author : Emily Levesque

This is the course guidebook that accompanies the 24 lecture “Great Course” of the same name. It is essentially an abbreviated transcript of each lecture, a few diagrams, suggested reading, and quizes. (I watched the lectures, which is what I am reviewing here, and am using the book simply as an aide-memoire.)

Levesque introduces the way various aspects of astronomy were discovered, structured around the people involved and the telescopes they used. Although I usually prefer a focus on the science, rather than the scientists, astronomy itself is focussed (pun unintentional) on its telescopes and other instrumentation. The rest of the universe is very far away, and needs sophisticated instruments to observe and measure it, so this structuring makes sense. Also, I already knew (most of) the science, so it was interesting to get a different perspective.

Levesque provides technical detail of the instruments, historical context of the scientists, and scientific explanation of their discoveries, all woven together in an engaging account of the last hundred++ years of astronomy.