Inspired by a long fascination with Galileo, and by the remarkable surviving letters of Galileo's daughter, a cloistered nun, Dava Sobel has written a biography unlike any other of the man Albert Einstein called "the father of modern physics- indeed of modern science altogether." Galileo's Daughter also presents a stunning portrait of a person hitherto lost to history, described by her father as "a woman of exquisite mind, singular goodness,...

"In a world transformed by an unknown disaster, two outsiders must grapple with love, regret, and survival. Augustine, a brilliant and aging astronomer, refuses to evacuate his remote research post when news of a catastrophe arrives. He and a mysterious child, left behind in the evacuation, are trapped alone in the Arctic Circle, with no one responding to their radio calls. Meanwhile, Mission Specialist Sullivan is on a long return flight from Jupiter....

"Like Michelangelo, Galileo is another Renaissance great known just by his first name--a name that is synonymous with scientific achievement. Born in Pisa, Italy, in the sixteenth century, Galileo contributed to the era's great rebirth of knowledge. He invented a telescope to observe the heavens. From there, not even the sky was the limit! He turned long-held notions about the universe topsy turvy with his support of a sun-centric solar system. Patricia...

Discusses various beliefs about the origin and nature of the universe and the studies of such scientists as Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, and Einstein, who have advanced our understanding of the universe.

Describes the life and work of the courageous man who changed the way people saw the galaxy, by offering objective evidence that the earth was not the fixed center of the universe.

"Jacqueline Mitton and Simon Mitton offer the first biography of Vera Rubin, an astronomer who made vital contributions to our understanding of dark matter. An outstanding scientist herself, Rubin also championed women in science, by mentoring, advocatingfor hiring women faculty, disseminating their research, and recognizing their achievements"--

A penetrating, mesmerizing biography of a scientific icon Carl Sagan was one of the most celebrated scientists of this century-the handsome and alluring visionary who inspired a generation to look to the heavens and beyond. His life was both an intellectual feast and an emotional rollercoaster. Based on interviews with Sagan's family and friends, including his widow, Ann Druyan; his first wife, acclaimed scientist Lynn Margulis; and his three sons,...

Examines the life of the Italian scientist from a first-person perspective that surveys his achievements while covering his world-changing ideas about a heliocentric solar system and his imprisonment for heresy.

"Imagines the future and history of two lovers who are connected by the passing of great comets overhead and by the ancestors that bind them together"--