Frustrations, wrangles and difficulties make good stories. So, Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope, 1820-1831 by Dick Warner and Niall Fallon (Kluwer Academic Publishers Group, £75/$119, ISBN 0 7923 3527 9) is far from dull. Much of its attraction lies in its extracts from contemporary and forthright documents, for instance, criticising the faulty construction of the domes, “We might as well expect that a Tea cup inverted on a violin cello would be free from vibration.� An enjoyable surprise.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
91É«Ç鯬
Less than 4 minutes of vigorous exercise a day could halve your dementia risk
News
91É«Ç鯬
Parkinson’s may be driven by ‘vicious cycle’ that disrupts brain waste drainage
News
Space
Hubble Space Telescope is falling to Earth – should NASA save it?
News
Space
A robot called GIMLI will explore a lunar cave for a future moon base
91É«Ç鯬
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles