Analogies play a fundamental role in science. To understand how and why, at a given moment, a certain analogy was used, one has to know the specific, historical circumstances under which the new idea was developed. This historical background is never presented in scientific articles and quite rarely in books. For the general reader, the undergraduate or graduate student who learns the subject for the first time, but also for the practitioner who looks for inspiration or who wants to understand what his colleague working in another field does, these historical circumstances can be fascinating and useful.
From black hole to white dwarf, this is the most authoritative and up-to-date dictionary of astronomy available. Written by an expert team of contributors under the editorship of Ian Ridpath, it will be invaluable to students, professionals, and amateur astronomers seeking a comprehensive source of helpful information. 4,000 entries from astrophysics and cosmology to galaxies and time Major entries include Big Bang theory, comet, eclipse, Magellanic Clouds, Mars, quasar, radio telescope, relativity, and variable stars Up-to-date coverage includes space missions and recently named Solar System objects World-wide coverage of telescopes and observatories Biographical entries on eminent astronomers from Copernicus to Edwin Hubble.
