Astronomy and Cosmogony was published by Cambridge University Press in 1928, and it represents Jeans’s last major technical work before he devoted himself primarily to popular science. The book surveys the state of astrophysical knowledge — stellar structure, stellar evolution, the nature of nebulae, and the origin of the solar system — from the perspective of a mathematical physicist rather than an observational astronomer.
Jeans’s most controversial contribution was his “tidal theory” of planetary formation: the hypothesis that the planets were formed when a passing star raised enormous tides on the Sun, pulling out material that condensed into the planets. This theory (developed in collaboration with Harold Jeffreys) was widely discussed but eventually superseded by the revival of the nebular hypothesis in modified form. Despite its ultimate rejection, the tidal theory stimulated productive debate about planetary formation that advanced the field.
The book’s treatment of stellar structure and stellar evolution was more enduring: Jeans’s mathematical approach to the physics of stars — their energy sources, their stability, their life cycles — contributed to the understanding of stellar astrophysics that would culminate in the work of Eddington and Chandrasekhar.
Collecting Astronomy and Cosmogony
First edition (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1928): Cloth binding.
Market values:
- First edition: $40–$100
- Second edition (1929): $25–$60