Includes bibliographical references (p. 380-382) and index.

Astronomy before history / Clive Ruggles and Michael Hoskin -- Astronomy in antiquity / Michael Hoskin -- Astronomy in China / Christopher Cullen -- Islamic astronomy / Michael Hoskin and Owen Gingerich -- The astrolabe / Michael Hoskin -- Medieval Latin astronomy / Michael Hoskin and Owen Gingerich -- From geometry to Physics : astronomy transformed / Michael Hoskin -- The refracting telescope in the seventeenth century / J.A. Bennett -- Newton and Newtonianism ; The astronomy of the universe of stars / Michael Hoskin -- The message of starlight : the rise of astrophysics / David Dewhirst and Michael Hoskin -- Astronomy's widening horizons / Michael Hoskin and Owen Gingerich.

Expertly written and lavishly illustrated, The Cambridge Illustrated History of Astronomy offers a unique account of astronomical theory and practice from antiquity to the present day. How did Moslems of the Middle Ages use astronomy to calculate the direction of Mecca from far-flung corners of the Islamic world? Who was the only ancient Greek to suspect that the earth might revolve around the sun? How did Christopher Columbus abuse his knowledge of a lunar eclipse predicted by an astronomical almanac? Packed with anecdotes and intriguing detail, this book describes how we observed the sky and interpreted what we saw at different periods of history; how this influenced our beliefs and mythology; and how great astronomers contributed to what we now know. The result is a lively and highly visual history of astronomy - a compelling read for specialists and non-specialists alike. ... Publisher description.