Garrett Putman Serviss

Astronomy with an Opera-glass (eBook, ePUB)

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

Excerpt: Star-gazing was never more popular than it is now. In every civilized country many excellent telescopes are owned and used, often to very good purpose, by persons who are not practical astronomers, but who wish to see for themselves the marvels of the sky, and who occasionally stumble upon something that is new even to professional star-gazers. Yet, notwithstanding this activity in the cultivation of astronomical studies, it is probably safe to assert that hardly one person in a hundred knows the chief stars by name, or can even recognize the principal constellations, much less distinguish the planets from the fixed stars. And of course they know nothing of the intellectual pleasure that accompanies a knowledge of the stars. Modern astronomy is so rapidly and wonderfully linking the earth and the sun together, with all the orbs of space, in the bonds of close physical relationship, that a person of education and general intelligence can offer no valid excuse for not knowing where to look for Sirius or Aldebaran, or the Orion nebula, or the planet Jupiter. As Australia and New Zealand and the islands of the sea are made a part of the civilized world through the expanding influence of commerce and cultivation, so the suns and planets around us are, in a certain sense, falling under the dominion of the restless and resistless mind of man. We have come to possess vested intellectual interests in Mars and Saturn, and in the sun and all his multitude of fellows, which nobody can afford to ignore.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: OTB eBook publishing
• Seitenzahl: 126
• Erscheinungstermin: 15. Juli 2022
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9783987444531
• Artikelnr.: 66764052

Autorenporträt

Garrett Putman Serviss (1851-1929) was an American astronomer, popularizer of astronomy, and early science fiction writer. With a keen interest in the stars and a talent for explaining complex scientific concepts in an accessible manner, Serviss made significant contributions to the popularization of science during his lifetime. 'Astronomy with an Opera-glass' (1888), a noteworthy work among Serviss's extensive bibliography, exemplifies his ability to engage a lay audience. This text invites readers to observe the night sky without the need for sophisticated equipment, emphasizing the beauty and knowledge accessible to all who simply look up. Serviss's literary style combines factual scientific explanation with the humanistic and aesthetically pleasing aspects of stargazing. His works often include detailed observations and practical advice for amateur astronomers, alongside poetic language that elevates the scientific discourse to an artful experience. As a lecturer and writer, Serviss dedicated his career to making astronomy approachable, penning several other books such as 'Pleasures of the Telescope' (1901) and 'Curiosities of the Sky' (1909). His science fiction writings also reflect his astronomical expertise, most famously in 'Edison's Conquest of Mars' (1898), a sequel to H.G. Wells's 'The War of the Worlds'. Garrett P. Serviss's legacy persists in the intersection of science education and the enchantment of the cosmos.