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Great Heroes and Discoveries of Astronomy
- Narrated by: Emily Levesque
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
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Publisher's summary
When it comes to the heroes of astronomy, we tend to think of lone men persevering in the face of daunting odds. Think of the titans of astronomy and you’re likely to think of names like Edwin Hubble, Albert Einstein, and Carl Sagan. And while these individuals revolutionized our understanding of the visible and invisible universe, they, too, were standing on the shoulders of other scientists and engineers without whom none of their groundbreaking ideas would have been possible.
Great Heroes and Discoveries of Astronomy takes you around the world and across time in search of the unsung heroes who, in many ways, are just as important to the story of astronomy as Hubble, Einstein, and Sagan. Whether they stood on the shoulders of giants or themselves offered shoulders for giants to stand on, the heroes of astronomy you’ll meet in these 24 lessons are a collective of the brightest and most daring minds in science.
Other influential astronomers you’ll meet include Annie Jump Cannon, who revolutionized the way astronomers classified the stars; Grote Reber, who designed what we recognize today as radio telescopes; Vera Rubin, who identified the first observational evidence of dark matter; and so many others. From groundbreaking new theories to serendipitous observations, from engineering the world’s largest telescopes to designing bold new ways to detect gravitational waves, you’ll witness the evolution of astronomical knowledge in small steps and incredible leaps.
This is an incomparable window into why we’ve always found the stars so fascinating. And why we always will.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
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Story
In these 24 lectures, The Great Courses teams up with the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, to take you behind the scenes of the animal world. Dr. Moore has crafted a wonderful introduction to zoology that brings you up close and personal with a breathtaking variety of animal species through the eyes of a trained zoologist.
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America Centric
- By Joe van Rensburg on 04-28-20
By: Donald E. Moore, and others
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Einstein's Relativity and the Quantum Revolution: Modern Physics for Non-Scientists, 2nd Edition
- By: Richard Wolfson, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Richard Wolfson
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Original Recording
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"It doesn't take an Einstein to understand modern physics," says Professor Wolfson at the outset of these 24 lectures on what may be the most important subjects in the universe: relativity and quantum physics. Both have reputations for complexity. But the basic ideas behind them are, in fact, simple and comprehensible by anyone. These dynamic and illuminating lectures begin with a brief overview of theories of physical reality starting with Aristotle and culminating in Newtonian or "classical" physics.
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Great primer for hard SF fans and physics laymen
- By David on 01-05-15
By: Richard Wolfson, and others
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Synthetic Biology: Life’s Extraordinary New Worlds
- By: Milton Muldrow Jr., The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Milton Muldrow Jr.
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
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Synthetic Biology: Life’s Extraordinary New Worlds is an introduction to synthetic biology for non-scientists, covering the exciting field that is transforming health care, agriculture, environmental science, and many other areas. Using the molecules of life to answer scientific questions and manipulate life for human benefit, synthetic biology encompasses a wide range of applications—from gene editing and metabolic engineering to food synthesis and green technologies.
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Disservice to subject matter by not making account of hurdles in the research.
- By pebenito on 02-07-24
By: Milton Muldrow Jr., and others
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War in the Modern World
- By: David R. Stone, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: David R. Stone
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Original Recording
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Great powers no longer fight great wars. But how exactly did countries like the United States go from confronting powerful adversaries in 1914 and 1939 Europe to waging lengthy counterinsurgency campaigns in places like Iraq and Afghanistan? The answer lies in the profound geopolitical and technological changes that came in between.
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General Overview of Conflicts Post World War 2
- By Jeffrey F Korpics Jr on 06-20-22
By: David R. Stone, and others
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The Real History of Pirates
- By: Professor Manushag N. Powell, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Manushag N. Powell
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
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There’s an apocryphal story that Alexander the Great once captured a notorious pirate named Diomedes. The great conqueror decided to interview the doomed pirate, asking him what he thought gave him the right to seize the property of other people. The pirate responded by asking the emperor what he thought gave him the right to take property that doesn’t belong to him, including entire countries. The story goes that Alexander thought the pirate very clever, granting him freedom instead of execution.
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Not an intro, but some interesting perspective
- By N. D. Hemingway on 06-21-21
By: Professor Manushag N. Powell, and others
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The Life and Death of Stars
- By: Keivan G. Stassun, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Keivan G. Stassun
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
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We understand the stars at a much deeper level, not as legendary figures connected with constellations, but as engines of matter, energy, and the raw material of life itself. The Life and Death of Stars introduces you to this story in 24 half-hour lectures that lead you through the essential ideas of astrophysics - the science of stars. Your guide is Professor Stassun, an award-winning teacher and noted astrophysicist. He provides lively, eloquent, and authoritative explanations at a level suitable for science novices as well as for those who already know their way around the starry sky.
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Stassun keeps referring to visual material
- By pondo on 12-27-18
By: Keivan G. Stassun, and others
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The Life and Writings of C. S. Lewis
- By: Louis Markos, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Louis Markos
- Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins
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What can we still learn from C.S. Lewis? Find out in these 12 insightful lectures that cover the author's spiritual autobiography, novels, and his scholarly writings that reflect on pain and grief, love and friendship, prophecy and miracles, and education and mythology.
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Basically a collection of sermons
- By Richard on 11-20-13
By: Louis Markos, and others
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Think like a Stoic
- Ancient Wisdom for Today’s World
- By: Massimo Pigliucci, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Massimo Pigliucci
- Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins
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Distilled to its essence, the ancient Greco-Roman philosophy known as Stoicism is a philosophy of personal betterment. Professor Pigliucci, who knows firsthand just how transformative a Stoic approach to life can be, has designed these 25 lessons as an enlightening introduction to the basics of Stoic philosophy and ways to incorporate its lessons into your own life.
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A lot to love. A little to object to.
- By Amazon Customer on 08-20-21
By: Massimo Pigliucci, and others
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Ancient Civilizations of North America
- By: Edwin Barnhart, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Edwin Barnhart
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
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For the past few hundred years, most of what we’ve been taught about the native cultures of North America came from reports authored by the conquerors and colonizers who destroyed them. Now - with the technological advances of modern archaeology and a new perspective on world history - we are finally able to piece together their compelling true stories. In Ancient Civilizations of North America, Professor Edwin Barnhart, Director of the Maya Exploration Center, will open your eyes to a fascinating world you never knew existed - even though you’ve been living right next to it, or even on top of it.
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A different perspective - civilizations not tribes
- By Steve Goppert on 07-26-18
By: Edwin Barnhart, and others
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The Nature of Matter: Understanding the Physical World
- By: David W. Ball, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: David W. Ball
- Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins
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In the 24 engaging lectures of The Nature of Matter, no scientific background is needed to appreciate such miracles of everyday life as a bouncing rubber ball or water's astonishing power to dissolve. Moreover, the study of matter has led directly to such inventions as semiconductor circuits for computers, new fabrics for clothes, and powerful adhesives for medicine and industry.
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High School or Lower Level
- By User on 11-03-15
By: David W. Ball, and others
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The Foundations of Western Civilization
- By: Thomas F. X. Noble, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Thomas F. X. Noble
- Length: 24 hrs and 51 mins
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What is Western Civilization? According to Professor Noble, it is "much more than human and political geography," encompassing myriad forms of political and institutional structures - from monarchies to participatory republics - and its own traditions of political discourse. It involves choices about who gets to participate in any given society and the ways in which societies have resolved the tension between individual self-interest and the common good.
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Not Engaging or Very Interesting
- By Tommy D'Angelo on 03-05-17
By: Thomas F. X. Noble, and others
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Rise of the Novel
- Exploring History’s Greatest Early Works
- By: Leo Damrosch, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Leo Damrosch
- Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins
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Thousands of novels are published around the world every year. There are so many readily available, it would take multiple lifetimes for a single person to even read a fraction of them. But it hasn’t always been that way. While humans have always been storytellers, the novel as we recognize it today is a relatively new art form in the timeline of human culture. Of all the ways we tell stories, why has the novel become such a perennial favorite? How did the novel go from a narrative experiment with a low-brow reputation to a cultural touchstone and focal point of modern literature?
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the more I read the further behind I get
- By Bruce on 02-08-22
By: Leo Damrosch, and others
What listeners say about Great Heroes and Discoveries of Astronomy
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- SP97
- 10-20-21
Excellent in every way
I'm really picky with audio books. For me, either the content is not good or the narrator is not good or both. I heavily rely on the comments to help me decide on a title. Even then I return a lot of titles.
This title is new and didn't have a review when I bought it but I'm interested in Astronomy so I thought I'd give it a try; and I'm glad it did!
The content is very interesting; kind of a combination of Astronomy and the history of Astronomy. I found every section to be interesting and I learned a lot.
The narration is excellent too. She loves the topics and it is reflected in her voice. Additionally her voice is pleasant and it's easy to visualize her analogies and stories. I can imagine her in person classes are phenomenal.
This is a new Great Course title but I can imagine that it will eventually on of the top titles in their library. I highly recommend.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Richardw
- 09-28-23
Interesting but irritating delivery
I like the subject matter it’s a little different and very interesting , but the narrator has to my ear a very irritating delivery .
She seems to be desperate to get her message across.
Also , why do Americans pronounce everything incorrectly ?
Why is the Cosmos the Cos- Mose ? I nearly shut the thing off when I heard that .
Also she mispronounced many other words including
Galileo’s surname .
When putting together such a program choose a narrator that is easier on the ear .
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- Nick S
- 01-10-23
Fantastic. Well worth it
A well-presented and fascinating review of astronomical telescopes, discoveries, and the individuals behind them. From the perspective of an amateur, I think the relevant fundamental scientific concepts are discussed to a sufficient extent to provide context to the engaging details discussed here. Written very well with great narration. A rewarding experience for anyone interested in the subject regardless of how much they already know.
Incredibly informative, especially Chapter 13: Pioneers of X-ray and Ultraviolet Astronomy and Chapter 14: Finding Neutron Stars and Black Holes.
Only very slightly out of date which is something few other Great Courses can say.
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- mike
- 04-09-22
Love the subject, dislike the reader
The subject of the book is great, I learned a lot. HOWEVER, the reader got on my nerves. I would have listened to the book all in one go except I was distracted by the readers style and had to shut it off. It sounds like the whole text is written IN CAPITOL LETTERS!! So earnest, so powerful, so important and so annoying.
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- Douglas E. Stanton
- 09-17-23
Mostly Political Correctness, worst “Great Course” ever
While I have loved the Great Courses series, this is probably the last one I will listen to. The author strays from the history and uses her bully pulpit to bludgeon the listener with lectures on gay rights and the wrongs done to the lgbtq etc. movement. The listener is so hammered with this bias, you might think to be a good astronomer you have to be gay or trans. I am not homophobic, however I am homo-exhausted.
We are assaulted with this kind of propaganda daily in the news. I don’t need nor do I want to purchase political propaganda disguised as historical science. This author has earned a “Never Again” on my reading/listening list.
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- Shawn
- 02-26-22
Not about astronomy.
Not actually about astronomy. About politics disguised as a course on astronomy. Disappointing. Title should be more appropriate.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Gregory M Meyer
- 03-21-22
strays into irrelevant
By chapter 21 the author works in Syrian refugees and global climate change...
I wish they would stick to the subject matter and stop beating us over the head with their political ideology.
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1 person found this helpful