Starlight Detectives: How Astronomers, Inventors, and Eccentrics Discovered the Modern Universe (Paperback)

from snash

I am a scientist by training but have never been particularly enthralled by astronomy. Despite that, I loved this book. The emphasis on the characters involved and a presentation of the challenges and solutions in an easily accessible manner, made the book a joy.

from tungsten_peerts

Y'know, I have long thought I knew a lot about the history of astronomy and astrophysics ... ... then along comes this book. I was particularly glad to get this from Bellevue Literary Press (did you know that Bellevue had its own press? I sure didn't) because I very much enjoyed Hirshfeld's book ...

from ryan.adams

Masterful (and accessible) review of the development of modern astronomy. While I've read about various events covered in the book before, this summed things up well. Highly recommended to history or science fans... or everyone in general.

from alsulzer

I found Starlight Detectives a very engaging and informative read. While I had some previous knowledge about historical events of astronomy, most were centered around developments in the telescope and visual observation by such luminaries as Galileo and Herschel. I now possess a more complete, al...

from abealy

Alan Hirshfeld's Starlight Detectives is a work of compelling beauty. A love poem to the heroic men and women who pushed forward the boundaries of cosmic knowledge - the amateur star sleuths who invented the science as they went along. The important advances in photography and spectroscopy played...