Bedford Public Library

Seeing in the dark, how backyard stargazers are probing deep space and guarding Earth from interplanetary peril, Timothy Ferris

eng

illustrations

index present

non fiction

Seeing in the dark

bibliography

37084250413686

Timothy Ferris

how backyard stargazers are probing deep space and guarding Earth from interplanetary peril

Seeing in the Dark is a poetic love letter to the skies and a stirring report on the revolution now sweeping amateur astronomy, in which backyard stargazers linked globally by the Internet are exploring deep space and making discoveries worthy of the professionals. Timothy Ferris invites us all to become stargazers, recounting his lifelong experiences as an enthralled stargazer, and capturing the exquisite experience when ancient starlight strikes the eye and incites the mind. Reporting from around the globe -- from England and Italy to the Florida Keys and the Chilean Andes -- on the revolution that's putting millions in touch with the night sky, Ferris also offers an authoritative and magical description of what is out there to be seen, from the rings of Saturn to remote quasars whose light is older than Earth. Astronomy is the most accessible and democratic of all the sciences: Anyone can get started in it just by going outside with a star chart on a dark night and looking up. A pair of binoculars suffices to see galaxies millions of light-years away, and a small telescope can probe what Ferris calls the "blue waters" of deep space. An accessible, nontechnical invitation to get to know the sky, Seeing in the Dark encourages readers to make the glories of the stars a part of their lives. "The universe," Ferris writes, "is accessible to all, and can inform one's existence with a sense of beauty, reason, and awe as enriching as anything to be found in music, art, or poetry." An appendix includes star charts, observing guides, and tips on how you can get involved with the night sky

I: THE SHORE. From theobservatory log: A primate at dusk -- Beginnings -- Spaceflight -- The Ozone -- Standing watch: A visit with Mr. White Man -- Amateurs -- How much can you see? A visit with Stephen james O'Meara -- Professionals -- Pictureing the Universe: A visit with Jack Newton -- Rocky Hill -- Farsighted: A visit with Barbara WilsonII: BLUE WATER. The realm of the sun -- Rock music of the spheres: A talk with Brian May -- The morning and evening star -- Founding father: A visit with Patrick Moore -- Moon dance -- The telescope and the tomb: A visit with Percival Lowell -- Mars -- Light at the edge of darkness: A visit with James Turrell -- Stones from the sky -- Comet trails: A visit with David Levy -- Vermin of the skies -- The camer's eye: A visit with Don Parker -- Jupiter -- Storms on Saturn: A visit with Stuart Wilber -- The outer giants -- From the observatory log: Chimes at midnightIII: THE DEPTHS. The night sky -- Digital universe: A virtual visit to a robotic telescope -- The Milky Way -- Blues line: A visit with John Henry's ghost -- Galaxies -- Big science: A visit with Edgar O. Smith -- The dark ages -- From the observatory log: Minerva at dawnAPPENDIXES. Observing techniques -- Notabe periodic meteor showers -- Representative brigt stars -- Messier objects by season -- Planets and their satellites -- Further reading -- Star maps -- Notes -- Glassary -- Index

Seeing in the dark