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  • © 2017

Bode’s Law and the Discovery of Juno

Historical Studies in Asteroid Research

  • Continues the story of early asteroid discovery begun in earlier volumes by covering the discoveries of the asteroids Juno (1804) and Vesta (1807)
  • Based on extensive archival research of Juno and Vesta
  • Includes extensive correspondence about these two discoveries, along with sections of two books by Schroeter dealing with Juno and Vesta and all the scientific papers of the day on their discovery and study, many translated into English for the first time
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

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Table of contents (14 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiii
  2. Hegel, Bode’s Law and the Missing Planet

    • Clifford J. Cunningham
    Pages 1-36
  3. The Discovery of Juno

    • Clifford J. Cunningham
    Pages 37-61
  4. Juno: A Driving Force for Change

    • Clifford J. Cunningham
    Pages 63-70
  5. The Music of the Spheres

    • Clifford J. Cunningham
    Pages 71-92
  6. The Big Four Asteroids in Verse

    • Clifford J. Cunningham
    Pages 93-120
  7. Letters: Bessel with Gauss and Olbers

    • Clifford J. Cunningham
    Pages 121-126
  8. The Olbers-Gauss Letters

    • Clifford J. Cunningham
    Pages 127-153
  9. The Harding-Gauss Letters

    • Clifford J. Cunningham
    Pages 155-166
  10. Letters: Gauss with Bode and Zach

    • Clifford J. Cunningham
    Pages 167-171
  11. The Oriani-Piazzi Letters

    • Clifford J. Cunningham
    Pages 173-176
  12. Schroeter’s Asteroid Book

    • Clifford J. Cunningham
    Pages 177-197
  13. Scientific Papers on Juno

    • Clifford J. Cunningham
    Pages 199-237
  14. The Astronomical Instruments

    • Clifford J. Cunningham
    Pages 239-244
  15. The Observatories

    • Clifford J. Cunningham
    Pages 245-271
  16. Back Matter

    Pages 273-304

About this book

Johann Bode developed a so-called law of planetary distances best known as Bode’s Law. The story of the discovery of Juno in 1804 by Karl Harding tells how Juno fit into that scheme and is examined as it relates to the philosopher Georg Hegel’s 1801 thesis that there could be no planets between Mars and Jupiter. By 1804 that gap was not only filled but had three residents: Ceres, Pallas and Juno!

 

When Juno was discovered no one could have imagined its study would call into question Newton’s law of gravity, or be the impetus for developing the mathematics of the fast Fourier transform by Carl Gauss. Clifford Cunningham, a dedicated scholar, opens to scrutiny this critical moment of astronomical discovery, continuing the story of asteroid begun in earlier volumes of this series.

 

The fascinating issues raised by the discovery of Juno take us on an extraordinary journey. The revelation of the existence of this new class of celestial bodiestransformed our understanding of the Solar System, the implications of which are thoroughly discussed in terms of Romantic Era science, philosophy, poetry, mathematics and astronomy.

 

The account given here is based on both English and foreign correspondence and scientific papers, most of which are translated for the first time.

Reviews

“What I like about this book is its comprehensive nature and its thoroughness. Very, very little is left out. Anyone who deemed to mention the asteroid Juno in the early decades of the 19th Century is in, referenced, illustrated, described, translated into English, and quoted in full. We get the science, the research papers, … of the observers and thinkers, and descriptions of their observatories and instruments. The book is a fount of information and a joy.” (David W. Hughes, The Observatory, Vol. 138 (1266), October, 2018)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Ft. Lauderdale, USA

    Clifford J. Cunningham

About the author

Clifford J. Cunningham did his Ph.D. work in the history of astronomy at James Cook University and the University of Southern Queensland in Australia, and he is affiliated with the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand. He has written or edited 13 books on the history of astronomy, and his papers have been published in many major journals, including Annals of Science, Journal for the History of Astronomy, Culture & Cosmos, Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, Studia Etymologica Cracoviensia, The Asian Journal of Physics and The Milton Quarterly. Asteroid (4276) was named Clifford in his honor by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access