History of the IAU: the birth and first half-century of the International Astronomical Union

Adriaan Blaauw

Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1994 - History - 296 pages

This book describes the birth and early development of the International Astronomical Union, the world-wide union of professional astronomers that over the past 75 years played an important role in the development of astronomy. However, much attention is also paid to the Union's successful bridging political controversies and maintaining the ties between astronomers in times of war or heavy political tension. The book therefore is of interest not only to astronomers -- professional as well as amateur -- but also to students of the history of modern science in general. The author (born 1914), who earlier published a study of the history of the European Southern Observatory, is an emeritus professor of astronomy of the Universities of Groningen and Leiden, and has witnessed the development of the Union over the past 55 years, the years 1976--1979 as its President.

Contents

• BIRTH AND CONSOLIDATION 19191922: 1
• EARLIER 20TH CENTURY DEVELOPMENTS WORLD: 15
• vii: 121

Bibliographic information

• Title: History of the IAU: the birth and first half-century of the International Astronomical Union
• Author: Adriaan Blaauw
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1994
• Original from: the University of California
• Digitized: May 29, 2008
• ISBN: 0792329791, 9780792329794
• Length: 296 pages
• Subjects: History / General; Political Science / History & Theory; Science / Astronomy; Social Science / Reference