The Writing Seminars > Faculty Books > Seeing and Believing: How the Telescope Opened Our Eyes and Minds to the Heavens

Seeing and Believing: How the Telescope Opened Our Eyes and Minds to the Heavens

Seeing and Believing: How the Telescope Opened Our Eyes and Minds to the Heavens

In 1609, Galileo fit two lenses inside a cylindrical tube, aimed it at the sky, and forever changed the world. With pith and charm, Seeing and Believing tells the story—era by era, visionary by visionary, technology by technology, and discovery by discovery—of how the telescope has changed the way we look at ourselves. In the tradition of Dava Sobel’s bestselling Longitude, it focuses on the often larger-than-life figures behind our cosmological odyssey—from Galileo and William Herschel (the musician-turned-astronomer who discovered Uranus) to the crazy brilliance of George Ellery Hale and the minds behind the mighty Hubble space telescope. Seamlessly fusing elements of philosophy, politics, literature, and religion, this fascinating narrative chronicles the humbling journey into a universe infinitely more vast than we ever imagined. Star- gazers, space enthusiasts, and curious minds of every sort will love this holiday and year-round gift.