Stars Above, Earth Below (eBook)

A Guide to Astronomy in the National Parks

Tyler Nordgren (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF

2011 | 2010
XII, 444 Seiten
Praxis (Verlag)
978-1-4419-1649-5 (ISBN)

Infos

Stars Above, Earth Below uses photographs and sky charts to form a connection between what is seen on the ground and in the sky, and looks at the deeper scientific meaning behind these sights.  Nordgren describes other objects in the Solar System with features similar to those on Earth and links the geological features seen in the national parks to the very latest NASA spacecraft discoveries on other planets and their moons.  Additionally, historical context is discussed to show why we humans (who have lived in and around our national parts for tens of thousands of years) have always been astronomers.

• The first book to make direct connections between astronomy and the landscapes, processes and cultures one experiences in the US National Parks
• Each chapter ties a specific astronomical phenomenon to a particular National Park or type of park and concludes with a 'See for yourself' section that shows you how to see the planets, stars, nebulae, moons, etc. that are described within that chapter
• A personal guide showing the reader the astronomical phenomena that you can see for yourself when visiting the U.S. National Parks

Dr. Nordgren is an Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Redlands. As an observational astronomer he has written over two dozen peer-reviewed papers on pulsars, the interstellar medium, star formation in galaxies, the distribution of dark matter in galaxies, and the atmospheres and pulsation of red giant stars. In addition, he has professional interests in archaeoastronomy, light pollution and science education. These interests were developed during positions held as an astronomer at the U.S. Naval Observatory and then Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff Arizona. Both institutions have worked diligently and successfully with local governments to establish light pollution ordinances. Dr. Nordgren has designed and built sundials, including a two-story dial at the University of Redlands, and is one of seven scientists and artists that turned the NASA Mars Exploration Rover camera calibration targets into working Martian sundials. These Marsdials have become the most photographed objects of the Spirit and Opportunity Rover mission. In addition, while at the U.S. Naval Observatory and later University of Redlands, he worked with NPS park managers at Wupatki National Monument and Chaco Culture National Historic Park to photograph alignments of ancestral Puebloan kivas with respect to the North Star. In 2005 Dr. Nordgren began working with Chad Moore, leader of the National Park Service Night Sky Team who has developed a method of quantifying the amount of light pollution in the skies above the national parks. With his support, Dr. Nordgren is working with the U.S. National Park Service to spend his sabbatical during the 2007-2008 academic school year in the national parks writing the remainder of the book.

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Stars Above, Earth Below uses photographs and sky charts to form a connection between what is seen on the ground and in the sky, and looks at the deeper scientific meaning behind these sights. Nordgren describes other objects in the Solar System with features similar to those on Earth and links the geological features seen in the national parks to the very latest NASA spacecraft discoveries on other planets and their moons. Additionally, historical context is discussed to show why we humans (who have lived in and around our national parts for tens of thousands of years) have always been astronomers.The first book to make direct connections between astronomy and the landscapes, processes and cultures one experiences in the US National ParksEach chapter ties a specific astronomical phenomenon to a particular National Park or type of park and concludes with a "e;See for yourself"e; section that shows you how to see the planets, stars, nebulae, moons, etc. that are described within that chapterA personal guide showing the reader the astronomical phenomena that you can see for yourself when visiting the U.S. National Parks

Inhalt

Title Page 
2 
Copyright Page 
3 
Table of Contents 
4 
Preface 
6 
Acknowledgments 
8 
How to use this book 
9 
1 Come see the Milky Way 
11 
See for yourself: our Galaxy 
38 
Binoculars 
38 
Scorpius and Antares 
38 
Sagittarius and the heart of the Milky Way 
39 
The Lagoon Nebula (Messier 8 or M8) 
39 
The Summer Triangle 
39 
The Milky Way 
42 
The globular cluster in Hercules (Messier 13 or M13) 
42 
The North Galactic Pole 
42 
Further reading 
43 
2 Black hole Sun 
45 
See for yourself: eclipses of the Sun, Moon and satellites 
74 
Viewing a solar eclipse (safely) 
74 
Orbiting spacecraft 
74 
Further reading 
78 
3 Tides on a cosmic shore 
79 
See for yourself: moons, planets, stars and galaxies 
109 
Jupiter and its moons 
109 
Algol - the Demon Star 
109 
Beta Lyrae 112
The Moon 
112 
Mira - the Wonderful Star 
112 
M51 - the Whirlpool Galaxy 
113 
Further reading 
113 
4 Worlds of fire and ice 
115 
See for yourself: the Solar System 
151 
Model Solar System 
151 
Observing Jupiter's moons through binoculars 
154 
Observing Saturn through binoculars 
155 
Further reading 
156 
5 Red rock planet 
157 
See for yourself: Mars 
193 
Mars at opposition 
193 
Martian surface 
194 
Further reading 
196 
6 Glaciers and Goldilocks: a tale of three planets 
197 
See for yourself: greenhouse planets 
232 
Venus in evening and morning 
232 
Transit of Venus 
234 
Grinnell Glacier repeat photography, 1900-2007 
235 
Further reading 
236 
7 Autumn Moon 
237 
See for yourself 
276 
Moon phases 276
Moon features through binoculars or 'scope 
276 
Meteor showers 
276 
Further reading 
280 
8 Our cosmic connection 
281 
See for Yourself: The Stars 
321 
Personal Chaco solar calendar 
321 
Color and temperatures of stars 
321 
Stellar evolution in a single night 
324 
Further reading 
326 
9 Worlds without number 
327 
See for yourself: other stars with planets 
362 
'See' an extrasolar planet 
362 
Further reading 
366 
10 Far away and long ago: the Universe before you 
367 
See for yourself: powers of 10 through the Universe 
400 
Further reading 
405 
11 Starry sky national park 
407 
See for yourself: light pollution 
440 
Sky Quality Meter: http://unihedron.com/projects/darksky/ 
440 
The United States at night 
440 
Astronomical phenomena: zodiacal light 
441 
Gegenschein 
441 
M33 
441 
The Globe at Night: http://www.globe.gov/globeatnight/ 
444 
Do for yourself 
444 
Enjoy the night 
444 
Cover a flashlight 
444 
Shield your lights 
444 
Use light only when needed 
445 
Use less light 
445 
Talk to your neighbors 
445 
Build support for a community light ordinance 
445 
Further reading 
445 
Index 
447 

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 28.1.2011
• Reihe/Serie: Popular Astronomy
• Reihe/Serie: Popular Astronomy
• Reihe/Serie: Springer Praxis Books
• Reihe/Serie: Springer Praxis Books
• Zusatzinfo: XII, 444 p.
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Natur / Technik ► Weltraum / Astronomie
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Geowissenschaften ► Geologie
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Astronomie / Astrophysik
• Themenwelt: Technik
• Schlagworte: Astronomy • earth • milky way • Planet • Popular Astronomy • Solar System • Stars
• ISBN-10: 1-4419-1649-0 / 1441916490
• ISBN-13: 978-1-4419-1649-5 / 9781441916495