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What if Earth had several moons or massive rings like Saturn? What
if the Sun were but one star in a double-star or triple-star
system? What if Earth were the only planet circling the Sun? These
and other imaginative scenarios are the subject of Arthur Upgren's
inventive book Many Skies: Alternative Histories of the Sun, Moon,
Planets, and Stars. Although the night sky as we know it seems
eternal and inevitable, Upgren reminds us that, just as easily, it
could have been very different. Had the solar system happened to be
in the midst of a star cluster, we might have many more bright
stars in the sky. Yet had it been located beyond the edge of the
Milky Way galaxy, we might have no stars at all. If Venus or Mars
had a moon as large as ours, we would be able to view it easily
with the unaided eye. Given these or other alternative skies, what
might Ptolemy or Copernicus have concluded about the center of the
solar system and the Sun? This book not only examines the changes
in science that these alternative solar, stellar, and galactic
arrangements would have brought, it also explores the different
theologies, astrologies, and methods of tracking time that would
have developed to reflect them. Our perception of our surroundings,
the number of gods we worship, the symbols we use in art and
literature, even the way we form nations and empires are all
closely tied to our particular (and accidental) placement in the
universe. Many Skies, however, is not merely a fanciful play on
what might have been. Upgren also explores the actual ways that
human interference's such as light pollution are changing the night
sky. Our atmosphere, he warns, will appear very different if we
have a belt of debris circling the globe and blotting out the
stars, as will happen if advertisers one day pollute space with
brilliant satellites displaying their products. From fanciful to
foreboding, the scenarios in Many Skies will both delight and
inspire reflection, reminding us that ours is but one of many world
views based on our experience of a universe that is as much a
product of accident as it is of intention.
Scientists have delved deeply into the smallest particles of matter
and have extended their view to the far reaches of the universe,
but still seem unable to predict the temperature five days hence.
In this book, two scientists examine progress in the fields of
meteorology and climatology. Amid colourful anecdotes of the
Galpagos, Siberia, and places closer to home, they describe the
earth's atmosphere, its origin and structure, and the forces that
have shaped and continue to affect it. They explore temperature,
pressure, and other properties of air and weather, including warm
and cold fronts, highs and lows, clouds, trade winds, prevailing
westerlies, and sky phenomena such as rainbows, halos, coronae, and
sun dogs. The authors end with a discussion of the major threats to
earth's atmosphere brought on by human activity, including global
warming and ozone depletion, and argue that pure science - not
politics - should dictate our policy responses.
Do you sometimes wonder why the sky at dusk is filled with color,
or how the moon controls the tides? Why do stars twinkle and
planets don't? Filled with science and lore, with references to
myths, legends, and "high" and popular culture, this "naked-eye"
guide (no telescope required) demystifies the celestial in
accessible, instructive, and entertaining prose.Upgren tells us why
werewolves only come out at night and how to find Betelgeuse. He
discusses twilight, the seasons and their causes, our solar system,
light and darkness, weather, stars and latitude, the moon, light
pollution, and the planets. "Night Has a Thousand Eyes" is the
perfect resource for amateur astronomers and meteorologists of all
ages who pause to enjoy sunsets and identify constellations on a
starry night.
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