Eyes on the Skies

Lars Lindberg Christensen is press officer of the International Astronomical Union, as well as IAU EC International Year of Astronomy 2009 Working Group Secretary. An astronomer by profession, he is a science communication specialist heading the Hubble European Space Agency Information Centre group, responsible for public outreach and education for the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope in Europe. Robert (Bob) Fosbury is an astronomer working for the European Space Agency (ESA) as part of ESA's collaboration with NASA on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) project at ST-ECF. Bob also served on NASA's Ad Hoc Science Working Group and ESA's Study Science Team as they developed the instrument concepts for the James Webb Space Telescope, the next generation space observatory. Bob and Lars wrote the highly successful "Hubble - 15 years of discovery". Robert Hurt is professional artist, specialized on art in astronomy.

Foreword 7
1. New Views of the Skies 9
2. Bigger is Better 27
3. Technology to the Rescue 45
4. From silver to Silicon 63
5. Seeing the Invisible 77
6. Beyond Earth 95
7. What's Next? 115
Authors' Bios 130

"It's very much a browsing book and I guarantee you it won't matter what page you first land on-you'll find some beautiful graphics and a wealth of accurate and interesting information.... A feast of a book-the photographs are so sharp you would want to wear gloves reading it." ( Astronomy & Space , September 2009)
" Eyes on the Skies , through words and a wealth of stunning photographs and illustrations ... tells the fascinating story of the telescope from its invention in the early 1600s to the computer-controlled telescopes of the modern day." ( Spaceflight , May 2009)

"Anyone wanting a refresher course on telescope history will find Eyes on the Skies an illuminating guide.... Beautifully illustrated." ( Physics World , March 2009)

"The story starts with the observations of the moon by Galileo in 1609.... This milestone is a key feature of this marvellous book.... Recommended as a valuable up to date summary of achievements in 400 years and also an insight into future plans to extend our survey of the heavens." ( The Astronomer , February 2009)

" Eyes On The Skies tells the history of the telescope from the prototypes of the early 1600s to the computer-controlled machines of today." ( Daily Express , January 2009)