Litsy

Sun Moon Earth: The History of Solar Eclipses from Omens of Doom to Einstein and Exoplanets | Tyler E Nordgren

so-so

I started this one before the total eclipse in April of this year. I lost interest after that and just picked it up. It was definitely interesting, especially the history of how eclipses were used to help map the size and shape of the world centuries ago. It's my own fault for losing interest after seeing the eclipse. Definitely recommend if you'd like to learn more about eclipses.

Suet624 But wasn‘t the eclipse spectacular? 1w

AvidReader25 @Suet624 it was unbelievable! I think reading about it just doesn‘t have the same impact and so I lost interest. The eclipse itself was incredible. 1w

28 likes2 comments

baranskilydia13

My First Book of Planets: All about the Solar System for Kids | Bruce Betts

“Earth is part of the solar system.“

baranskilydia13

My First Book of Planets: All about the Solar System for Kids | Bruce Betts

This book was published in 2020. This book provides a lot of information on the planets in our solar system. This book can be good to introduce space before the unit. Many students are interested in space and want to learn more about it. This book could become a resource to those students.

baranskilydia13

My First Book of Planets: All about the Solar System for Kids | Bruce Betts

pick

I thought this book was very informational and gave a detailed description of all the different types of planets in our solar system.

perfectsinner

Secrets of the Universe: How We Discovered the Cosmos | Paul Murdin

I love astronomy 🤩

3 likes

Bookwomble

The Expanding Universe | Sir Arthur Eddington

pick

My enthusiasm for this book is only slightly dimmed by not really understanding most of its almost 100 years old contents!
Eddington was responsible for championing Einstein's theory of relativity at a time when supporting a German citizen's work could be seen as unpatriotic, if not treasonous, especially as Eddington was a Quaker and a WWI conscientious objector. He was the first to experimentally prove Einstein's theory's ability to predict ⬇️

Bookwomble ... observable physical effects, catapulting Bertie into global fame.
I've enjoyed learning about his work and life, and there's a bit about him in this BBC article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-48369980 4mo

willaful I read about how the focus on correct thinking held the Soviet Union back, scientifically... thank goodness for this man! 4mo

Bookwomble @willaful The British establishment of the day (1910s) set this up as a culture war between the Proper British Values of Isaac Newton & his physics & the untrustworthy German-Jewish-Socialist physics by which Einstein was somehow seeking to undermine the Empire. Fortunately, Eddington & other scientists advocated for international scientific cooperation, but it's interesting how close so many Western countries of the time were to nazi views. 4mo

Bookwomble @willaful The Soviets, by contrast, saw Einstein as a capitalist collaborator and his ideas anti-revolutionary, so I guess you know you're onto something worthwhile if both extremes are threatened by you! 4mo

38 likes4 comments

Bookwomble

The Expanding Universe | Sir Arthur Eddington

"That part of our conscious experience representable by physical symbols ought not to claim to be the whole. As a conscious being *you* are not one of my symbols; your domain is not circumscribed by my spatial measurements. If, like Hamlet, you count yourself king of an infinite space, I do not challenge your sovereignty. I only invite attention to certain disquieting rumours which have arisen as to the state of Your Majesty's nutshell.”

Bookwomble Using a Shakespearean quote ("I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space.") as a metaphor to question subjective and consensual reality as related to the physical universe! I was not expecting this when I picked up this slim book! ? Loving it ? 4mo

33 likes1 comment

Bookwomble

The Expanding Universe | Sir Arthur Eddington

“I can see no more reason for preferring the theories of fifty years ago than for preferring the observational data of fifty years ago.”

I'm pleasantly surprised to find that far from giving a dry, heavy exposition of maths & physics, Eddington leavens his book with thoughts on the philosophy of science, & with quotes from Shakespeare & Dante. He was a popular communicator of science to the general public, and if this adaptation of a lecture ⬇️

Bookwomble ... he presented to a professional convention is anything to go by, he was a lively and engaging speaker.
This quote, referring to the then emerging new physics, seems equally applicable to social and cultural theories about race, gender, sexuality, art, nation states, politics... basically the whole of human experience. If it's not growing, evolving and in an ongoing process of emergence and becoming, it's stagnant and moribund. 4mo

The_Book_Ninja Spot on again, Wombie. On a roll today, Sir. You have to admire the scientist who doesn‘t try to put himself outside of the philosophical and cultural aspects of society. There‘s a power play in science and its modern manifestation tells us that only white men make all the important/valid scientific breakthroughs. 4mo

31 likes1 stack add2 comments

Bookwomble

The Expanding Universe | Sir Arthur Eddington

First published in 1933, my edition is a Pelican reprint dated November 1941, describing the then fairly novel theory that the universe is expanding. Concepts of the form of expansion already included the Big Bang Theory and the Steady State Theory, though it was a few more years before either of those terms were coined. It will be interesting to see whether Sir Arthur backed the winning horse, TBBT 🎇 (sorry, spoilers again! 😄)

29 likes

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