence of geography, and the growth of industry and of communications methods are clearly and incisively described.
Dr. Pannekoek begins with an unusually detailed account of astronomy in ancient times, including Babylonian sky-lore, Assyrian astrology, the Ptolemaic worldview, Hellenistic astronomy, the epicycle theory, and Arabian astronomy. The growth of astronomy after Copernicus constitutes the second part of the book, acquainting the reader with the epoch-making work of Kepler and Newton and the astonishing developments of celestial mechanics during the eighteenth century. Part III begins with Herschel, the gifted amateur whose observations opened up new horizons, and ends with Eddington’s pioneering studies of the internal constitutions of stars.
Comprehensive, well-written and full of small, revealing details that attest to the scope and depth of the author’s learning, this splendid survey belongs in the library of every astronomer — or anyone interested in the grand mystery of the cosmos and man’s attempts to penetrate it.
560 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
7 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
About the author
Anton Pannekoek
88 books56 followersDutch astronomer and marxist theorist.
He was one of the main theorists of council communism. As a recognized Marxist theorist, Pannekoek was one of the founders of the council communist tendency and a main figure in the radical left in the Netherlands and Germany.
In his scientific work, Pannekoek started studying the distribution of stars through the Milky Way, as well as the structure of our galaxy. Later he became interested in the nature and evolution of stars. Because of these studies, he is considered to be the founder of astrophysics as a separate discipline in the Netherlands.
The Astronomical Institute Anton Pannekoek at the University of Amsterdam, of which he had been a director, still carries his name.
He was one of the main theorists of council communism. As a recognized Marxist theorist, Pannekoek was one of the founders of the council communist tendency and a main figure in the radical left in the Netherlands and Germany.
In his scientific work, Pannekoek started studying the distribution of stars through the Milky Way, as well as the structure of our galaxy. Later he became interested in the nature and evolution of stars. Because of these studies, he is considered to be the founder of astrophysics as a separate discipline in the Netherlands.
The Astronomical Institute Anton Pannekoek at the University of Amsterdam, of which he had been a director, still carries his name.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 29, 2023
I bought this for my dad because he’s a huge astronomy geek, and I thought it’d be funny to trick him into reading a book by a Marxist who has influenced me so much. It took him FOREVER (literally over a year) to get through the section on pre-modern astronomy, basically before the telescope was invented, but things really picked up past that point. Overall, he seemed pleased with it!
Update, my dad wrote a review:
“In A History of Astronomy, Antonie Pannekoek examines astronomy from prehistory through the 1950s. The first third of the book explains astronomy up to about the beginning of the 11th century and does so in great detail. The middle third moves through the renaissance of science, including the invention of the telescope, Newton’s explanation of gravity, and the beginnings of documented stellar observations. The book's final section explores cosmology and attempts to explain modern observations of our galaxy and the galaxies beyond the Milky Way.
While not necessarily an easy read, this a comprehensive exploration of astronomy from its origins through the middle of the 20th century.”
Update, my dad wrote a review:
“In A History of Astronomy, Antonie Pannekoek examines astronomy from prehistory through the 1950s. The first third of the book explains astronomy up to about the beginning of the 11th century and does so in great detail. The middle third moves through the renaissance of science, including the invention of the telescope, Newton’s explanation of gravity, and the beginnings of documented stellar observations. The book's final section explores cosmology and attempts to explain modern observations of our galaxy and the galaxies beyond the Milky Way.
While not necessarily an easy read, this a comprehensive exploration of astronomy from its origins through the middle of the 20th century.”
Want to read
March 12, 2020C.S. Lewis references this book in The Discarded Image, "We have recently been reminded how much mathematics, and how good, went to the building of the [medieval European model of the universe]." pg 103
August 31, 2022
the most convoluted book i’ve ever read
January 9, 2008
Written by Dutch council communist and astronomer Anton Pannekoek this book covers the study of the sky and it's contents from the very beginning. The author starts with Ancient Sumer and goes as far as early radioteloscopy. The most fascinating chapters were those about the period from the fall of Rome until Newton. During this time scientists engaged in all sorts of magical thinking which today seem poetic. Exactly how poetic they were in a time where people could be burned alive for presenting the wrong results is a topic for another book.
May 23, 2024
So rewarding. I love the detail that he covered as he took us from the ancient Babylonians up through the Greeks and the Arabs and the renaissance. He put the theories into both historical context, and identified where they were objectively, true or false. That latter quality, is so often missing in history, and yet with astronomy, there are right answers, and there are also correct conclusions to draw with the knowledge at hand.I loved reading this, and might read it again just to better absorb the concepts and stories.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews