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5563 results in History, Philosophy and Foundations of Physics

Page 98 of 279

  • 9 - Technology and Theory as Drivers of Discovery

  • from Part IV - Drivers of Discovery
  • Steven J. Dick
  • Book:
    Discovery and Classification in Astronomy
    Published online:
    05 August 2013
    Print publication:
    09 September 2013, pp 279-312

  • Summary

    The history of astronomy has been defined by discoveries made with instruments of ever-increasing power (and cost). The exponential growth in capability of the telescopes has been crucial for maintaining the stream of discoveries in astronomy.

    R. D. Ekers and K. I. Kellermann, 2011

    It would be a mistake . . . to opt for a technological determinism, according to which, in explaining the “successes” or “failures” of individual astronomers, the only issues in play were the sizes of telescopes available to them.

    Robert Smith, 2009

    Because instruments determine what can be done, they also determine to some extent what can be thought. Often the instrument provides a possibility; it is an initiator of investigation.

    Albert van Helden and Thomas Hankins, 1994

    Throughout our discussion of the discovery of new classes of astronomical objects we have seen both technology and theory at play, as well as other factors involving personality, social, and institutional context. The question now arises whether telescopes or theories are the primary drivers of discovery, or, indeed, if either of them are primary drivers given the other factors also in the mix. The question is of more than historical interest, for if discovery is the essence of science, and either technology or theory is the primary driver of discovery, then funding one or the other is a practical policy issue, especially in the era of big science and scarce resources. Indeed, astronomers routinely argue to funding agencies that bigger and more sophisticated telescopes will generate new discoveries, with all the subsequent rewards. But if this is true, does large telescope aperture accompanied by better detectors generate discoveries, or do other factors predominate?

  • 1 - The Pluto Affair

  • from Part I - Entrée
  • Steven J. Dick
  • Book:
    Discovery and Classification in Astronomy
    Published online:
    05 August 2013
    Print publication:
    09 September 2013, pp 9-30

  • Summary

    A terrific thrill came over me. I switched the shutter back and forth, studying the images. Oh! I had better look at my watch and note the time. This would be a historic discovery.

    Clyde Tombaugh, 1980

    Discovery is where the scientist touches Nature in its least predictable aspect. It discloses to us the regularities of Nature, but in itself, discovery is fickle, striking at the unexpected moment. This is the view that I must take after my serendipitous discovery of the moon of Pluto.

    James W. Christy, 1980

    Things in the solar system can equally well be categorized in many different ways. Things with atmospheres. Things with moons. Things with life. Things with liquids. Things that are big. Things that are small. Things that are bright enough to see in the sky ... All of these are perfectly valid categories ... As with birds, your favorite solar system classification will depend on your interests.

    Michael Brown, 2010

    The story of the discovery of Pluto has been told many times by its discoverer, historians, and the media, but in recent years has become all the more compelling because of the notorious reputation it has acquired following its perceived downgrading in 2006 to “dwarf planet” status. Seen in historical context over the last eight decades since its discovery, this rather small object in our solar system has assumed an outsized importance, precisely because it lies at the outer fringes of our solar system, at the borderline of normally assigned “classes” of objects in terms of its size and mass, and therefore at the border of normality in astronomy, where routine ends and creativity begins. Such borders are precisely what make Pluto interesting, and as such they illuminate in microcosm some of the many issues raised in this volume about the nature of discovery, interpretation, and classification in astronomy.

Page 98 of 279