Ronald L. Voller

The Muleskinner and the Stars (eBook, PDF)

The Life and Times of Milton La Salle Humason, Astronomer

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

Milt Humason's unlikely story began on the shores of the Mississippi River in Winona, Minnesota, in 1891 and led to the foot of Mount Wilson outside Los Angeles, California, twelve years later. Captivated by his surroundings, the mountain would become the backdrop for his life and career over the next six decades as he first helped build George Ellery Hale's observatory on the summit and then rose to become one of that institution's leading figures through the first half of the twentieth century.

The story chronicles Humason's life on Mount Wilson, from his first trip to the mountain to his days as a muleskinner, leading teams of mules hauling supplies to the summit during the construction of the observatory, and follows him through his extraordinary career in spectroscopy, working beside Edwin Hubble as the two helped to reconstruct our concept of the universe, despite having no formal education beyond the eighth grade. His work, which included assisting in the formulation of Hubble's Law of redshifts, helped to set the field of cosmology solidly on its foundation.

Milton Humason was one of the most charismatic characters in science during the first half of the 20th century. Uneducated, streetwise, moonshining, roguish, humble and thoroughly down to earth, he rose by seizing opportunity and using his innate ability and incredible will to become the leading deep space observer of his day. "The Renaissance man of Mount Wilson," as Harlow Shapley once referred to him, Humason's extraordinary life reminds us that passion and purpose may find us at any moment.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Springer New York
• Seitenzahl: 196
• Erscheinungstermin: 28. August 2015
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781493928804
• Artikelnr.: 43787552

Autorenporträt

Ron L. Voller is an author, illustrator, musician, singer, songwriter, historian and sculptor living in New York City. He is the author/illustrator of 'The Adventures of Jude and the Guitar of Galore' (Author House, 2006). Ron received his B.A. in music and literature from the University of Denver. He began writing seriously twelve years ago after a successful career as a musician. He has written much in almost every genre of literature and has self-published one children's book, which he also illustrated. He has recently submitted an article for publication to Astronomy magazine. Dan Lewis, Dibner Senior Curator, History of Science & Technology at Huntington Library, has referred to Ron as the "world's foremost authority on Milton Humason."

Inhaltsangabe

Part I: Childhood and Early Adult Life (1891-1917).- Dodge Center/Winona, Minnesota (1891-1902).- Los Angelus, CA (1902).- Mount Wilson (1903-1910).- The Valley (1911-1917).- Part II: A New Path (1918-1964).- Winning Friends and Favor (1918-1920).- Spectroscopists (1920-1928).- Edwin Hubble (1928-1931).- The Great Observatory (1930s).- Part III: A New Era (1938-1964).- The War Years (1938-1945).- Post War (1945-1957).- Post-retirement Study (1957-1964).- Epilogue (1964-1972).

Rezensionen

"This fascinating book charts in detail the very different path taken by one of the 20th Century's most productive scientists: Milton La Salle Humason. ... This is a splendid story, about a very 'can-do' man, a tale nicely fleshed out by snippets of history of the times - social, political, and astronomical - which give it context. ... Scattered throughout are snaps from what might be a family album, and they add nicely to this valuable history." (David Stickland, The Observatory, Vol. 136 (1252), June, 2016)

"Ronald L. Voller has produced a spectacularly rich and detailed biography of Humason, something we did not have until now. ... I highly recommend this thoroughly entertaining book to anyone who loves astronomy, scientific biography, or the power of the human spirit. It is a masterfully researched and entertaining work, and you will notbe disappointed by making it a nightly companion." (David Eicher, Astronomy Magazine, Blog Dave's Universe, cs.astronomy.com, October, 2015)