Starlight Detectives : How Astronomers, Inventors, and Eccentrics Discovered the Modern Universe
Language: English
Published by Bellevue Literary Press, 2014
- Softcover
- Used

Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.Better World Books
AbeBooks seller since August 3, 2006
Condition: Used - Very good
£ 6.40
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
Seller Inventory # 6056923-6
- Title
- Starlight Detectives : How Astronomers, Inventors, and Eccentrics Discovered the Modern Universe
- Author
- Hirshfeld, Alan
- Publisher
- Bellevue Literary Press
- Publication year
- 2014
- Condition
- Very Good
- Binding
- Soft cover
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 1934137782
- ISBN 13
- 9781934137789
- Item weight
- 1.191 pounds
- Dimensions
- N/A
NBC News “Top Science and Tech Books of the Year” selection
Scientific American/FSG “Favorite Science Books of the Year” selection
Nature.com “Top Reads of the Year” selection
Kirkus Reviews “Best Books of the Year” selection
Discover magazine “Top 5 Summer Read”
“A masterful balance of science, history and rich narrative.” —Discover magazine
“Hirshfeld tells this climactic discovery of the expanding universe with great verve and sweep, as befits a story whose scope, characters and import leave most fiction far behind.” —Wall Street Journal
“Starlight Detectives is just the sort of richly veined book I love to read—full of scientific history and discoveries, peopled by real heroes and rogues, and told with absolute authority. Alan Hirshfeld’s wide, deep knowledge of astronomy arises not only from the most careful scholarship, but also from the years he’s spent at the telescope, posing his own questions to the stars.” —DAVA SOBEL, author of A More Perfect Heaven: How Copernicus Revolutionized the Cosmos and Longitude
In 1929, Edwin Hubble announced the greatest discovery in the history of astronomy since Galileo first turned a telescope to the heavens. The galaxies, previously believed to float serenely in the void, are in fact hurtling apart at an incredible speed: the universe is expanding. This stunning discovery was the culmination of a decades-long arc of scientific and technical advancement. In its shadow lies an untold, yet equally fascinating, backstory whose cast of characters illuminates the gritty, hard-won nature of scientific progress.
The path to a broader mode of cosmic observation was blazed by a cadre of nineteenth-century amateur astronomers and inventors, galvanized by the advent of photography, spectral analysis, and innovative technology to create the entirely new field of astrophysics. From William Bond, who turned his home into a functional observatory, to John and Henry Draper, a father and son team who were trailblazers of astrophotography and spectroscopy, to geniuses of invention such as Léon Foucault, and George Hale, who founded the Mount Wilson Observatory, Hirshfeld reveals the incredible stories—and the ambitious dreamers—behind the birth of modern astronomy.
Alan Hirshfeld, Professor of Physics at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and an Associate of the Harvard College Observatory, is the author of Parallax: The Race to Measure the Cosmos, The Electric Life of Michael Faraday, and Eureka Man: The Life and Legacy of Archimedes.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Better World Books
Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
AbeBooks seller since August 3, 2006
Shipping rates within U.S.A.
| Item | 4 to 8 business days | 3 to 5 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 0.00 | £ 11.37 |
Payment methods
Store description
Better World Books (https://www.BetterWorldBooks.com) is a for-profit, socially conscious business and a global online bookseller that collects and sells new and used books online, matching each purchase with a book donation. Each sale generates funds for literacy and education initiatives in the U.S., the UK, and around the world. Since its launch in 2003, Better World Books has raised $33 million for libraries and literacy, donated over 32 million books, and reused or recycled more than 397 million books.…
Seller's business information
Better World Books Marketplace, Inc.
55740 Currant Road
Mishawaka, IN U.S.A. 46545
Terms of sale
Better World Books (BWB) values your satisfaction and offers you returns within thirty (30) days after the estimated delivery date on most items. All returned items must be in the original condition; used items should include the SKU sticker located on the spine or back of the product.
If you have an incomplete, incorrect, or damaged shipment, please contact our Customer Care team via Abebooks contact seller options before proceeding with the return.Please keep in mind that because we deal mostly in used books, any extra components, such as CDs, DVDs, figurines, or access codes are not included.
Right of withdrawal
If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
Information regarding the right of withdrawal
Statutory right to withdraw
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
Effects of withdrawal
If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to Better World Books, Mishawaka, Indiana, U.S.A., without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of withdrawal
The right of withdrawal does not apply to:
- The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
- The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.
Shipping terms
Please allow 1-2 business days for order fulfillment.