Abstract
THIS book, as its title implies, is not intended as a complete history of the progress of astronomical science from the earliest day, but is devoted to rendering a brief account of the main steps in this progress, and at the same time giving us short biographical sketches of the chief workers in this branch of science. The subject is divided into three parts. The first deals with the ancient period which ends in the middle of the sixteenth century: only eighteen pages are devoted to this portion, so that the reader can rightly conclude that only a very general sketch has been attempted. The second or modern period, extending to the middle of the nineteenth century, commences with the system of Copernicus, and ends with an account of the state of the science at the time of the death of the illustrious astronomer of the Konigsberg Observatory, Friedrich-Wilhelm Bessel. The last, or contemporary, period is contained in 125 pages. M. Lebon divides this portion of the book into ten chapters, dealing in each with the progress made in separate branches of the subject. Thus we find first an account of the advance made in celestial mechanics, then the progress in observational astronomy, spectroscopy, geodesy, photography, &c. Each of these reviews is brought well up to date, and contains a good general survey of the progress made. A useful addition to the book will be found in the biographical and bibliographical dictionary which follows this last portion. Besides a small chart of the northern hemisphere, which apparently has little utility in such a book as this, the illustrations include a set of sixteen processed reproductions of portraits of celebrated astronomers. Not only should astronomical readers find this book a welcome addition to their libraries, but those interested in the welfare of this, the oldest, of sciences, will peruse these pages with advantage.
Histoire Abrégée de l'Astronomie.
Par Ernest Lebon. Pp. vii + 288. (Paris: Gauthier-Villars, 1899.)
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Histoire Abrégée de l'Astronomie. Nature 60, 543 (1899). https://doi.org/10.1038/060543c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/060543c0