The Andromeda Galaxy and the Rise of Modern Astronomy 2012th Edition

The Andromeda Galaxy – Messier’s M31 – has an almost romantic appeal. It is the most distant object and the only extragalactic object that is visible to the unaided human eye. It is also almost a twin of the Milky Way Galaxy and our neighbor in space, now known to be about 2.5 million light-years away. The Andromeda Galaxy and the Rise of Modern Astronomy 2012th Edition examines ancient and modern astronomical studies of Andromeda and the galaxy’s critical role in the development of the science of astrophysics and our growing knowledge of the universe.

At the start of the twentieth century the universe was thought of as a finite cosmos dominated by the Milky Way. The study of Andromeda shattered that image, leading ultimately to the conception of an infinite universe of countless galaxies and vast distances. Even today, M31 is a major source of new astronomical discoveries, and it also remains one of the most popular (and rewarding) celestial objects for amateur astronomers to observe and study.

Andromeda was once a popular object of folklore and later became central to our understanding of the universe. For all who are interested in astronomy, the skies, and perhaps even the origins of the universe, The Andromeda Galaxy and the Rise of Modern Astronomy 2012th Edition provides a first-of-its-kind accessible, informative, and highly readable account of how the study and observation of this celestial object has driven the development of astronomy from ancient times to the present.

David Schultz is an avid amateur astronomer with a master’s degree in astronomy from James Cook University. He is a Hamline University professor in the School of Business, where he teaches classes in government ethics, public policy, and public administration. He also holds appointments at the Hamline University and Minnesota schools of law, where he teaches election law, professional responsibility, and state constitutional law. Professor Schultz is the author of more than 25 books and 80 articles. In addition to a degree in astronomy, he has a Ph.D. in political science and a law degree from the University of Minnesota, a masters of law from the University of London, a masters degree in political science from Rutgers University, a masters degree in philosophy from Binghamton University, and a bachelors degree in political science and philosophy from Binghamton University.