Renato Dicati

Stamping Through Astronomy

A History of Astronomy through Stamps and Philately

• Gebundenes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

The book is about the fascinating intersection of philately and astronomy. In all countries of the world, stamps and other philatelic documents are continuously issued to celebrate scientists, places, astronomical instruments for observing the sky, discoveries and theories, astronomical events, institutions, conferences, and more. This second edition of "Stamping Through Astronomy" aims to offer readers not only an overview of the philatelic material that has appeared in recent years but also an updated picture of the development of astronomical research and our vision of the Universe.

Stamps and other postal documents are indeed powerful and attractive vehicles for presenting astronomy and its development. Written with expertise and great enthusiasm, this unique book offers a historical and philatelic survey of astronomy and related topics on space exploration. It contains more than 1600 color reproductions of stamps relating to the history of astronomy, ranging from the earliest observations of the sky to modern research conducted with satellites and space probes.

Featured are the astronomers and astrophysicists who contributed to this marvelous story-not only Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler, Newton, Herschel, and Einstein but also hundreds of other minor protagonists who played important roles in the development of this, the most ancient yet the most modern of all the sciences. The book also examines in depth the diverse areas that have contributed to the history of astronomy, including instrumentation, theories, and observations. Many stamps illustrate the beauty and mystery of celestial objects: galaxies, nebulae, stars, planets, satellites, comets, and minor celestial bodies.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Springer / Springer Milan / Springer Nature Switzerland / Springer, Berlin
• Artikelnr. des Verlages: 978-3-031-98314-6
• 2. Aufl.
• Seitenzahl: 435
• Erscheinungstermin: November 2025
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 240mm x 168mm
• ISBN-13: 9783031983146
• Artikelnr.: 74341119

Autorenporträt

Renato Dicati, born in Italy in 1950, graduated in Astrophysics from the University of Milan in 1975. After teaching in public schools, he spent 30 years at IBM Italy, focusing on education and multimedia communication. For over two decades, he has devoted his free time to science outreach, organizing philatelic exhibitions on astronomy and astronautics, and publishing books and articles on space and thematic philately. A member of the Italian Philatelic Press Union, he also volunteers at the University of the Third Age Galleria in Milan, where he has led the Astronomy course since 2017. In 2017, he published Stamping the Earth from Space with Springer.

Inhaltsangabe

The origins of Astronomy.- The ancients Astronomy.- Astronomy in Ancient Greece.- Medieval Astronomy.- The revival of Astronomy and the Copernican revolution.- Galileo and the new views of the sky.- The Mechanical Universe.- The development of instrumentation.- Observations and discoveries in the Solar System.- The advent of Astrophysics.- The discovery of the Universe.- Radio Astronomy.- Astronomy from space.

Rezensionen

"Dicati, a graduate in astrophysics at the University of Milan, has amassed a beautiful collection of more than 1,300 color reproductions of stamps, FDCs and postmarks, with connections to the history of astronomy. They range from the earliest observations of the sky to modern research conducted with satellites and space probes. Stamping Through Astronomy is a visual delight for both astronomers and stamp collectors." (ASTROFAX, September, 2016)

"Dicati has amassed a beautiful collection of stamps, First Day Covers, and postmarks with connections to astronomy, and he shares them with the reader through this well-illustrated book. ... The images are crisp and clean, and the captions are detailed. ... Stamping through astronomy is a visual delight for both astronomers and stamp collectors. The book should serve to lure astronomers to the world of stamp collecting and to introduce stamp collectors to the richness of astronomical history." (Jerry L. Fields, Journal for the History of Astronomy, Vol. 46 (2), May, 2015)

"In this most unusual book, the astronomer Renado Dicati provides a course in astronomy, but with 1,300 postage stamps as illustrations, all in color. The result is a gorgeous volume that will be of interest not only to the general public, astronomy students, and amateur astronomers, but also to those interested in philately. ... Renato Dicati is to be congratulated on this very readable tour de force." (Jay Pasachoff, keyreporter.org, July, 2014)

"Dicati narrates a compact, readable history of astronomy that corresponds to color images of a carefully curated international collection of more than 1,300 stamps. ... The stamp selections feature a wide array of scientists, instrumentation, and discoveries from all over the world. ... the book is interesting and accessible to most readers ... . Summing Up: Recommended. General readers." (C. M. Rauber, Choice, Vol. 51 (8), April, 2014)