Directory of History Resources

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Astronomy is the scientific study of objects and phenomena beyond the earth's atmosphere by means other than visiting them or sending probes. The history of astronomy is the study of the development of astronomy from the earliest written records to somewhere very near the present time. Astrology is not astronomy, but it did play a role in the development of astronomy. Babylonian astrologers' determination of the positions of stars may be found here, their study of the effects of those positions on human affairs will not. The history of the scientific search for extra-terrestrial intelligence may be found here. UFOs visiting earth will not. This category is not limited to Western astronomy. The written history of other astronomical traditions will be listed here.

Subcategories

• Archaeoastronomy
• Eclipses, Occultations and Transits
• Instruments
• Observatories
• People
• Solar System
• Worldviews

Resources in This Category

• A Brief SETI Chronology

  http://www.setileague.org/general/history.htm
  A timeline of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, from Morrison and Coconni to SETI@home.

• A Science Odyssey - Physics and Astronomy

  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/physastro.html
  PBS articles about 20th century astronomy and physics.

• Astronomical References in the Ruba'iyât of Omar Khayyam

  http://www.minaret.org/INSAP3.htm
  Excerpts and commentary with reproductions of some of Elihu Vedder's illustrations.

• Astronomy in Sweden 1860-1940

  http://www.astro.uu.se/history/swehistory_1860-1940.html
  From the Uppsala University Newsletter for History of Science.

• Astronomy in the 18th Century

  http://www.cosmicelk.net/astronomy18c.htm
  Discusses the development of reflective telescopes during the 1700's. Covers the different types of mirrors and lens that were used during these times. Includes some key contributors to the improvement of the telescope during this period.

• Astronomy in the 19th - 21st Centuries

  http://www.cosmicelk.net/gamma.htm
  Part of the history of astronomy covering the discoveries of the size and nature of the universe.

• Atlas Celeste

  http://www.mikeoates.org/mas/bevis/home.htm
  A rare celestial atlas discovered in the library of the Manchester Astronomical Society.

• Biennial History of Astronomy Conferences

  http://www.nd.edu/~histast4/index.html
  Workshops at Notre Dame, papers presented, abstracts, group pictures of attendees.

• Big Ear Radio Observatory

  http://www.bigear.org/
  Radio astronomy and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

• Digital Archive of Historical Astronomy Pictures

  http://www42.pair.com/infolund/bolaget/DAHAP/
  Images from the history of astronomy, old telescopes, pictures of astronomers, observatories.

• Electronic Newsletter for the History of Astronomy

  http://www.astro.uni-bonn.de/~pbrosche/aa/enha/
  Complete archive and subscription information.

• From Stargazers to Starships

  http://www.phy6.org/stargaze/Sintro.htm
  Tutorial/historical exposition of the motion of Earth in space, Newtonian mechanics and spaceflight, on a high school level.

• Gene Smith's Brief History of Astronomy

  http://cass.ucsd.edu/public/tutorial/History.html
  Covers the development of this ancient science from days of Stonehenge (3100 BC) to the discovery of Pulsars (1968 AD). Includes related resource links.

• HASTRO-L

  http://listserv.wvu.edu/archives/hastro-l.html
  Archive of the History of Astronomy Discussion Group, the mailing list for scholars in this field.

• Heavenly Mathematics: Cultural Astronomy

  http://www.math.nus.edu.sg/aslaksen/teaching/heavenly.html
  An interdisciplinary course on cultural astronomy.

• Hindu Cosmological Time Cycles

  http://westgatehouse.com/cycles.html
  An accurate calendar and the progenitor of the sexagesimal (base 60) "degree, minutes, seconds" measurement system.

• Historiacoelestis

  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/historiacoelestis/
  Yahoo group moderated by Stuart Williams, F.R.A.S.

• History and Philosophy of Western Astronomy

  http://www.astronomynotes.com/history/s1.htm
  The History chapter of an introductory astronomy course.

• History of Astronomy

  http://www.astro.uni-bonn.de/~pbrosche/astoria.html
  Offers a history of the field and science. Features links to related sites, awards and contact details. Provided by the Working Group for the History of Astronomy.

• History of SETI

  http://www.seti.org/Page.aspx?pid=572
  An overview of the history of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence using radio frequencies. Includes photos.

• Islamic Astronomy

  http://faculty.kfupm.edu.sa/PHYS/alshukri/PHYS215/Islamic_astronomy.htm
  Article by Owen Gingerich explores refinement and criticism of Ptolemaic astronomy, including religious influences on direction, and describes precursors to and influences on Copernicus.

• Jewish Astronomy, From Ancient to Modern Times

  http://wise-obs.tau.ac.il/judaism/jewish_astro.html
  Astronomy in Israel from Og's Circle to the Wise Observatory.

• King Edward VI's Defence of Astronomy

  http://www.cosmicelk.net/edward6.htm
  Article by Heather Hobden on this historic document which shows the understanding of astronomy in the mid 16th century. Edward had his own astronomical instruments which are described.

• Little Green Men, White Dwarfs or Pulsars?

  http://www.bigear.org/vol1no1/burnell.htm
  A personal account by Jocelyn Bell Burnell on the discovery of pulsars.

• MuslimHeritage.com - Astronomy

  http://www.muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?TaxonomyTypeID=18&TaxonomySubTypeID=107
  Articles on astronomers, observatories, work performed and its significance from the ninth to the fifteenth centuries.

• Russell A. Hulse - Nobel Lecture

  http://nobelprize.org/physics/laureates/1993/hulse-lecture.html
  The discovery of the binary pulsar.

• Starry Messenger

  http://www.hps.cam.ac.uk/starry/starrymessenger.html
  Phase I of the Electronic History of Astronomy, developed in the Whipple Museum of the History of Science at Trinity College, Cambridge. Covers the history of instruments and techniques, themes such as astrology and calendar reform, and biographies of major historical astronomers.

• Telescopes from the Ground Up

  http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/resources/explorations/groundup/
  The history of telescopes.

• The Àryabhatíya of Àryabhata

  http://www.jqjacobs.net/astro/aryabhata.html
  The oldest exact astronomic constant? The ratio of earth rotations to lunar orbits in Aryabhata's AD 498 writing.

• The Cosmic Elk

  http://www.cosmicelk.net/
  World history of astronomy and timekeeping with updates, and origins, based on original sources and places where possible.

• The Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation

  http://nobelprize.org/physics/laureates/1978/wilson-lecture.html
  Robert Woodrow Wilson Nobel Lecture.

• The Manchester Astronomical Society History

  http://www.mikeoates.org/mas/history.htm
  The first hundred years, list of presidents, list of archived documents.

• The Society For The History Of Astronomy

  http://www.freewebs.com/sochistastro/
  Academic and popular topics, with a focus on Britain.

• The Star of Bethlehem

  http://www.bethlehemstar.net/
  An investigation of the science and history which bear on the mysterious star said to have accompanied the advent of Christ.

• Understanding Tidal Friction

  http://www.tribunes.com/tribune/art98/bros.htm
  Article by Peter Brosche on gaining understanding of changes in the Moon's orbit.

Related Categories

• Home > Science > Physics > History
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• Home > Science > Astronomy > Education
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