The Transit of Venus by Peter Aughton

The Transit of Venus by Peter Aughton

This is a missing chapter in the history of astronomy, between the work of Galileo and Newton, and it is a chapter that belongs to England. Most people would name Newton and Edmund Halley as the greatest British astronomers, but both men drew heavily on the works of Jeremiah Horrocks. In the period before the English Civil War, Horrocks was the greatest astronomer in the kingdom. In 1639 he was the first man to see the image of Venus on the face of the Sun. He knew the positions and motions of the planets more accurately than any person of his time. He was the first to appreciate the true scale of the solar system and the first to formulate a valid theory for the wanderings of the moon. Yet he was not an elderly grey-bearded sage, but a young man living in provincial obscurity, who on his death had barely come of age but who left a great scientific legacy. Peter Aughton's scientific and narrative skills vividly describe the story of the early discoveries in astronomy and ably illustrate Horrocks' importance.

'This book throws a light on Horrocks' -- Tim Radford THE GUARDIAN A fascinating new book' -- Michael Hanlon DAILY MAIL 'He relates the story of Horrocks's life in a clear if businesslike style.' -- Steve King THE SPECTATOR 'Peter Aughton's interesting book' -- Andrew Crumey SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY 'charmingly done with no stone left unturned.' -- Michael Hoskins THE TABLET 'tells, effectively and unpretentiously a story which has everything: entertainment and instruction, drama and discovery, poignancy and importance.' -- Felipe Fernandez Armesto THE TIMES 'it is charmingly done, with no stone left unturned.' -- Michael Hoskins THE TABLET

Peter Aughton lives in Bristol. He lectures at the University of the West of England, specialising in engineering and the mathematical aspects of computing. In the 1970s he worked on the Concorde supersonic airliner and he is an Associate Fellow of the Institute for Mathematics. He is married with two children.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780297847212
ISBN 10	029784721X
Title	The Transit of Venus
Author	Peter Aughton
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Orion Publishing Co
Year published	2004-06-03
Number of pages	232
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable