{"product_id":"nicolas-louis-de-la-caille-astronomer-ian-stewart-glass-9780199668403","title":"Nicolas-Louis de la Caille, Astronomer and Geodesist","description":"La Caille was one of the observational astronomers and geodesists who followed Newton in developing ideas about celestial mechanics and the shape of the earth. He provided data to the great 18th-century mathematicians involved in understanding the complex gravitational effects that the heavenly bodies have on one another. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eObserving from the Cape of Good Hope, he made the first ever telescopic sky survey and gave many of the southern constellations their present-day names. He measured the paths of the planets and determined their distances by trigonometry. In addition, he made a controversial measurement of the radius of the earth that seemed to prove it was pear-shaped. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOn a practical level, La Caille developed the method of  Lunars' for determining longitudes at sea. He mapped the Cape. As an influential teacher he propagated Newton's theory of universal gravitation at a time when it was only beginning to be accepted on the European continent. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis book gives the most comprehensive overview so far available of La Caille's life and work, showing how he interacted with his often difficult colleagues. It places special emphasis on his life at, and his observations and comments on, the Cape of Good Hope, where he spent the years 1751-53.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Ian Stewart Glass\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 019966840X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780199668403\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/29\/2012\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 202\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.10lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.20h x 6.30w x 0.80d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/01\/2013","brand":"Ian Stewart Glass","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":47419025883391,"sku":"9780199668403","price":95.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_e4df955f-b8b8-438c-bf1d-5da6fb364b65.jpg?v=1761508991","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/nicolas-louis-de-la-caille-astronomer-ian-stewart-glass-9780199668403","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}