The Construction of the Heavens

The astronomical observations of William Herschel (1738–1822) made him question the accepted model of the clockwork universe. This volume explains the development of Herschels thoughts on what he called the construction of the heavens and reprints his principal papers on this subject. The preliminary chapters provide an introduction to Herschel, including his unusual path to astronomy, the discovery of Uranus and his work on the evolution of stellar clusters, which eventually led him to challenge the unchanging Newtonian universe. The second half of the text comprises eight of Herschels key papers on what we today would call cosmology, representing his progress between 1783 and 1814, fully annotated with historical notes and modern astrophysical explanations. Ideal for undergraduate and postgraduate students in the history of science and in astronomy, this volume explains Herschels pivotal role in the transformation from the clockwork universe to the biological universe of modern astronomy.

Spis treści:
Introduction
Part I. Herschels Exploration of the Cosmos
1. The making of an astronomer
2. Our neighbours among the stars
3. The riddle of the nebulae, true nebulosity?
4. The riddle of the nebulae, true nebulosity rejected
5. The riddle of the nebulae, true nebulosity confirmed
6. Retrospect, Herschel and the construction of the heavens
Part II. Herschels Cosmological Papers in Philosophical Transactions
7. 1783, On the proper motion of the sun and solar system
8. 1784, Observations tending to investigate the construction of the heavens
9. 1785, On the construction of the heavens
10. 1789, Remarks on the construction of the heavens
11. 1791, On nebulous stars
12. 1802, Remarks on the construction of the heavens
13. 1811, Observations relating to the construction of the heavens
14. 1814, Observations relating to the sidereal part of the heavens
Index.