Galaxies

Front Cover
Harvard University Press, 1975 - Science - 232 pages
This book succeeds in making the immense and remote universe of galaxies much more accessible to our imagination. It also conveys the excitement and wonder of this rapidly changing area of scientific inquiry. Enriched by numerous illustrations and written in an engaging style, Galaxies offers a nontechnical yet intelligent approach to the concepts and results of modern galactic research.

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Galaxies
Harlow Shapley
Snippet view - 1961
Galaxies
Harlow Shapley
No preview available - 2013

Common terms and phrases

absolute magnitude Andromeda galaxy Andromeda Nebula apparent magnitude appear astronomers average bright gas clouds brighter brightest stars cepheid variables Chapter clusters of galaxies colors conspicuous constellation density distance distant galaxies dust clouds dwarf galaxy elliptical galaxies external galaxies faint fainter galactic system globular clusters globular star clusters Harvard photograph Hubble indicate irregular galaxies Large Cloud Large Magellanic Cloud large numbers light curves light-years luminosity luminosity curve m₁ measured Messier 31 miles per second Milky million light-years motions Mount Wilson nearly neutral hydrogen nucleus number of clusters number of galaxies number of stars objects obscured observed optical Palomar photograph period period-luminosity relation population radio galaxies radio sources recent red shift reflector regions rotation RR Lyrae variables Shapley Small Cloud southern spectra spiral arms spiral galaxies star formation stellar structure supergiant supergiant stars survey total mass universe variable stars velocities Virgo

References to this book

About the author (1975)

Born on a Missouri farm, Harlow Shapley became interested in astronomy by accident. As told by Shapley, he went to the University of Missouri expecting to enroll in the journalism school. However, the school of journalism was not scheduled to open until the following year, so he decided to study astronomy. Shapley earned his Ph.D. from Princeton University and then moved to the Mt. Wilson Observatory. There he did his most celebrated work, such as demonstrating experimentally for the first time that earth is not at the center of the Milky Way galaxy but on the outskirts---once again illustrating that earth does not occupy a central location in the cosmos. Consequently, many of his colleagues and fellow astronomers began referring to Shapley as the "modern Copernicus." In 1921 he became director of the Harvard College Observatory, transforming the observatory into a world-famous institution during his 30-year tenure. Shapley also continued his research program, which included the discovery of the first small galaxies, called the Sculptor and Fornax dwarf galaxies after the constellations in whose direction they are oriented. He was also a well-known writer, lecturer, and public scientist, playing a major role in founding UNESCO.

Bibliographic information

TitleGalaxies
Books on Astronomy
Harvard books on astronomy
Volume 93 of Harvard paperback
AuthorsHarlow Shapley, Paul W. Hodge
EditorsHarlow Shapley, Paul W. Hodge
Edition3, illustrated, reprint, revised
PublisherHarvard University Press, 1975
Original fromthe University of California
DigitizedMar 17, 2008
ISBN0674340523, 9780674340527
Length232 pages
Subjects ›  › 

Science / General
Science / Space Science / Astronomy
  
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