The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars by Dava Sobel

David Chuss

doi:10.22339/jbh.v2i1.2256

Abstract

The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars by Dava Sobel

Highlights

In her prior works, Longitude and Galileo’s Daughter, Dava Sobel has established a narrative style in which she skillfully weaves tales of major scientific breakthroughs with the human stories and the historical context in which they occurred
This is especially true for her latest work, The Glass Universe, in which she details the stunning contributions of women to the development of modern astronomy
Photography was starting to play a central role in astronomy, enabling a precise and permanent record of the heavens to be captured for the first time

Summary

Introduction

Longitude and Galileo’s Daughter, Dava Sobel has established a narrative style in which she skillfully weaves tales of major scientific breakthroughs with the human stories and the historical context in which they occurred. This is especially true for her latest work, The Glass Universe, in which she details the stunning contributions of women to the development of modern astronomy. In The Glass Universe, Sobel chronicles the storied Harvard Observatory from its early days in the late nineteenth century under the directorship of Edward Pickering.

Results

Conclusion