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Astronomy is one of the oldest realms of Science. But its association with Astrology, a word which may sounds similar but quiet different in sense, humble its progress throughout the ages until the time of the first telescope. We often heard that the people of the antiquity look up the sky for directions from the distant sea to home. Not only that the sky beacons as their guide, but the people in the past consult the sky to learn when it is the perfect time for planting crops when they stop to become nomads and started agriculture. Astronomy was part of their lives. Their livelihood is goes synchronously with the sky which later embedded in their culture.

Over the ages, from the time Galileo sighted the moons of Jupiter and the dark Sun spots, we, the common people who are not into the science of Astronomy, have become more distant relationship with this glorious science. Ordinary people will scratch their head to declare their ignorance. As technology advances, knowing time is not anymore a problem. By glancing your watch, or your iPhone, you can easily tell the time instantly. Knowing your exact position today is never a herculean effort with GPS (Global Positioning System) wherever you are located.

But, not really.

Time, calendars, and GPS are just some of the product of Astronomy. The 12 months a year and 365 ¼ days per year are not taken out of nowhere but Astronomy. Astronomy is still part of our lives. Although it seems that only those at NASA feel it.

Navigators of today, like me, continue to use the almanacs and sextant with their sophisticated machines such as GPS and gyrocompass. They still look up the sky, although not as frequent as in the past, to check the accuracy of their technologically advanced instruments. In the ages of satellite navigation, marine navigators are still required to understand crude practical astronomy.

So, there.

The Story of Astronomy encapsulates the wonderful progress of Astronomy. From the great canyons of New Mexico to the gigantic Stonehenge, with the “rock stars” of Astronomy such as Aristotle, Ptolemy, Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton, the authors take you to the journey of discovering the story of Astronomy. Wonderfully written in a prose manner and user friendly, not a background of the science of
Astronomy is needed for you to enjoy this book. Celebrating how Astronomy direct its course towards what it is today despite the odds (such as the Catholic intervention and the world wars), this book is highly recommendable to the fans of science and its history.


Note: If you are finding a book about the “hard” science of astronomy, this is not the one. The book is more on the history of the Astronomy from observation to exploration.