Best of
Astronomy

1985

The Soul of the Night: An Astronomical Pilgrimage


Chet Raymo - 1985
    Ranging through the stars and the myths humans have told about them for millennia, Raymo delves into "a pilgrimage in quest of the soul of the night." Chet Raymo's elegant essays link the mysterious phenomena of the night sky with the human mind and spirit, as he ranges through the realms of mythology, literature, religion, history, and anthropology. Originally published two decades ago, The Soul of the Night is a classic work that is a must for those interested in the relationship between science and faith.

Comet


Carl Sagan - 1985
    Pulitzer Prize-winning astronomer Carl Sagan, author of Cosmos and Contact, and writer Ann Druyan explore the origin, nature, and future of comets, and the exotic myths and portents attached to them. The authors show how comets have spurred some of the great discoveries in the history of science and raise intriguing questions about these brilliant visitors from the interstellar dark.Were the fates of the dinosaurs and the origins of humans tied to the wanderings of a comet? Are comets the building blocks from which worlds are formed?Lavishly illustrated with photographs and specially commissioned full-color paintings, Comet is an enthralling adventure, indispensable for anyone who has ever gazed up at the heavens and wondered why."SIMPLY THE BEST." *The Times of London"FASCINATING, EVOCATIVE, INSPIRING." *The Washington Post"COMET HUMANIZES SCIENCE. A BEAUTIFUL, INTERESTING BOOK." *United Press International"MASTERFUL . . . SCIENCE, POETRY, AND IMAGINATION." *The Atlanta Journal & Constitution

Build Your Own Telescope


Richard Berry - 1985
    In addition to photos and commentary, the calendar provides monthly star charts to help observers note the night-sky changes throughout the year. Images are courtesy of Gemini Observatory, Chandra X-Ray Observatory, NASA/University of Massachusetts, D. Wang, NASA/NEAR (Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous missoin), European Space Agency/Infrared Space Observatory Mission, CAM, ISOGAL Team, NASA/ESA, Cassini Mission, NASA, NASA/Space Telescope Science Institute, NASA/Malin Space Science Systems, and European Southern Observatory. Photos were also taken by the author and other talented stargazers. Notes: This calendar is created by Richard Berry, former editor-in-chief of Astronomy and Telescope Making magazines. Richard holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in astronomy, and now works full-time writing books about the stars. Pictured are: JAN Galaxy M74, Galactic Center in X-Rays FEB Apollo 9 Spacewalk, Asteroid Eros MAR Peering into the Pillars of Creation, Warm Dust in the Eagle Nebula APR Io over the Jovian Clouds, Jupiter Crescent with Io MAY Hubble over the Earth, Hubble Repairs JUN The Mice, The Tadpole JUL Apollo 16 at Descartes, Collecting Lunar Rock Samples AUG Starbirth in Sharpless 106, NGC 1999 SEP M63 Galaxy, Omega Nebula OCT Viking Lander 2, Mars in True Color NOV The Blue Cave, Nebula in Corona Australis DEC The Cone Nebula, Herbig-Haro Object #34

Night Sky


Ian Ridpath - 1985
    Full details given of the magnitude, brightness and distance of the stars. Includes a star atlas of the entire sky.

Masks of the Universe: Changing Ideas on the Nature of the Cosmos


Edward Harrison - 1985
    Philosophical issues dominated cosmology in the ancient world. Theological issues ranked foremost in the Middle Ages; astronomy and the physical sciences have taken over in more recent times. Yet every attempt to grasp the true nature of the universe creates a new mask, People have always pitied the universes of their ancestors, believing that their generation has at last discovered the real universe. Do we now stand at the threshold of knowing everything, or have we created yet another mask, doomed to fade like those preceding ours? Edward Harrison is Adjunct Professor of Astronomy, Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, and Emeritus Professor of Physics and Astronomy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He worked as a scientist for the Atomic Energy Research Establishment and the Rutherford High Energy Laboratory in England until 1966 when he became a Five College professor at the University of Massachusetts and taught at Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith College. He is the author of numerous books, including Cosmology: the Science of the Universe (Cambridge, 2001)

The Cambridge Atlas of Astronomy


Jean Audouze - 1985
    Its 130 articles written by experts form an absorbing panorama of information arranged by topic. Almost every page of the Atlas is richly illustrated with colour photographs, maps, and detailed diagrams. This reference book commences with a survey of the Sun and the solar system, followed by the stars and the Galaxy, and concludes with the extragalactic universe and cosmology. For this edition there are entirely new sections on the planets Venus, Neptune and Pluto, solar system debris, black holes and collapsed stars, active galaxies, galaxy clusters and cosmology. Many photographs have been replaced by improved images from modern telescopes, including the Hubble Space Telescope. An elaborate 24-page glossary and index has been added to increase the ease with which this sumptuous and lavish encyclopedia can be used for quick reference. There are substantial changes throughout the section on the Solar System. The material on Venus is re-written, to take account of the spectacular Magellan mission. The Mars chapter now includes the Phobos results. In the outer solar system new results on the satellites of Jupiter and Saturn are included, as well as new photographs from the Hubble Space Telescope. There is also a new chapter on planetary climate change. The section on stars and the Galaxy now includes chapters on astrometry and protoplanetary systems, as well as many modifications to the existing texts on evolved stars.

The Science Digest Book of Halley's Comet


John Tullius - 1985
    Now it's coming again--to send shivers of delight and fear through all on Earth. Scientists around the world are preparing for the biggest coordinated space effort ever undertaken to study a celestial object, but the dazzling cosmic visitor with its breathtaking size and brilliant tail will be easily observed from Earth even without a telescope. It will be a memory to treasure and tell children and grandchildren about for decades to come.Now, Science Digest brings you this easy-to-read, authoritative souvenir guide book filled with fascinating facts about the famous comet that makes an appearance only every 75 years. It explains what comets are, how they differ from each other and other heavenly bodies, and their colorful roles in Earth's history as harbingers of mystical calamities and real catastrophes, as well as battles royal among the world's scientists.Plus. . .*Past visits by Halley's Comet--eyewitness accounts, myths, and magic*What would happen if a comet hit the Earth*What space missions hope to learn from Halley's Comet