Overview

This is the biography of Ruby Payne-Scott (1912 to 1981). As the first female radio astronomer (and one of the first people in the world to consider radio astronomy), she made classic contributions to solar radio physics. She also played a major role in the design of the Australian government's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research radars, which were in turn of vital importance in the Southwest Pacific Theatre in World War II and were used by Australian, US and New Zealand personnel. From a sociological perspective, her career also offers many examples of the perils of being a female academic in the first half of the 20th century. Written in an engaging style and complemented by many historical photographs this book gives a fascinating insight into the beginning of radio astronomy and the role of a pioneering woman in astronomy.

Full Product Details

Author:   W. M. Goss ,  Richard McGee
Publisher:   Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. KG
Imprint:   Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. K
Edition:   1st ed. 2010. Corr. 3rd printing 2010
Volume:   No. 363
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 2.20cm , Length: 23.40cm
Weight:   0.706kg
ISBN:  

9783642031403

ISBN 10:   3642031404
Pages:   378
Publication Date:   01 October 2009
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Foreword.- Preface.- Chapter 1 Introduction - the Life of Ruby Violet Payne-Scott -28 May 1912 (Grafton NSW, Australia) to 25 May 1981 (Sydney Australia).- Chapter 2 Ruby Payne-Scott - the Early Years: 1912-1938, Ancestors, Childhood, Secondary School and Sydney University.- Chapter 3 Woodlands Church of England Girls' Grammar School, Glenelg (Adelaide).- Chapter 4 Personnel File from CSIR/CSIRO.- Chapter 5 War Time Research by Payne-Scott at RPL.- Chapter 6 Payne-Scott - the first woman radio astronomer and the transition to peacetime - 1944-1945.- Chapter 7 Payne-Scott at Dover Heights 1945-1947 - Discovery of Type I, II and III Solar Bursts and the Introduction of Fourier Synthesis in Astronomy.- Chapter 8 Hornsby 1948 - Type III Bursts Revealed; Conflicts with Bolton.- Chapter 9 Payne-Scott at Potts Hill, 1949-1951 - Movies of the outward motions of solar outbursts with the Swept-Lobe Interferometer.- Chapter 10 Payne-Scott and URSI, 1952 - her last experience as a radio astronomer.- Chapter 11 Reminiscences and Anecdotes of Ruby Payne-Scott as told by Friends and Colleagues.- Chapter 12 A Remarkable Family: Bill and Ruby Hall.- Chapter 13 Payne-Scott, Communist Party of Australia, Commonwealth Investigation Service and Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.- CHAPTER 14 Danebank School 1963-1974; the Ruby Payne-Scott Lectures. Chapter 15 The End of Payne-Scott's Life - A Retrospective.- Chapter 16 Epilogue - Why did we write this book ?.- Appendices.

Reviews

From the reviews: This is a beautifully-researched, copiously-illustrated and well-written book that tells us much more than the life of one amazing female radio astronomer. It also provides a profile on radar developments during WWII and on Australia's pre-eminent place in solar radio astronomy in the years following WWII. Under the Radar is compelling reading, and if you have taken the time to read right through this review then it certainly belongs on your bookshelf! (Wayne Orchiston, Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, March, 2010) Under the Radar is a technically thorough biography of Ruby Payne-Scott, who had a remarkable career as a radio astronomer in Australia. ! Goss (National Radio Astronomy Observatory, New Mexico) and McGee (CSIRO, Australia) are also radio astronomers. ! Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty, and professionals. (M. Dickinson, Choice, Vol. 47 (9), May, 2010) This detailed biography of Ruby Payne-Scott ! one of the early pioneers in Sydney, is a welcome and scholarly addition to this growing body of work. ! written in a style that would probably appeal more to radio astronomers with an interest in history ! . The book concludes with a lengthy Appendix divided into fourteen sections covering a diverse range of subjects ! . (Peter Robertson, Historical Records of Australian Science, Vol. 22 (2), 2011)

From the reviews: This is a beautifully-researched, copiously-illustrated and well-written book that tells us much more than the life of one amazing female radio astronomer. It also provides a profile on radar developments during WWII and on Australia's pre-eminent place in solar radio astronomy in the years following WWII. Under the Radar is compelling reading, and if you have taken the time to read right through this review then it certainly belongs on your bookshelf! (Wayne Orchiston, Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, March, 2010) Under the Radar is a technically thorough biography of Ruby Payne-Scott, who had a remarkable career as a radio astronomer in Australia. ! Goss (National Radio Astronomy Observatory, New Mexico) and McGee (CSIRO, Australia) are also radio astronomers. ! Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty, and professionals. (M. Dickinson, Choice, Vol. 47 (9), May, 2010)

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