Background
Levitt, Israel Monroe was born on December 19, 1908 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Son of Joseph and Jennie (Marriner) Levitt.
(About a dozen years ago, astronomers detected a strong ra...)
About a dozen years ago, astronomers detected a strong radio source in outer space that was linked to some strange celestial object. Further study unearthed a new, exotic astronomical menagerie--dwarf stars, quasars, black holes and white holes, pulsars, neutron stars, new supernovae--whose very description is enough to boggle the mind, and whose discovery has presented our scientists with some very baffling questions. Imagine, for instance, a situation in which the entire population of the earth could be fitted into a pill the size of an aspirin. Tthe incredibly high density of the "black holes" dictates that this is all the volume 3.6 billion people would occupy. How is this possible? Some pulsars apparently blink on and off some 30 times a second. How do they do that? The neutron stars have solid crusts, in spite of surface temperatures that may be on the order of 7 million degrees; on earth all matter becomes gas at a few thousand degrees. How can there be solids at temperatures 1,000 times higher? In Beyond the Known Universe, the internationally known astronomer Dr. Levitt tells the story of these new celestial oddballs, and relates how ingenious scientists around the world are attempting to solve the riddles they pose. It is a mind-stretching adventure that promises to give the layman enthusiast a much clearer understanding of what these unique objects are all about.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670161071/?tag=2022091-20
(A star chart or star map is a map of the night sky. Astro...)
A star chart or star map is a map of the night sky. Astronomers divide these into grids to use them more easily. They are used to identify and locate astronomical objects such as stars, constellations and galaxies. They have been used for human navigation since time immemorial. Note that a star chart differs from an astronomical catalog, which is a listing or tabulation of astronomical objects for a particular purpose. A planisphere is a type of star chart.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0671472585/?tag=2022091-20
Levitt, Israel Monroe was born on December 19, 1908 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Son of Joseph and Jennie (Marriner) Levitt.
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Drexel University, 1932. Doctor of Science, Drexel University, 1958. Master of Arts, University Pennsylvania, 1937.
Doctor of Philosophy, University Pennsylvania, 1948. Doctor of Science, Temple University, 1958. Doctor of Science, Philadelphia College Pharmacy and Science, 1963.
Astronomer,, Fels Planetarium of The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, 1934-1939;
assistant associate director, Fels Planetarium of The Franklin Institute, 1939-1949;
director, Fels Planetarium of The Franklin Institute, 1949-1972;
vice president institute, Fels Planetarium of The Franklin Institute, 1970-1972;
executive director, Philadelphia Mayor's Science and Technology Advisory Council, 1972-1993. Senior lecturer astronomy University of Pennsylvania, 1977. Astronomer The Flower Observatory, 1946-1948.
Director (Science Council), since 1953. Science consultant to City of Philadelphia, 1956-1963;chairman Air Pollution Control Board Philadelphia, since 1965.
(About a dozen years ago, astronomers detected a strong ra...)
(A star chart or star map is a map of the night sky. Astro...)
(Hardcover)
(Hardcover)
Fellow American Association for the Advancement of Science (life), American Astronautical Society, British Interplanetary Society. Member American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, American Astronomical Society, Rittenhouse Astronomical Society (past president), Academy of Sciences Philadelphia (vice president 1993), National Association Science Writers, Aviation Writers Association, Explorers Club, Pi Tau Sigma.
Married Alice Gross, July 3, 1937. Children: Peter Leighton, Nancy Bambino.