This may be a repeat; you know how old age is. <grin>
A couple of weeks ago I read a wonderful book, _Seeing_and_Believing_, by
Richard Panek. It's about the history of the telescope, covering the
instrument's discovery/invention, and subsequent advancement and refinement
over the past 400 years. The book really focuses on the *human* side of the
telescope chronicle, and how the constant advancement of the instrument
continues to affect our perception of the universe. The book provides
insight into the telescope's pioneers and visionaries -- from Galileo, to
Herschel, to Hale -- and reveals some of their more interesting quirks. (I
had no idea that George Hale conversed with an elf. <grin>)
Took folks quite a while to recognize that light gathering power, and not
just magnification alone, would be a major factor in determining the nature
of the universe. To quote Jay Freeman et al., "aperture wins!"
I would highly recommend the book to everybody on TAC. It's one of those
"two evening" books that I think everyone would enjoy.
And now back to your regularly scheduled program...
...Bob...