Book Description

The Cosmic Inquirers gives a remarkable inside view of the people who helped to forge some of the most sensitive tools of modern science, the astronomical observatories.Based on interviews with pioneers in several fields of astronomy, this book recounts the efforts of scientists to promote, design, and build these magnificent instruments despite political and technical obstacles.The astronomers in these pages tell us, in their own words, about their struggles with Congress, NASA, and colleagues to obtain support and funding.They speak candidly about the demands that Big Science places on its practitioners, and about their personal ambitions and frustrations, the problems with their profession, and the direction of future research.

The Tuckers interweave into the fabric of their human story the scientific challenges posed by these observatories, most of which orbit about the earth’s obscuring atmosphere.These telescopes have probed the entire electromagnetic spectrum, from radio waves to x-rays to gamma radiation, and have yielded a new understanding of phenomena as diverse as quasars, black holes, pulsars, and starburst galaxies. This book invites us to view these telescopes not merely as technological wonders but as the life’s labor and achievement of outstanding individuals. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A very 'readable' history of the telescope, from Asimov.
Issac Asimov's affection for astronomy sparkles throughout this thoroughly researched and very entertaining book. An impression of the instrument's dramatic impact on civilisation, is left with the reader. My copy was lost five years ago and I still pine for it. No doubt, had Asimov written 'A Brief History of Time' then quantum physicists would be more widely understood

Asimov and the history of aperature envy.
Written on the eve of construction of the Hubble Space Telescope, Eyes on the Universe traces the development of optical telescopes from the human eye and Galileo's first night out to design considerations for HST. Find out why Galileo went blind, how Newton built the first reflector and why Lord Rosse got clouded out. Learn how giant telescopes and the replacement of the eyepiece with cameras allowed modern astronomers to storm the heavens and change our concepts about the size, age and origins of the cosmos. An excellent history and easy read for scientist and non-scientist alike, Asimov proves why he made tons more money writing science fact than science fiction ... Read more