Beautiful Science: Astronomy
Letter to George Ellery Hale, 1913, Albert Einstein In this letter, Einstein asks George Ellery Hale, director of the Mount Wilson Observatory and a renowned solar astronomer, whether it would be possible to measure starlight bending around the sun during the day.
Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica (Mathematical principles of natural philosophy), 1687, Isaac Newton The publication of this work revolutionized astronomy, providing mathematical models of the physical workings of the universe in more detail and with more accuracy than its predecessors.
Sidereus nuncius (Starry messenger), 1610, Galileo Galilei In this birth announcement of the telescope, Galilei made the startling claim that heavenly objects were not perfect spheres. The illustrations shown in this book are the first ever made of the Moon under magnification.
Almagest (The greatest book), 1279, Claudius Ptolemy Completed around 150, Ptolemy's description of an Earth-centered system remained unchallenged for more than 1,400 years. This copy of the Almagest, one of The Huntington's oldest science manuscripts, was written on parchment made from animal skins.
De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the revolution of heavenly bodies), 1566, Nicolas Copernicus (Edwin Hubble's copy) Copernicus' De revolutionibus demoted Earth from its position in the center of the universe. The work was declared heretical by the Roman Catholic Church but Catholics were permitted to read it once censors marked out prohibited passages, as they did in this copy.
