There are at least 48 identified prehistoric stone circles in Scotland. In truth, very little is known about the people who erected them, and ultimately about what the stone circles were for. Most stone circles are astronomically aligned, which has led to the modern debate about why the alignment was significant. The megaliths certainly represented an enormous co-operative effort, would at the very least have demonstrated power and wealth, and being set away from any dwellings probably served a ceremonial, or perhaps religious, purpose.
Observations at the site of the stone circles, of solar, lunar, and stellar events, have already cast light on some of the questions about the construction and use of ancient megalithic observatories.
In his capacity as manager of the Parks Department Astronomy Project, author Duncan Lunan designed and built the first astronomically aligned stone circle in Britain in over 3,000 years. 'The Stones and the Stars' examines the case for astronomical alignments of stone circles, and charts the development of a fascinating project with a strong scientific and historical background. The work was documented in detail by the artist and photographer Gavin Roberts, and this archive has been added to since - so an appropriate selection of illustrations will bring the project vividly to life."

Incoming Asteroid is based on a project within ASTRA (the Association in Scotland to Research into Astronautics) to provide scientific answers to the question what would we do if we knew there was going to be an asteroid impact in ten years time or less?
Clearly there are many things humanity can do nothing about, for example an unseen object traveling towards us so fast that we have no time to prepare, or an object so large it may be unstoppable. A realistic hazard model was decided upon, and the scenario developed from that: an incoming object about 1 kilometer in diameter, in an orbit ranging from the outer rim of the Asteroid Belt to within that of Earth s.
Three basic possibilities are considered in this book. The first is the deflection of the asteroid, using remote probes along with a number of possible technologies to change the asteroid s course. Second is the attempt of a manned mission, in order to plant a propulsion system on the asteroid to push it into a different orbit. Third is the nuclear option, a last-ditch attempt to break up and then disperse the asteroid using nuclear weapons. (A rather impractical combination of these second and third options were used as the plot of the popular 1998 Bruce Willis feature film, Armageddon.)
Although the cost of developing the technology needed to protect the Earth would be substantial, there would certainly be spin-off benefits. These could eventually result in practical small-scale atomic energy sources, new propulsion systems that could make extraterrestrial mining within the solar system a possibility, and other as-yet unforeseen benefits.

And finally, Incoming Asteroid considers the political implications - how governments across the world should best react to the threat with a view to minimizing loss of life, and in the weeks running up to the possible impact, preventing panic in the population."

In the late 12th century, two very strange children came out of an ancient earthwork at the village of Woolpit in East Anglia. They wore clothes of a colour and material never seen before, spoke a language nobody recognised, and were coloured green all over. Later, when they had learned 'our manner of speaking', and lost their green colour, they described a homeland which was no place on Earth. The boy died within a year, but the girl grew up and married. Is this a fairy story, or were the children runaways from some primitive tribe? In the 17th century Robert Burton included them in the astronomy section of The Anatomy of Melancholy, suggesting that they came from another world. Could it be true? Duncan Lunan has located the places in the story and traced the people, who turn out to be real, though mysterious, and very highly connected. The incident at Woolpit was one of a series at linked sites, and seems to have been anticipated by the authorities of the time. Lunan traces the green girl, traces her descendants to the present day, and investigates strange things happening in the sky and other events relating to her 'arrival'. It suggests that in mediaeval times there might have been mass abductions from Earth, by extraterrestrials, for experimental purposes, with the knowledge if not the agreement of some of the terrestrial authorities - if so, Lunan suggests, "The X-Files are set in the wrong century."