| View Larger Image | Giant Telescopes: Astronomical Ambition and the Promise of Technology | Paperbackby Dr. W. Patrick McCray (Author)
| List Price: | $21.00 | | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| | Binding: | Paperback | | Publisher: | Harvard University Press | | Page Count: | 376 Pages | | Publication Date: | April 30, 2006 | | Sales Rank: | 1,206,130st |
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
Every night, astronomers use a new generation of giant telescopes at observatories around the world to study phenomena at the forefront of science. By focusing on the history of the Gemini Observatory--twin 8-meter telescopes located on mountain peaks in Hawaii and Chile--Giant Telescopes tells the story behind the planning and construction of modern scientific tools, offering a detailed view of the technological and political transformation of astronomy in the postwar era. Drawing on interviews with participants and archival documents, W. Patrick McCray describes the ambitions and machinations of prominent astronomers, engineers, funding patrons, and politicians in their effort to construct a modern facility for cutting-edge science--and to establish a model for international cooperation in the coming era of "megascience." His account details the technological, institutional, cultural, and financial challenges that scientists faced while planning and building a new generation of giant telescopes. Besides exploring how and why scientists embraced the promise and potential of new technologies, he considers how these new tools affected what it means to be an astronomer. McCray's book should interest anyone who desires a deeper understanding of the science, technology, and politics behind finding our place in the universe. (20040529) |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 4 reviews)
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Giant Telescopes by Rodford E. Smith (Frankfort, Kentucky USA)  4 Stars
December 21, 2008
Focuses (sorry about that) a bit more on proposals and politics than technical matters, which is what I am interested in. Still a good book.
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Highly enjoyable story of astronomers and science by Themistogenes (Scillus, Greece)  5 Stars
April 09, 2008
I got this book as a present and really liked it. It tells the story of how ground-based telescopes have developed since the 1940s. The book is very readable and covers the subject very thoroughly. The scientific material is presented clearly, especially for non-specialists.
For the reviewer who didn't like that there were "too many people": this isn't a technical manual, it's a history. I was really impressed that the author conducted more than 120 hours of interviews with scientists and engineers, in addition to visiting numerous observatories. You can't understand the development of these telescopes without explaining how people and institutions decided what projects to pursue.
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Maybe I'm just not a "people person" by Neal A. Wellons (Atlanta)  2 Stars
March 14, 2008
I really enjoy reading about and visiting big telescopes. In addition to reading at telescope web sites on the internet, I have enjoyed finding out what I could from limited descriptions in many of the general astronomy and astrophysics books that are my hobby. I have visited Mauna Kea, Mount Wilson, Arecibo, VLA and the LIGO at Livingston. I was overjoyed when I saw Giant Telescopes, a book that looked like it would be ideal for my interests.
I have been disappointed with the book in general. While many people have been relevant to telescope development, I was so swamped with personalities, that I could not enjoy the "facts" about giant telescopes. Approximately 200 people are introduced, many with just a short bio and a few with a substantial bio. I felt like I was being introduced to a new person on every page (and at 305 pages of text, I was not too far off.)
There is interesting information in this book but it was not much of a pleasure for me to extract it.
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The post-war development of US astronomy 5 Stars
May 09, 2004
This is a very well-researched history of the twists and turns of post-war US large telescope astronomy and itsdesire to retain leadership against growing competitionfrom Europe and Japan. The story involves a seeminglyendless conflict between private and publicly-funded astronomers and differing mirror technologies and their outspoken advocates, against a backdrop of international partners attempting to join the US effort and simultaneously knock some order in the US process. McCray has worked hard to produce a very readable account. Whether you are a practising astronomer or interested in how hard it is to synthesize US scientificopinion, this is well worth reading.
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