Stargazer: The Life and Times of the Telescope

“An elegant text…. [A]nyone interested in the history of invention or of astronomy will find this book rewarding.” (Science News)
The history of the telescope is a rich story of human ingenuity and perseverance involving some of the most colorful figures of the scientific world- Galileo, Johann Kepler, Isaac Newton, William Herschel, George Ellery Hale, and Edwin Hubble. Stargazer brings to life these brilliant, if sometimes quirky, scientists as they turned their eyes and ideas to the stars. Written by one of Australia’s top astronomers, Stargazer reveals lucidly, and without technical jargon (but with a dash of humor), the history, science, and technology behind the telescope, and the enormous impact that it has had for four hundred years on how we have come to understand our universe.