Babylon to Voyager and Beyond A History of Planetary Astronomy

Babylon to Voyager and Beyond describes the fascinating story of planetary research from the time of the Babylonians and Ancient Greeks to the modern age of space exploration. It outlines the key astronomical discoveries in their historical context, covering not only the successes but also the main failures. Babylon to Voyager and Beyond is written to be accessible to both amateur and professional astronomers, and those interested in the history of science. Extensively illustrated, the book concludes with a description of the extensive planetary discoveries made by spacecraft, and the discoveries of planets around other stars. Key Features: -Covers planetary research from ancient times up to the present day -A scholarly account of progress in understanding our solar system and its constituent bodies -Includes extensive footnotes and glossary Contents: Introduction; 1. The ancients; 2. Copernicus and the new cosmology; 3. Kepler and Galileo: the fall of epicycles and the start of telescopic astronomy; 4. The mid and late seventeenth century; 5. Consolidation; 6. The solar system expands; 7. The inner solar system in the nineteenth century; 8. The outer solar system in the nineteenth century; 9. Quiet interlude - the twentieth century prior to the space age; 10. The space age - terrestrial planets; 11. The space age - the outer planets.