1st Edition

From Galaxies to Turbines Science, Technology and the Parsons Family

By W.G.S Scaife Copyright 1999
    596 Pages
    by CRC Press

    596 Pages
    by CRC Press

    From Galaxies to Turbines: Science, Technology and the Parsons Family looks at the way science and industry relate to each other, and at the way social attitudes affect this relationship. An expert on the Parsons Family, the author beautifully illustrates this by tracing the story of the remarkable endeavors of the Parsons family during the 125 years that embraced their lives in Ireland and Great Britain during the developing Industrial Revolution.

    The father of the family, William Parsons, Earl of Rosse, discovered the Spiral Nebulae at his observatory in Ireland and displayed an unusual familiarity with engineering principles in the building of his two giant telescopes. His son, Charles, was at the forefront of the new age of technology among shipbuilders and engineers in the northeast coast of England.

    Lavishly illustrated throughout, with a handy family tree and map of the River Tyne pin-pointing key historic events, this is a highly accessible and fascinating account for the general reader interested in the way scientific knowledge and industrial application have slowly emerged in recent history.

    The Inventions Exhibition in London 1885. An Elizabethan Settler Family. Interest in Astronomy. Engineering a Giant Telescope. Scientific Achievement. The Family after the death of the 3rd Earl. The Parsons Brothers Enter Manufacturing Industry. A Practical Steam Turbine. Clarke-Chapman and Parsons, Partners. A New Start. A Marine Prototype. Obstacles Overcome. Turbine Blades and Propellers. Competitors and Licensees. Marine Applications. Technical Developments. Heaton Works Comes of Age. Aftermath of War. Other Inventive Endeavors. Optical Industries. Autumn of Life. An Assessment.

    Biography

    Scaife, W.G.S