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In 1853, at age 18, Simon Newcomb arrived in the United States penniless, with no proven job skills, and without even a high school diploma. Fifty-six years later, in 1909, President William H. Taft attended his funeral service, and "America s Unofficial Astronomer Royal" was laid to rest with full military honors, in Arlington National Cemetery.
After graduating from Harvard University and receiving a Commission as a Professor of Mathematics, U.S. Navy (signed by President Abraham Lincoln) Newcomb: traveled the world to observe solar eclipses and a transit of Venus; supervised the construction of the world s largest aperture refracting telescope; measured the velocity of light better than anyone had before; computed the astronomical unit (distance from Earth to the Sun) to within 0.005 percent of today s value; reconciled the observed variation of latitude with theory: estimated the elasticity of Earth from the observed variation of latitude; computed the motions of the moon; and dared to suggest that the anomalous motion of Mercury may be caused by "non- gravitational" forces. As a close friend of James A. Garfield, Newcomb convinced the doctors attending the mortally wounded President to use Alexander Graham Bell s "induction balance" to search for the assassin s bullet lodged in his abdomen. His desperate attempt to save the life of the popular young President failed, but the American people appreciated Newcomb s effort, and shared his frustration and grief.Simon Newcomb was one of the most important American scientists of the nineteenth century . . . in the hands of these authors Simon Newcomb comes alive . . . this enjoyable book makes the life of this extraordinary astronomer available to a popular audience.
| Price | Condition | Delivery | Seller | Action |
| $99.99 | Digital |
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Jacqueline Matthews
reviewed Simon Newcomb: America's Unofficial Astronomer Royal on December 06, 2014
Simon Newcomb: America's Unofficial Astronomer Royal
On Tycho's Island is a history of astronomy book that looks at the amazing astronomer Tycho Brahe and his island observatory. It takes a good look that the years that Tycho operated his observatory Uraniborg, but doesn't look too closely at the rest of Tycho's life. His early years are given brief treatment and his time in exile is only explored up to the time that he landed a position with the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II. Largely missing is his time with Johannes Kepler, that is unless you read the biographical entries at the end of the book. The author appended biographies of virtually all of the people mentioned in the book, sometimes with information that was relevant to the life of Tycho, but often not. I would have preferred to have more info about Tycho himself in place of all of these biographical entries but I understand the author's rationale for including it.
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Add Simon Newcomb: America's Unofficial Astronomer Royal, In 1853, at age 18, Simon Newcomb arrived in the United States penniless, with no proven job skills, and without even a high school diploma. Fifty-six years later, in 1909, President William H. Taft attended his funeral service, and America's Unofficial , Simon Newcomb: America's Unofficial Astronomer Royal to the inventory that you are selling on WonderClubX
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Add Simon Newcomb: America's Unofficial Astronomer Royal, In 1853, at age 18, Simon Newcomb arrived in the United States penniless, with no proven job skills, and without even a high school diploma. Fifty-six years later, in 1909, President William H. Taft attended his funeral service, and America's Unofficial , Simon Newcomb: America's Unofficial Astronomer Royal to your collection on WonderClub |
