We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 September 2009
Variable star observing was something people had to appreciate and discover. As an observing discipline, it was forced on us time and again as bright exploding suns intruded in our otherwise placid sky. Opening and closing suddenly with each major nova, observers could watch these intruders with fear and with questions, but these stars did not appear to have any lasting effect on early civilization. Novae and comets shared the uncertain interpretation of being signs of something else, rather than being objects of intrinsic interest.
Ancient Chinese and native American records of supernovae are the earliest surviving variable star reports. The “guest star” of 1054, for example, appeared at a time when these people would be looking beyond, to new things, and would keep careful records of anything extraordinary.
The history of variable star observing closely parallels the sudden launching of Renaissance astronomical curiosity. The quiet, orderly sky of Ptolemy offered comfort with safe spheres, all fixed in content, of which the stellar was the most distant or purest.
In 1572 a bright new light punched a hole through that sphere, shattering the concept of order without change. Observations by Tycho recorded not only the appearance of this incredible sun but also its changing brightness over time.
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.
