Ebook: The cosmic century : a history of astrophysics and cosmology

"The twentieth century witnessed the emergence of the disciplines of astrophysics and cosmology, from subjects which scarcely existed, to two of the most exciting and demanding areas of contemporary scientific inquiry. There has never been a century in which fundamental ideas about the nature of our Universe and its contents have changed so dramatically. This book reviews the historical development of all the key areas of modern astrophysics, linking the strands together to show how advances have led to the extraordinarily rich panorama of modern astrophysics and cosmology, while many of the great discoveries were derived from pioneering observations, the emphasis is upon the development of theoretical concepts and how they came to be accepted. These advances have led astrophysicists and cosmologists to ask some of the deepest questions about the nature of our Universe and to stretch our ability to address them by advanced observation to the very limit. This is a fantastic story, and one that would have defied the imaginations of even the greatest story-tellers."--BOOK JACKET.  Read more...