Conceptions of cosmos : from myths to the accelerating universe : a history of cosmology / / Helge S. Kragh

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910820629403321
• Autore: Kragh Helge <1944->
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: Oxford ; ; New York, : Oxford University Press, 2007
• ISBN: 0-19-170621-3; 0-19-966514-1; 1-4294-7052-6; 1-280-75347-1; 0-19-152616-9
• Edizione: [1st ed.]
• Descrizione fisica: 276 p. : ill
• Disciplina: 523.109
• Soggetti: Cosmology - History
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references (p. [253]-265) and index.
• Nota di contenuto: Intro -- Contents -- Introduction -- 1 From myths to the Copernican universe -- 1.1 Ancient cosmological thought -- 1.2 The Greek cosmos -- 1.3 Medieval cosmology -- 1.4 The Copernican revolution -- 2 The Newtonian era -- 2.1 Newton's infinite universe -- 2.2 Enlightenment cosmologies -- 2.3 Astrophysics and the nebulae -- 2.4 Thermodynamics and gravitation -- 2.5 The Via Lacta -- 3 Foundations of modern cosmology -- 3.1 Early relativistic models -- 3.2 The expanding universe -- 3.3 Towards a finite-age universe -- 3.4 Alternative cosmologies -- 4 The hot Big Bang -- 4.1 Cosmology-a branch of nuclear physics? -- 4.2 The steady-state challenge -- 4.3 Relativistic standard cosmology -- 5 New horizons -- 5.1 Early-universe cosmology -- 5.2 Observational surprises -- 5.3 Anthropic and other speculations -- 5.4 The problem of creation -- 5.5 Cosmology in perspective -- References -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- X -- Y -- Z.
• Sommario/riassunto: This book presents the history of how the universe at large became the object of scientific understanding. Starting with the ancient creation myths, it offers an integrated and comprehensive account of cosmology ; that covers all major events from Aristotle's Earth-centred cosmos to the recent discovery of the accelearting universe.