Overview

Until Karl Jansky's 1933 discovery of radio noise from the Milky Way, astronomy was limited to observation by visible light. Radio astronomy opened a new window on the Universe, leading to the discovery of quasars, pulsars, the cosmic microwave background, electrical storms on Jupiter, the first extrasolar planets, and many other unexpected and unanticipated phenomena. Theory generally played little or no role – or even pointed in the wrong direction. Some discoveries came as a result of military or industrial activities, some from academic research intended for other purposes, some from simply looking with a new technique. Often it was the right person, in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing – or sometimes the wrong thing. Star Noise tells the story of these discoveries, the men and women who made them, the circumstances which enabled them, and the surprising ways in which real-life scientific research works.

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9781316519356

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Reviews

'This is a wonderful book, accessible to most college undergraduates! Its photographs and biographical sketches introduce some of the world's most competent, best-informed radio astronomers, and reveal how these researchers almost always lost their way, repeatedly, before ultimately arriving at a deeper understanding of the Universe. In describing this process, Kellermann and Bouton also depict the Cosmos, as observed today, and sketch how it may have evolved over the eons.' Martin Harwit, Professor Emeritus of Astronomy, Cornell University 'This book presents a history of radio astronomy from the unique perspective of authors close to important developments in the field. It not only describes the historical developments but provides a wealth of entertaining stories. Kellermann was on the scene or one degree removed from the events described as a PhD student of John Bolton, a leading pioneers in radio astronomy after World War II. These stories, which are related in colorful detail and accompanied by copious photographs, are told with such a flourish that makes the book hard to put down. The conclusions provide an object lesson about the nature of scientific discovery and how science really works. Scientists, students, and people who influence which instruments are built and who gets to use them will enjoy and benefit from reading this book.' James M. Moran, D. H. Menzel Professor of Astrophysics Emeritus, Harvard University and Senior Scientist, SAO

Author Information

Kenneth I. Kellermann studies radio galaxies, quasars, cosmology, and the history of radio astronomy. He is the former President of the IAU Commission on Radio Astronomy, former chair of the National Academy of Sciences Astronomy Section, and former chair of the IAU Working Group on Historical Radio Astronomy. Ellen N. Bouton is the NRAO Senior Archivist, overseeing an extensive collection of historical radio astronomy materials. She manages the web page for the IAU Working Group on Historical Radio Astronomy, and is a co-author, with Kellermann, of Open Skies, on NRAO and its impact on US radio astronomy.

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