E-Book Overview
Since ancient times, humans have been engaged in a continual quest to find meaning in and make sense of sights and events in the night sky. Cultures spread around the world recorded their earliest efforts in artwork made directly on the natural landscapes around them, and from there they developed more and more sophisticated techniques for observing and documenting astronomy. This book brings readers on an astronomical journey through the ages, offering a history of how our species has recorded and interpreted the night sky over time. From cave art to parchment scribe to modern X-ray mapping of the sky, it chronicles the ever-quickening development of tools that informed and at times entirely toppled our understanding of the natural world. Our documentation and recording techniques formed the bedrock for increasingly complex forays into astronomy and celestial mechanics, which are addressed within these chapters. Additionally, the book explores how nature itself has recorded the skies in its own way, which can be unraveled through ongoing geological and archaeological studies. This tale of human discovery and ingenuity over the ages will appeal to anybody interested in the field of astronomy and its rich cultural history.
E-Book Content
Jonathan Powell
From Cave Art to Hubble: A History of Astronomical Record Keeping
Astronomers’ Universe
Series editor Martin Beech, Campion College, The University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/6960
Jonathan Powell
From Cave Art to Hubble A History of Astronomical Record Keeping
Jonathan Powell Ebbw Vale, UK
ISSN 1614-659X ISSN 2197-6651 (electronic) Astronomers' Universe ISBN 978-3-030-31687-7 ISBN 978-3-030-31688-4 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-31688-4 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
Contents
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recording the Night Sky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A Landmark Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Forwards to the Past . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1 1 4 7
2. Cave Paintings That Recorded the Night Sky . . . . . . . . . . Primitive Artwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Pictograph . . . . . . . . . . . . . .