The Eye of Heaven: Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler (Masters of Modern Physics) 1993rd Edition

by Owen Gingerich (Author)

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ISBN-13: 978-0883188637

ISBN-10: 0883188635

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"Blurb & Contents" "I can think of few better ways of introducing students to the history of astronomy than by using The Eye of Heaven as a text....This is science at its best....Not only does Gingerich make you think, he also forces you back in time and makes you think as astronomers did then. Students need this inspiration." David Hughes, New Scientist Astronomer and historian Owen Gingerich provides a fascinating introduction to three giants of early astronomy: Ptolemy, Copernicus, and Kepler. In these collected essays, Gingerich examines the revolution in man's conception of the universe brought about by the shift from the earth-centered cosmos of Ptolemy to the sun-centered model of Copernicus.

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"I can think of few better ways of introducing students to the history of astronomy than by using The Eye of Heaven as a text....This is science at its best....Not only does Gingerich make you think, he also forces you back in time and makes you think as astronomers did then. Students need this inspiration." --- David Hughes, New Scientist

From the Back Cover

Science history at its best is passionate, original, and controversial - a perfect description of the work of Owen Gingerich. Physicist, historian of science, and tireless sleuth, Gingerich is internationally respected for his rigorous scholarship and well-known for his challenging views. His work has had a profound effect on the history of science, disputing prevalent notions of the Copernican revolution, revising interpretations of Kepler's work, and redefining Newton. The Eye of Heaven: Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler is a provocative Gingerich collection, focusing on the transformation of astronomy from Ptolemy's geocentrism to Kepler's remolding of Copernican cosmology. In 25 bracing essays, it uncovers the subtle and surprising ways in which raw data, interpretation, and creativity propel science. Several of Gingerich's favorite themes are illuminated: the importance of historical context, the careful examination of scientific work habits, and the role of creativity and artistry in science. Did Ptolemy fake his data or merely, as many other scientists have done, mold them into a consistent form without intent to deceive? Was Copernicus's heliocentrism an inevitable response to crisis-ridden Ptolemaic cosmology, or was it an original, unexpected leap of imagination? Are scientific discoveries merely the unveiling of physical reality, or are they more akin to artists' creativity? The Eye of Heaven: Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler includes Gingerich's influential essay on crisis versus aesthetic in the Copernican revolution, a thought-provoking look at Newton's Principia as a work of art, and one of Gingerich's most popular pieces, "The Computer versus Kepler", in which an IBM 7094 handlesin seconds a computational problem that occupied the German astronomer for years. Here is science history at its best: astute detective work that demolishes popular notions, sensitivity to context and personality, meticulous scholarship, and elegant writing. In short, classic Gingerich.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ American Institute of Physics; 1993rd edition (May 8, 1997)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 450 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0883188635
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0883188637
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.97 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.1 x 1.03 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,374,248 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,154 in Astronomy & Astrophysics
- #3,945 in Physics (Books)
- #4,683 in Astronomy (Books)

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Helmer Aslaksen

Required reading!

Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2001

This book is essential for anybody who wants to understand what Ptolemy, Copernicus and Kepler really did. It's a bit more technical than "The Great Copernicus Chase", but if you're serious, you'll appreciate it.
And if you're really serious, you'll get a copy of the paper by James Evans in Am. J. Phys 56 (Nov, 1988) 1009-1024. It answered tons of technical questions for me. Just do it, you'll thank me (and Jim Evans!).

16 people found this helpful

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Stuart Godfrey

The Eye of Heaven: Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler

Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2007

I bought this book because I am hoping to write a book myself, giving a thumbnail sketch of history relevant to today's climate science (including Global Warming) from the Ancient Egyptians through Newton and Foucault and into the present. Real meteorology started 7 years after Foucault's work, as a direct result of what was learned from Foucault's pendulum.

I am a climate scientist, not an historian, so I have a steep learning curve to write such a book.I had previously obtained Toomer's magnificent translation of Ptolemy's "Almagest" (it shows Ptolemy to have been the world's first full-on theoretical physicist, and a magnificent teacher). I knew Toomer valued Gingerich highly, so I bought Gingerich's book. It has not disappointed. It has helped me to understand Ptolemy's fairly opaque book much better, and has also given me a much better appreciation of Copernicus the man.
I would have liked it if Gingerich had described Brahe in the same way -- we scientists value observations first, then theory -- and Ivar Peterson's "Newton's Clock" does a better job on Kepler. Nevertheless, I nearly gave this book five stars, not four.

7 people found this helpful

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Hefe

Why is Kindle Edition so expensive? (review applies only to Kindle Edition)

Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2011

I don't get it. The Kindle edition price is very high. No paper, no ink, no binding, no shipping costs incurred by Amazon. Yet their asking price is similar to the hard copy. Is anyone else bothered by this?

5 people found this helpful

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The Eye of Heaven: Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler (Masters of Modern Physics) 1993rd Edition

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