Giant Telescopes : Astronomical Ambition and the Promise of Technology / W. Patrick McCray.
2006
QB90 .M33 2006eb
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Details
Title
Giant Telescopes : Astronomical Ambition and the Promise of Technology / W. Patrick McCray.
Author
McCray, W. Patrick, author.
ISBN
9780674275171
Published
Cambridge, MA : Harvard University Press, [2006]
Copyright
©2006
Language
English
Language Note
In English.
Description
1 online resource (376 p.)
Item Number
10.4159/9780674275171 doi
Call Number
QB90 .M33 2006eb
Dewey Decimal Classification
522/.29
Summary
Every night, astronomers use a new generation of giant telescopes at observatories around the world to study phenomena at the forefront of science. By focusing on the history of the Gemini Observatory-twin 8-meter telescopes located on mountain peaks in Hawaii and Chile-Giant Telescopes tells the story behind the planning and construction of modern scientific tools, offering a detailed view of the technological and political transformation of astronomy in the postwar era. Drawing on interviews with participants and archival documents, W. Patrick McCray describes the ambitions and machinations of prominent astronomers, engineers, funding patrons, and politicians in their effort to construct a modern facility for cutting-edge science-and to establish a model for international cooperation in the coming era of "megascience." His account details the technological, institutional, cultural, and financial challenges that scientists faced while planning and building a new generation of giant telescopes. Besides exploring how and why scientists embraced the promise and potential of new technologies, he considers how these new tools affected what it means to be an astronomer. McCray's book should interest anyone who desires a deeper understanding of the science, technology, and politics behind finding our place in the universe.
Access Note
Access limited to authorized users.
System Details Note
Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
Digital File Characteristics
text file PDF
Source of Description
Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 01. Dez 2022)
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Table of Contents
Frontmatter
Contents
Introduction: Beautiful and Cantankerous Instruments
1 Leo and Jesse's Changing World
2 Tradition and Balance
3 Visions of Grandeur
4 Paper Telescopes
5 Growing Pains
6 Astropolitics
7 Smoke and Mirrors
8 Joining the 8-Meter Club
9 Point-and-Click Astronomy
Conclusion: Telescopes, Postwar Science, and the Next Big Machine
Giant Telescopes
Sources
Abbreviations
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index
Contents
Introduction: Beautiful and Cantankerous Instruments
1 Leo and Jesse's Changing World
2 Tradition and Balance
3 Visions of Grandeur
4 Paper Telescopes
5 Growing Pains
6 Astropolitics
7 Smoke and Mirrors
8 Joining the 8-Meter Club
9 Point-and-Click Astronomy
Conclusion: Telescopes, Postwar Science, and the Next Big Machine
Giant Telescopes
Sources
Abbreviations
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index