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A Popular Guide to the Heavens
  • Robert Stawell Ball
  • Published online:
    05 March 2014
    Print publication:
    19 September 2013
  • A talented mathematician trained at Trinity College, Dublin, Sir Robert Stawell Ball (1840–1913) was best known in the early twentieth century for his immensely popular books on astronomy. He also gave the Royal Institution's Christmas Lectures on five occasions. First published in 1905, this concise guide to the basics of astronomy assumes almost no prior knowledge of the subject. Beginning with simple phenomena such as the seasons and the effects of atmospheric refraction, Ball expands quickly into month-by-month indexes of the night sky, star charts, and explanations of some of the lesser-known stellar and solar features, from the paths of sunspots to details of the major nebulae. Including over eighty pages of meticulous charts and illustrations, his book remains an excellent resource for students in the history of science, and interested laypeople. Also reissued in this series are The Story of the Heavens (1885) and Star-Land (1889), alongside Ball's more technical Treatise on Spherical Astronomy (1908).

A Treatise on Spherical Astronomy
  • Robert Stawell Ball
  • Published online:
    05 March 2014
    Print publication:
    22 August 2013
    First published in:
    1908
  • Spherical or positional astronomy is used primarily to map objects on the celestial sphere. In this technical work, first published in 1908 and intended for advanced students, Sir Robert Stawell Ball (1840–1913) breaks down the field into distinct areas of study. Assuming a good level of geometry and trigonometry, he begins with fundamental formulae before moving into the determination of coordinates, atmospheric refraction, the theory of cartography, and more. Each section contains exercises derived from a variety of sources, including contemporary Cambridge examinations. The coverage ranges from the calculation of stellar parallax to the geometrical principles behind the Mercator projection. Testifying to the knowledge expected of university students in the early twentieth century, Ball's book remains instructive to their modern counterparts. More accessible to the general reader, The Story of the Heavens (1885), Star-Land (1889) and A Popular Guide to the Heavens (1905) are also reissued in this series.

Star-Land
  • Being Talks with Young People about the Wonders of the Heavens
  • Robert Stawell Ball
  • Published online:
    01 June 2011
    Print publication:
    03 June 2010
    First published in:
    1889
  • Sir Robert Stawell Ball's Star-Land of 1889 is based on some of his Christmas Lectures at the Royal Institution during his time as royal astronomer of Ireland, a post he held from 1874 to 1892. These lectures were aimed at a young audience in order to introduce them to the subject, and fire their interest in the wonders of the universe. This volume includes lectures on the sun, the moon, the inner and giant planets, comets and shooting stars, and stars. It also contains a chapter on the observation and naming of stars. Ball was a renowned public lecturer, with commissions across Britain, Ireland and the United States, where his anecdotal and conversational style won him much popularity. The author of several frequently reprinted science books, he was knighted in 1886 and in 1892 became Lowendean professor of astronomy at Cambridge and the director of the university observatory.

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