Hubble Vision: Astronomy with the Hubble Space Telescope [Hardcover]

Carolyn Collins Petersen (Author), John C. Brandt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 27, 1995

The refurbished Hubble Space Telescope has revealed spectacular and intriguing details in every object it has turned its acute gaze upon. What discoveries has the HST made so far? And how does this telescope actually work? This lavishly illustrated volume is the first to answer these questions in a complete review of the most exciting science to come from the Hubble Space Telescope. From the local Solar System and nearby stars, to the most distant quasars and early Universe, this volume presents a superb collection of the most dramatic images taken by the HST, supported by a lively and informative, but non-technical guide. Hubble Vision offers a view of the Universe as never seen before and will capture the imagination of all those interested in the astronomical quest of understanding our Universe - from the general reader and amateur astronomer through to the professional scientist.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

After a disastrous start featuring a flawed optical system and a flood of negative publicity, the reengineered Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is now producing many important scientific findings. This book, coauthored by an astronomer and a science writer, relates both the unpleasant inaugural years of the HST and the successes that now vindicate the expensive project. Because the volume is aimed at a general audience, the authors have included some sections giving the basic scientific background needed to put the HST data into context. At times readers may feel burdened by large doses of aerospace jargon and the language of advanced astronomical research, but those who persist will be rewarded with a balanced overview of the Hubble story. Recommended for public and academic libraries.?Jack W. Weigel, Univ. of Michigan Lib., Ann Arbor
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

'It is a most beautiful book and should at the very least belong to every school library ... a truly excellent book.' Astronomy Now

'... beautifully illustrated ... Hubble Vision is exactly the type of astronomy book that first captured my imagination as a child: large, glossy pages that offer a stunning tour of the cosmos in pictures. It allows us to ponder and marvel at celestial sights previously hidden ... an engaging and informative introduction to astronomy.' New York Times

'Hubble Vision is passionately written and will appeal strongly to engineers. Not just a pretty picture book, though it boasts an array of stunning photographs, it explains how the telescope was built, how it works, how the information is analysed, and, of course, discoveries such as interstellar heavy metals and black holes.' The Engineer

'... this is an intriguing book.' R. Sword, Endeavour

'Its prose is clear, precise, and sometimes lyrical ... Amateur astronomers probably will like its careful detail, attractive illustrations, and lucid discussions ... professional scientists will appreciate its thoroughness, clarity and reliability.' Sky and Telescope

'... This is an altogether richer and more challenging book. Here the authors have effectively captured the excitement of doing science with the Hubble. They lay out the history of the space telescope honestly and clearly ...'. Scientific American

'[an] authoritative work that bristles with awesome images.' Peter Gorner, The Chicago Tribune

'A tremendous lesson in science ... a great book teaching about the trials and tribulations of technology.' Richard Watson, Los Angeles Times

'Alongside stunning color photographs, Petersen and Brandt give an intelligible tour of modern astronomy, using clear language and the occasional chart, so that any reader can grasp the principles of astronomy ... Petersen and Brandt use cool-headed language and lucid explanations to provide an understanding of the science, work, and true discovery behind - and ahead of - the HST.' Katherine M. Reynolds, The Boston Book Review

'... a fascinating description of the achievements of the Hubble Space Telescope ... The authors ... are to be congratulated on this production which is aimed at the general reader (there is no mathematics) as well as the amateur astronomer and professional scientist.' Gnomon, Newsletter of the Association for Astronomy Education

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (October 27, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521496438
• ISBN-13: 978-0521496438
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,514,527 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do you see what I see?, May 22, 2004

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Hubble Vision: Astronomy with the Hubble Space Telescope (Hardcover)

One of the greatest achievements in the history of humanity with regard to observational astronomy has to be the Hubble Space Telescope, our first real opportunity to see the universe 'up close and personal', in the visual light spectrum (among other spectra) without the interference of the earth's atmosphere. Launched in 1990, there was a collective gasp when it was discovered that this remarkable achievement needed specs (not the construction-data kind, but the old-fashioned kind - eyeglasses)! Not long thereafter, a shuttle mission set forth to do the needed repairs, and since then the results have been stunning.

Carolyn Collins Petersen, an award-winning science writer with some specialty in astronomy, together with John C. Brandt, a researcher at the University of Colorado (he's even had an asteroid named for him), put together this early major book on the Hubble achievements. Their first chapter gives a brief history of the HST (Hubble Space Telescope) project, from concept to launch. They recount a narrative history of the first indications that there were problems, the excitement and the disappointment, as well as the correction. The sections on the history of observation and the technical specifications of the HST are interesting, as well, but the real glory is in the pictures.

Throughout the rest of the text, the authors put pictures from the HST of the major objects in the sky together with composite pieces and partial images. For some of the planetary images, the authors show side-by-side comparisons with some of the planetary exploration missions (Voyager, etc.), and even against the close-up images, HST fares well. The photography of stars in all their various life-stages, gaseous formations to final supernovae, are glorious and informative. The galaxy images give great and stunning detail of some of the most distant structures. Alas, even the HST has trouble discerning in detail objects such as quasars, which remain a mystery, but more data has been obtained than ever before.

The final chapter discusses topics such as distances, universal expansion, dark matter, and how the HST plays an observational role in collecting evidence in support of or variance to current theories on the universe. Petersen and Brandt discuss the general trends in cosmological thinking, accessible to the non-scientist and interesting to the scientifically trained.

The epilogue is a bit moot at this point, as the text written in the early 1990s only covered the time period up to 2002; however, the HST project is a big-budget item, which means it is a political item, and the budgetary concerns, both institutional (NASA-related) and governmental (will Congress and Presidential administrations support it?) are always a concern. Hubble continues to be a source of pride for the NASA community, and a source of great information for the astronomical community around the world.

This is a coffee-table book as well as an interesting scientific text.

0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Obtaining cosmological data, November 26, 2000

By 

Howard Schneider (Thornhill, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hubble Vision: Astronomy with the Hubble Space Telescope (Hardcover)

Good overview for the general reader how cosmological observational data is obtained, in this reference in the context of the cutting-edge Hubble space telescope.