The sky is no longer the limit, with people’s endless exploration. This blog collects books about the lives of astronomers and scientists, whose imagination and research lead to space. Some of these books are witty and funny, while some records the challenge they had to face, whether personally or academically.
An astronomer’s tale : a life under the stars / Fildes, Gary
“Gary Fildes left school at sixteen, got a trade like most of his mates and was soon married with four kids. He practised a secret with a few like-minded friends. Then one day, middle age approaching alarmingly, he acted on his lifelong passion, to be an astronomer. Today, Gary is the founder and lead astronomer of Kielder Observatory, world’s top ten stargazing sites. Situated within Europe’s largest protected dark sky park, it offers some of the UK’s most spectacular views of stars, planets and galaxies.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)
Star-craving mad : tales from a travelling astronomer / Watson, F.
“Most people world harbor the romantic notion that astronomers spend every night with their eyes clapped to giant telescopes. Members of the public normally ask astronomer Fred Watson whether he’s recently found anything? Sadly, astronomers normally spend huge amount of time investigating things they already know about. Fred Watson takes us on a witty, funny, and knowledgeable ride through space, ruminating on Pluto’s demotion from planetary status and Peru’s ancient sky watchers.” (Adapted from Amazon.com)
Celestial geometry : understanding the astronomical meanings of ancient sites / Taylor, Ken
“Since the dawn of civilization, humans have sought inspiration and guidance in the night sky. “Celestial Geometry” explores the remarkable achievements of ancient astronomers at over 60 archaeological sites, from European stone circles like Stonehenge to the pyramids of Egypt and Central America, the medicine wheels of North America, the carved monoliths of Easter Island, and the sun clock of Goseck.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)
Empire of the stars : obsession, friendship, and betrayal in the quest for black holes / Miller, Arthur I
“August 1930, on a voyage from Madras to London, a young Indian, Chandra. looked up at the stars and contemplated their fate. Chandra calculated that certain stars would suffer a strange and violent death, collapsing into virtually nothing. This extraordinary claim, the first mathematical description of black holes, brought Chandra into direct conflict with Sir Arthur Eddington, one of the greatest astrophysicists of the day.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)
The comet sweeper : Caroline Herschel’s astronomical ambition / Brock, Claire
“Having escaped domestic servitude in Germany by teaching herself to sing, and established a career in England, Caroline Herschel learned astronomy while helping her brother William, then Astronomer Royal. Soon making scientific discoveries in her own right, she swept to international scientific and popular fame. She was awarded a salary by George III in 1787. Herschel’s diaries and her fiery letters tells the story of this ambitious astronomer.” (Adapted from Amazon.com)
My brief history / Hawking, Stephen
“This book rewinds the time from his bestseller book, lavishly illustrated with rarely seen photographs, and writing with characteristic humility and humour, this concise, witty and candid account introduces readers to a Hawking rarely glimpsed in previous books: the post-war London schoolboy nicknamed ‘Einstein’; and the jokester who once placed a bet with a colleague over the existence of a black hole, and the challenges that confronted him following his diagnosis of ALS aged twenty-one.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)
Vera Rubin : a life / Mitton, Jacqueline
“Jacqueline Mitton and Simon Mitton offer the first biography of Vera Rubin, an astronomer who made vital contributions to our understanding of dark matter. An outstanding scientist herself, Rubin also championed women in science, by mentoring, advocating for hiring women faculty, disseminating their research, and recognizing their achievements”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)
