Tom Van Holt - Stargazing: What to Look for in the Night Sky (Astronomy)
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Stargazing: What to Look for in the Night Sky (Astronomy)
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How to identify constellations, star formations, and comets, and use star patterns to establish direction and time. Explores legends behind constellations.
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Published by STACKPOLE BOOKS 5067 Ritter Road Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 www.stackpolebooks.com
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. All inquiries should be addressed to Stackpole Books, 5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 or the author, 100B Charning Cross Lane, Santa Rosa, CA 95401
Printed in the United States
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
First edition Cover design by Wendy Reynolds. Cover photograph of Comet Hyakutake by Robert Sandy.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Holt, Tom Van. Stargazing / Tom Van Holt. p. cm. ISBN 0-8117-2934-6 1. AstronomyObservers' manuals I. Title. QB64.H65 1999 520dc21 98-30713 CIP
Page iii
Contents
Acknowledgments
IV
Introduction
V
1. Rhythms and Patterns
1
2. Wanderers in the Sky
17
3. The Useful Universe
32
4. The Great Laboratory
49
5. The Constellations
60
6. The Future in the Sky
81
7. Simple Answers to Simple Questions
91
8. Observatories and Other Resources
101
Page iv
Acknowledgments
Thanks to Stephen Shawl, professor of astronomy at the University of Kansas, whose dedication to the mystery in the sky is matched only by his devotion to his students, among whom the author is proud to count himself.
To Greg Hardin, who gave far more than anyone had a right to askoutstanding!
To Jackie Wade, of the Astronomical Society of Kansas City, who would share the whole universe.
To Dave Lindsay, National Radio Astronomy Observatory; Patrick McCarthy, U.S. Naval Observatory; Rick Clements and Ann Hyde, Spencer Research Library; Bruce Bradley, Linda Hall Library; Norris Heatherington, University of California at Berkeley; and David Tracewell, illustrator, my cousin.
And to the Writer's Group, for encouragement, camaraderie, and great dinners.
Page v
Introduction
In this book you will find humor, outdoor survival techniques, mind-altering concepts, history, great discoveries, old-wives' tales, believe-it-or-not stories, and the forces of nature reduced to something not a whole lot more complex than what makes your washing machine spin. It is for people intrigued by the entire mystery of the sky above, of which science is only one part.
You will not find lots of numbers followed by lots of zeroes, involved discussions of things you'll never see that will make no difference in your life, and tedious instructions that you'll forget immediately. With few exceptions, everything in this book can be seen by a person with the naked eye just a few miles from city lights. It's point of view is that of people living in the Northern Hemisphere between latitudes 30 and 50 degrees, essentially between upper Mexico and lower Canada. The purpose of this book is to decisively confirm the beauty, mystery, and power every person feels when peering into the night sky.
Page 1
Rhythms and Patterns
There's a secret to understanding the sky at night. It won't be found within the inner mechanisms of a telescope nor within the hallowed hallways of higher learning. This secret is patience, the quiet magic needed to acquire any skill.
Learning about the sky at night is much more intimidating than learning to speak Spanish or build a chair of wood. Those pursuits have simple, tangible building blocks that bring one slowly toward mastery. With stargazing it's different. Your classroom has been moved outdoors; it has become the universe. It is a dynamic entity that changes through the year and by the hour and always lies far beyond reach.
The universe is a big place. There's no end to it and what can be learned about it. Though every man, woman, and child on Earth share the stars, only a fraction of a percent know anything about them. Yet nothing has had more impact on our lives than the simple act of people looking at the sky. "A person deprived of the broad outlines of astronomical knowledge is as culturally handicapped as one never exposed to history, literature, music or art."* Far from being the sacred preserve of academicians or cultural aesthetes, stargazing has been the premier skill of some of history's most daring individuals: discoverers, soldiers, magicians,
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