Lights in the Sky (eBook)

Identifying and Understanding Astronomical and Meteorological Phenomena

Michael Maunder (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF

2007 | 2007
XV, 227 Seiten
Springer London (Verlag)
978-1-84628-761-9 (ISBN)

Infos

Many lights and other objects in the sky go unrecognised, or at least are little understood by those observing them. Such things range from the commonplace like rainbows and meteors, to the distinctly unusual like the green flash and ball lightning. And there is still a residuum of objects that remain unidentified by the watcher - classed generally as 'UFOs', a description which today has connotations of the mysterious, even of extraterrestrial visitors.

The first part of this book is an identification guide, very much like the 'plant identifier' sections found in a good gardening or botany book. It allows quick (and structured) identification of known aerial phenomena, whether at night or during the day. The objects thus found are referenced to the second part of the book...

The second part gives a full description, physical explanation, and where relevant notes on observing and photographing the various phenomena. Some will need optical aids such as binoculars or telescopes, but the main thrust of the book is identification and explanation rather than imaging.

The final chapter approaches UFOs from a scientific standpoint, particularly the way in which human perception and often preconception affects the outcome. It does however finish with a short section on 'extraterrestrial UFOs', emphasising the burden of proof aspect and touching on the scientific theories of life on other worlds and the improbability of visitors.

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Many lights and other objects in the sky go unrecognised, or at least are little understood by those observing them. Such things range from the commonplace like rainbows and meteors, to the distinctly unusual like the green flash and ball lightning. And there is still a residuum of objects that remain unidentified by the watcher - classed generally as 'UFOs', a description which today has connotations of the mysterious, even of extraterrestrial visitors.The first part of this book is an identification guide, very much like the "e;plant identifier"e; sections found in a good gardening or botany book. It allows quick (and structured) identification of known aerial phenomena, whether at night or during the day. The objects thus found are referenced to the second part of the book.The second part gives a full description, physical explanation, and where relevant notes on observing and photographing the various phenomena. Some will need optical aids such as binoculars or telescopes, but the main thrust of the book is identification and explanation rather than imaging.The final chapter approaches UFOs from a scientific standpoint, particularly the way in which human perception and often preconception affects the outcome. It does however finish with a short section on "e;extraterrestrial UFOs"e;, emphasising the burden of proof aspect and touching on the scientific theories of life on other worlds and the improbability of visitors.

Inhalt

PART 1 - IDENTIFIER

Daylight
Diffuse phenomena
Point Sources

Dawn and Dusk
Diffuse phenomena
Point Sources

Night
Diffuse phenomena
Point Sources

PART 2 - ASTRONOMICAL AND METEOROLOGICAL PHENOMENA

Dawn: Zodiacal light Season for pre-dawn sighting
Red sky, Shepherd's warning
Crepuscular rays
Other dawn phenomena

Daylight: Haloes and coronas also detached arcs
Sundogs and mock suns (a special case of a halo)
Iridescence
Glories
Heiligenschein
Rainbows & fogbows

Dusk: Zodiacal light Season for twilight sightings
Red sky Shepherd's delight
Solar pillars
Green flash
Spectre of the Brocken
Mother of pearl clouds
Volcanic dust ( Krakatoa 1888, via El Chicon 1981 to Pinatubo 1990)
Other dust:
Bishop's ring, green & blue suns

Night: Light pollution
Milky Way
Messier objects
Caldwell objects
Gegenschein
Lunar haloes
Lunar rainbows
Aurorae
Nacreous clouds
Noctilucent clouds
Meteors
Other phenomena: marsh gas, fireflies &c

Anytime: Lightning,
Ball lightning

UFOs: Human perception
Mistaken identities
Astronomical and meteorological
Man-made
Extraterrestrial visitors?
Burden of proof
The Fermi paradox
Further Reading

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 28.9.2007
• Reihe/Serie: The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series
• Reihe/Serie: The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series
• Zusatzinfo: XV, 227 p.
• Verlagsort: London
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Natur / Technik ► Weltraum / Astronomie
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Astronomie / Astrophysik
• Themenwelt: Technik
• Schlagworte: ball lightning • Cloud • Extraterrestrial • green flash • haloes • Lightning • meteorology • noctilucent clouds • Rain • rainbows • sundogs • UFOs • Weather phenomena
• ISBN-10: 1-84628-761-8 / 1846287618
• ISBN-13: 978-1-84628-761-9 / 9781846287619