Cosmic Noise: A History of Early Radio Astronomy [Hardcover]

Woodruff T. Sullivan III (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521765242 | ISBN-13: 978-0521765244 | Publication Date: December 14, 2009 | Edition: 1

Providing a definitive history of the formative years of radio astronomy, this book is invaluable for historians of science, scientists and engineers. The whole of worldwide radio and radar astronomy is covered, beginning with the discoveries by Jansky and Reber of cosmic noise before World War II, through the wartime detections of solar noise, the discovery of radio stars, lunar and meteor radar experiments, the detection of the hydrogen spectral line, to the discoveries of Hey, Ryle, Lovell and Pawsey in the decade following the war, revealing an entirely different sky from that of visual astronomy. Using contemporary literature, correspondence and photographs, the book tells the story of the people who shaped the intellectual, technical, and social aspects of the field now known as radio astronomy. The book features quotes from over a hundred interviews with pioneering radio astronomers, giving fascinating insights into the development of radio astronomy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...marvelous work ... well-written and extraordinarily thorough, and it contains everything you might want to know, and more. ... Sullivan has dug very deep to put this book together. Students, researchers, and historians of science interesting in radio astronomy will want to read Cosmic Noise to get a definitive history of the field." - Physics Today

"...a definitive chronicle of the cavalcade of breakthroughs that led to a new field of science ... Sullivan's tome (exquisitely annotated for scholars) possesses an engaging style and is accessible to experts and novices alike." - IEEE Spectrum

"...a commendable job of assembling people, their memories, their publications, their instruments, and their institutions to give a solid overview of the early history of a diverse field." - Springer Science and Business Media

Book Description

A definitive history of the formative years of radio astronomy, this book is invaluable for historians of science, scientists and engineers. It uses quotes from over a hundred interviews with pioneering radio astronomers, and contemporary literature, correspondence and photographs, to give fascinating insights into the development of radio astronomy.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 574 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (December 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521765242
• ISBN-13: 978-0521765244
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,187,522 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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