Richard de Grijs – författare

Determination of one's longitude at sea has perplexed sailors for many centuries. The significant uptake of world trade in the 17th and 18th Centuries rendered the increasingly urgent need to solve the 'longitude problem', an issue of strategic national importance. Historical accounts of these efforts often focus almost exclusively on John Harrison's role in 18th-Century Britain. This book starts instead from Galileo Galilei's late-16th-Century development of an accurate pendulum clock, which was first achieved in practice in the mid-17th-Century by Christiaan Huygens in the Dutch Republic. It is primarily based on collections of letters that have not been combined into a single volume before. Extensive introductory chapters on the history of map making, the establishment of the world's reference meridian at Greenwich Observatory, and the rise of the scientific enterprise provide the appropriate context for non-expert readers to fully engage with the book's main subject matter

Matthew Flinders’ 1801–1803 circumnavigation of Australia in H.M.S. Investigator has become a fabled narrative. Much less well-known are the achievements of Matthew’s youngest brother, Samuel Ward Flinders, whose skills in obtaining astronomical measurements to determine the expedition’s geographic longitudes were remarkable.

This book consolidates the widely scattered literature about Samuel’s life and achievements into the astronomer’s first modern biography. Samuel had to bear his own share of misfortunes and injustices, but they are balanced by his significant contribution to the scientific achievements of the voyage of the Investigator. This book contains a conclusive assessment as to whether his bad reputation is warranted by the historic record. This book will appeal to both academics and general audiences.

This book is accompanied by over 70 pages of online appendices (hosted under the Support Material tab on the Routledge website) including glossaries of key people, ships, nautical terms, and Indigenous place names. These downloadable resources also include further information on the H.M Ship Reliance, eyewitness accounts, and Samuel Flinders’ court martial.

Key features

Richard de Grijs received his M.Phil. (in Physics and Astronomy) as well as his Ph.D. from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. After completing his Ph.D. in Astrophysics in 1997, he held two postdoctoral positions, at the University of Virginia (USA) and the University of Cambridge (UK). In 2003, he obtained his first academic staff appointment, at the University of Sheffield (UK), and in 2009 he joined the Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at Peking University (China). Richard now hails from Sydney, Australia, where he joined Macquarie University’s Faculty of Science and Engineering as Associate Dean (Global Engagement) and professor of astronomy in March 2018. Since June 2023, he has also been the Executive Director of the International Space Science Institute–Beijing. Richard was awarded the 2012 Selby Award for excellence in science by the Australian Academy of Science, a 2017 Erskine Award from the University of Canterbury (New Zealand) and a 2017 Jan Michalski Award from the Michalski Foundation (Switzerland). His research interests include young, massive star clusters and their evolution, stellar variability and the astronomical distance scale, and the history of maritime navigation. His forays into the history of science and medicine led to a number of awards, including the 2022 Blacktown Mayoral History Prize and the 2021 Hella Mannheimer Award. He has thus far published two monographs in the history of science.

Matthew Flinders’ 1801–1803 circumnavigation of Australia in H.M.S. Investigator has become a fabled narrative. Much less well-known are the achievements of Matthew’s youngest brother, Samuel Ward Flinders, whose skills in obtaining astronomical measurements to determine the expedition’s geographic longitudes were remarkable.

This book consolidates the widely scattered literature about Samuel’s life and achievements into the astronomer’s first modern biography. Samuel had to bear his own share of misfortunes and injustices, but they are balanced by his significant contribution to the scientific achievements of the voyage of the Investigator. This book contains a conclusive assessment as to whether his bad reputation is warranted by the historic record. This book will appeal to both academics and general audiences.

This book is accompanied by over 70 pages of online appendices (hosted under the Support Material tab on the Routledge website) including glossaries of key people, ships, nautical terms, and Indigenous place names. These downloadable resources also include further information on the H.M Ship Reliance, eyewitness accounts, and Samuel Flinders’ court martial.

Key features

Richard de Grijs received his M.Phil. (in Physics and Astronomy) as well as his Ph.D. from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. After completing his Ph.D. in Astrophysics in 1997, he held two postdoctoral positions, at the University of Virginia (USA) and the University of Cambridge (UK). In 2003, he obtained his first academic staff appointment, at the University of Sheffield (UK), and in 2009 he joined the Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at Peking University (China). Richard now hails from Sydney, Australia, where he joined Macquarie University’s Faculty of Science and Engineering as Associate Dean (Global Engagement) and professor of astronomy in March 2018. Since June 2023, he has also been the Executive Director of the International Space Science Institute–Beijing. Richard was awarded the 2012 Selby Award for excellence in science by the Australian Academy of Science, a 2017 Erskine Award from the University of Canterbury (New Zealand) and a 2017 Jan Michalski Award from the Michalski Foundation (Switzerland). His research interests include young, massive star clusters and their evolution, stellar variability and the astronomical distance scale, and the history of maritime navigation. His forays into the history of science and medicine led to a number of awards, including the 2022 Blacktown Mayoral History Prize and the 2021 Hella Mannheimer Award. He has thus far published two monographs in the history of science.

Adopting a unique and engaging approach to the subject An Introduction to distance Measurement in Astronomy will take the reader on a journey from the solar neighbourhood to the edge of the Universe, discussing the range of distance measurements methods on the way.  The book will focus on the physical processes discussing properties that underlie each method, rather than just presenting a collection of techniques.

As well as providing the most compressive account of distance measurements to date, the book will use the common theme of distance measurement to impart basic concepts relevant to a wide variety of areas in astronomy/astrophysics.

The book will provide an updated account of the progress made in a large number of subfields in astrophysics, leading to improved distance estimates particularly focusing on the underlying physics.  Additionally it will illustrate the pitfalls in these areas and discuss the impact of the remaining uncertainties in the complete understanding of the Universes at large. As a result the book will not only provide a comprehensive study of distance measurement, but also include many recent advances in astrophysics.

Adopting a unique and engaging approach to the subject An Introduction to distance Measurement in Astronomy will take the reader on a journey from the solar neighbourhood to the edge of the Universe, discussing the range of distance measurements methods on the way.  The book will focus on the physical processes discussing properties that underlie each method, rather than just presenting a collection of techniques.

As well as providing the most compressive account of distance measurements to date, the book will use the common theme of distance measurement to impart basic concepts relevant to a wide variety of areas in astronomy/astrophysics.

The book will provide an updated account of the progress made in a large number of subfields in astrophysics, leading to improved distance estimates particularly focusing on the underlying physics.  Additionally it will illustrate the pitfalls in these areas and discuss the impact of the remaining uncertainties in the complete understanding of the Universes at large. As a result the book will not only provide a comprehensive study of distance measurement, but also include many recent advances in astrophysics.

Starbursts are important features of early galaxy evolution. Many of the distant, high-redshift galaxies we are able to detect are in a starbursting phase, often apparently provoked by a violent gravitational interaction with another galaxy. In fact, if we did not know that major starbursts existed, these conference proceedings testify that we would indeed have difficulties explaining the key properties of the Universe! These conference proceedings cover starbursts from the small-scale star-forming regions in nearby galaxies to galaxy-wide events at high redshifts; one of the major themes of the conference proved to be "scalability", i.e., can we scale up the small-scale events to describe the physics on larger scales. The key outcome of this meeting - and these proceedings - is a resounding "yes" to this fundamental, yet profound question. The enhanced synergy facilitated by the collaboration among observers using cutting-edge ground and space-based facilities, theorists and modellers has made these proceedings a true reflection of the state of the art in this very rapidly evolving field.

Starbursts are important features of early galaxy evolution. Many of the distant, high-redshift galaxies we are able to detect are in a starbursting phase, often apparently provoked by a violent gravitational interaction with another galaxy. In fact, if we did not know that major starbursts existed, these conference proceedings testify that we would indeed have difficulties explaining the key properties of the Universe! These conference proceedings cover starbursts from the small-scale star-forming regions in nearby galaxies to galaxy-wide events at high redshifts; one of the major themes of the conference proved to be "scalability", i.e., can we scale up the small-scale events to describe the physics on larger scales. The key outcome of this meeting – and these proceedings – is a resounding "yes" to this fundamental, yet profound question. The enhanced synergy facilitated by the collaboration among observers using cutting-edge ground and space-based facilities, theorists and modellers has made these proceedings a true reflection of the state of the art in this very rapidly evolving field.

This book describes William Dawes’ life and professional achievements. William Dawes was a British Marine serving as the official astronomer on board the First Fleet making the 1787–1788 voyage from Britain to the new colony of New South Wales. Between 1788 and 1791, Dawes established not one but two observatories within a kilometre of Sydney’s present-day city centre, a full seven decades before the construction of Sydney’s historical Observatory at Dawes’ Point, today a stone’s throw from the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Dawes’ life and professional achievements are closely linked to the earliest history of Sydney as a British settlement. He is often considered a man of high morals, and as such his interactions with the local populations in New South Wales, Sierra Leone and Antigua were mostly deemed respectful and above reproach. He is seen a truly enlightened individual, far ahead of his time.

The authors of this book have a significant track record of successful and engaging communication of complex concepts in physics and astronomy with experts and non-experts alike. This biography touches on numerous aspects related to 18th century maritime navigation (“sailing on the stars”), societal relationships, the exploration of newly discovered lands, as well as the early history of Sydney and New South Wales, and the colonial histories of Sierra Leone and the West Indies. As such, this book will appeal to a wide range of readers, from scholars in the history of science and maritime navigation, to history enthusiasts ranging from local historians on Australia’s eastern seaboard to members of the public with a keen interest in British colonial history.