Latitude : how American astronomers solved the mystery of variation
(Book)

Book Cover
Average Rating
Published
Annapolis, Md. : Naval Institute Press, [2002].
ISBN
1557500169, 9781557500168
Physical Desc
252 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm
Status
Cranston Central - Adult Non-Fiction
526 .61 CAR
1 available

Copies

LocationCall NumberStatus
Cranston Central - Adult Non-Fiction526 .61 CAROn Shelf

Description

Loading Description...

Also in this Series

Checking series information...

More Like This

Loading more titles like this title...

More Details

Published
Annapolis, Md. : Naval Institute Press, [2002].
Format
Book
Language
English
ISBN
1557500169, 9781557500168

Notes

Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 223-241) and index.
Description
"Nineteenth-century European astronomers tried for decades to explain the variations in their careful astronomical observations. But where the best minds in Europe failed, an intellectual upstart from America succeeded. In 1891 Seth Carlo Chandler Jr., an actuary for a Boston insurance company with no formal education in astronomy, shocked the international scientific community by announcing that he had solved the problem and that an inexpensive instrument he had designed could detect the variation. Another American, Simon Newcomb, compounded the Europeans' embarrassment. Working at the U.S. Naval Observatory Newcomb validated Chandler's findings and reconciled the difference between his observations and accepted theory." "Chandler's discovery, dubbed "the Chandler Wobble," had profound significance to astronomers of the time and later played an important role in space exploration and the development of the revolutionary Global Positioning System (GPS). The authors, a father-daughter team of scientists, tell the story of Chandler's life and scientific works with the aid of private correspondence, documents, and family photographs. In recounting both the historical and dramatic human aspects of the story, they help readers appreciate how Chandler's achievements gave America credibility in the world of serious scientific research."--Jacket.
Action
BSLW RECAT 2023

Syndetics Unbound

Reviews from GoodReads

Loading GoodReads Reviews.

Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Carter, W. E. 1., & Carter, M. S. (2002). Latitude: how American astronomers solved the mystery of variation . Naval Institute Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Carter, William E. 1939- and Merri Sue Carter. 2002. Latitude: How American Astronomers Solved the Mystery of Variation. Naval Institute Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Carter, William E. 1939- and Merri Sue Carter. Latitude: How American Astronomers Solved the Mystery of Variation Naval Institute Press, 2002.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Carter, William E. 1939-, and Merri Sue Carter. Latitude: How American Astronomers Solved the Mystery of Variation Naval Institute Press, 2002.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

Staff View

Loading Staff View.