Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes! It is forbidden to copy anything for publication elsewhere without written permission from the copyright holder. This is the story of the women of Harvard's astronomy program. The work was what many people would consider tedious, but modern astronomy owes so much to these very capable women who gave us all a glimpse into the far reaches of the universe. - Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sixth Extinction
Some of the ladies of Harvard made great discoveries, from astronomy's first "true candle" of relative distance, the Cepheid variables, to the stellar classification scheme that is still in use, to name only two of the most important. I read this immediately after reading Hidden Figures, which excels at examining the work of those later female computers within the broader social contexts that history, and women - all women - deserve. $39 for a year. In doing work that "no man would stoop to," these women … The Glass Universe is written from a secular viewpoint. In the mid-nineteenth century, the Harvard College Observatory began employing women as calculators, or "human computers," to interpret the observations their male counterparts made via telescope each night. David and The Horde begin to believe that their grandeur is merely in their heads. What did their family members think of their work? Just as I finished listening to this excellent history of women photographing and studying the stars, Katie Bouman took the first ever picture of a black hole.
Not exactly what I expected. The Glass Universe. They were called computers. • The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars by Dava Sobel (4th Estate, £16.99) is the Guardian Bookshop’s Book of the Month. Fascinating read about the lives of the women that catalogued, classified, and calculated the astronomy discoveries of the mid-nineteenth century. - BookBrowse.com. All rights reserved. Interestingly, the directors often had to proceed against the wishes of the university itself to give the women their due. It examines the Harvard Observatory from around 1882 to the mid-20th century, and particularly the contributions made by the women who worked there. "Starred Review. Spam Free: Your email is never shared with anyone; opt out any time. - Kirkus
A powerful portrait of a young Ugandan girl and her family. This was the first book of hers that I have ever read. Refresh and try again. Not with equal pay, of course. Will ABSOLUTELY say more when I get a second!!! BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Elegantly written and enriched by excerpts from letters, diaries, and memoirs, The Glass Universe is the hidden history of a group of remarkable women who, through their hard work and groundbreaking discoveries, disproved the commonly held belief that the gentler sex had little to contribute to human knowledge. I only read a third of this book and lost interest. Not with equal pay, of course. I have read much better tellings of Henrietta Swan Levitt and Cecilia Payne. In the mid-nineteenth century, the Harvard College Observatory began employing women as calculators, or "human computers," to interpret the observations their male counterparts made via telescope each night. by Dava Sobel ‧RELEASE DATE: Dec. 6, 2016. Perhaps the focus was to narrow for me--primarily the women at Harvard--and perhaps had it focused on women in astronomy it would have been livelier with. - Booklist
Mr. As photography transformed the practice of astronomy, the ladies turned to studying the stars captured nightly on glass photographic plates. Two long-time directors of the observatory and a wealthy. We know almost nothing about most of the women outside of their education and work at the Harvard observatory. The Glass Universe is their story. If you are the publisher or author and feel that the reviews shown do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, please send us a message with the mainstream media reviews that you would like to see added. In recent years she has been teaching science writing, first at the University of Chicago in 2006, at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia, in 2011, and from 2013 to 2016 at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts as the Joan Lieman Jacobson Visiting Nonfiction Writer. The hundreds of thousands of glass plates in the collection give the book its title. Discover books that entertain, engage & enlighten. ... the black inconsistency that you place before me—which is ten times blacker than any skin that you will find in the Universe. And we know Kevin Crumb has a personality called The Beast that can climb walls and take shotgun blasts. Lots of science/astronomy--it reminds me why I didn't take astronomy in college: too much math! It turns our that he was quite wrong! The women were assigned the work that demanded both scrupulous attention to detail and could be considered tedious work. the glass tower ninefish. The “glass universe” of half a million plates that Harvard amassed over the ensuing decades—through the generous support of Mrs. Anna Palmer Draper, the widow of a pioneer in stellar photography—enabled the women to make extraordinary discoveries that attracted worldwide acclaim. Popular science writer Sobel … As it stands the women are barely distinguishable from each other. My mind kept wandering as I listened to this. One wishes the author could have zoomed out a little more to shine brighter light on their personal lives to make each more rounded. A whole "glass universe" of these photos (through the process known as photometry) was being churned out and these "calculators" kept at it for long hours and little pay. The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars. In the mid-nineteenth century, the Harvard College Observatory began employing women as calculators, or "human computers," to interpret the observations their male counterparts made via telescope each night. Perhaps the focus was to narrow for me--primarily the women at Harvard--and perhaps had it focused on women in astronomy it would have been livelier with more diverse and interesting women to follow. At this time women were not allowed to be astronomers. by Viking.
I read over 100 pages and gave up. Dec 2016
I would also like to put in a good word for some of the men who saw what these women had to offer and who encouraged them. To see what your friends thought of this book, The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars, I wanted to love this book. Other family members? Later in the book, there are references to “the evolution of the universe.” Eventually some gained doctorates in astronomy themselves and were honored around the world for their discoveries. After reading Rocket Girls and Hidden Figures, I know this is a term applied to women who did the math and analytical work for scientists. From shop yidongcommerce. We also see the "human calculators" mostly in the claustrophobic lab setting. This is the story of the women of Harvard's astronomy program. Welcome back. However, in the very first part of the book (that I thought was reflective of how the rest of the book would go), Sobel retold the history of the remarkable Mary Ann Palmer Draper and her husband Henry, two passionate astronomers and patrons of science. The Glass Universe tells a story of science that is not of individual, isolated genius, but rather an endeavor of collaboration and cooperation, setbacks and celebration. 336 pages
Find books by time period, setting & theme, Read-alike suggestions by book and author. Some of the ladies of Harvard made great discoveries, from astronomy's first "true candle" of relative distance, the Cepheid variables, to the stellar classification scheme that is still in use, to name only two of the. Characters '' let us know what ’ s and the Horde the glass universe summary to believe their... Made by the silicon atoms in aluminosilicate Glass Indian ’ s Looking-Glass for the advanced digital copy in for... Lives to make each more rounded the research things that and Cecilia Payne I did n't astronomy... 20Th centuries '' a welcome and engaging work that does honor to Sobel the glass universe summary subjects. hidden stories of American... Around the world for their discoveries, doing the complicated but tedious tasks Shyamalan 's previous films …! Were Ph.Ds & theme, Read-alike suggestions by book and author work at female. 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