Miss Leavitt's Stars

The Untold Story of the Woman Who Discovered How to Measure the Universe

By: George Johnson

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Paperback | 8 January 2010 | Edition Number 1

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176 Pages

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21.0 x 14.0 x 1.1

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At the beginning of the twentieth century, scientists argued over the size of the universe: was it, as the astronomer Harlow Shapley argued, the size of the Milky Way, or was there more truth to Edwin Hubble's claim that our own galaxy is just one among billions?

The answer to the controversy--a "yardstick" suitable for measuring the cosmos--was discovered by Henrietta Swan Leavitt, who was employed by the Harvard Observatory as a number cruncher, at a wage not dissimilar from that of workers in the nearby textile mills. Miss Leavitt's Stars uncovers her neglected history, and brings a fascinating and turbulent period of astronomical history to life.

Industry Reviews

"Illuminating." -- Richard Panek - New York Times
"The well-known science writer George Johnson fashions a fascinating picture of Miss Leavitt's life...His grace in bringing her to life is matched by his lucidity in explaining difficult scientific concepts." -- Scientific American
"An elegant and absorbing account of a signal event in humanity's discovery of the deeper cosmos." -- Timothy Ferris, author of The Science of Liberty
"Johnson paints a luminous portrait of Leavitt and shows how her patient work sparked an explosion of astronomical creativity." -- Laurence Marschall - Discover Magazine

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Non-Fiction Engineering & Technology Other Technologies & Applied Sciences Space Science Science Science in General Physics Applied Physics Astrophysics Astronomy, Space & Time Cosmology & The Universe Biographies & True Stories

Biographies

Preface	p. xiii
Prologue: The Village in the Canyon	p. 1
Black Stars, White Nights	p. 9
Hunting for Variables	p. 23
Henrietta's Law	p. 34
Triangles	p. 45
Shapley's Ants	p. 59
The Late, Great Milky Way	p. 70
In the Realm of the Nebulae	p. 82
The Mysterious K	p. 99
The Cosmic Stampede	p. 109
Ghost Stories	p. 117
Epilogue: Fire on the Mountain	p. 127
Acknowledgments	p. 131
Notes	p. 133
Selected Bibliography	p. 149
Index	p. 151
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Miss Leavitt's Stars

The Untold Story of the Woman Who Discovered How to Measure the Universe

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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