Download or read book Weird Astronomy written by David A.J. Seargent and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2010-09-24 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Weird Astronomy appeals to all who are interested in unusual celestial phenomena, whether they be amateur or professional astronomers or science buffs who just enjoy reading of odd coincidences, unexplained observations, and reports from space probes that "don’t quite fit." This book relates a variety of "unusual" astronomical observations – unusual in the sense of refusing to fit easily into accepted thinking, or unusual in the observation having been made under difficult or extreme circumstances. Although some of the topics covered are instances of "bad astronomy," most are not. Some of the observations recorded here have actually turned out to be important scientific breakthroughs. Included are some amusing anecdotes (such as the incident involving "potassium flares" in ordinary stars and the story of Abba 1, the solar system’s own flare star!), but the book’s purpose is not to ridicule those who report anomalous observations, nor is it to challenge scientific orthodoxy. It is more to demonstrate how what's "weird" often turns out to be far more significant than observations of what we expect to see.
Download or read book Weird Universe written by David A. J. Seargent and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-10-10 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As new discoveries complicate the scientific picture of the universe, the evolving theories about the nature of space and time and the origins and fate of the universe threaten to become overwhelming. Enter David Seargent. Continuing the author's series of books popularizing strange astronomy facts and knowledge, Weird Universe explains the bizarre, complicated terrain of modern cosmology for lay readers. From exploring some of the strange consequences of the theories of special and general relativity, to probing time dilation and the twin and mother-and-baby “paradoxes” and the theory that the universe can be mathematically considered as a hologram, all of the latest findings and conjectures are clearly described in non-technical language. The development of quantum physics and the more recent developments of string and M-theory are looked at, in addition to several hypotheses that have not won wide acceptance from the scientific community, such as modified gravity. Enter the wonderfully weird world of these theories and gain a new appreciation for the latest findings in cosmological research.
Download or read book Janice VanCleave s Wild Wacky and Weird Astronomy Experiments written by Janice VanCleave and published by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. This book was released on 2016-07-15 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a series of fun and involving hands-on astronomy experiments, kids learn how distance from the sun affects atmospheric temperature, why the Earth is called the “Blue Planet,” why Jupiter’s ring shines, and how to reproduce Mars’ red soil and Jupiter’s stormy red spot. They will also determine why radio wave receivers are curved, how radio waves are sent around the Earth via satellite, how satellites enter into orbit, and how rockets achieve escape velocity. Featuring color illustrations and safe, simple step-by-step instructions, Janice VanCleave again shows just how much fun science can be.
Download or read book More of Janice VanCleave s Wild Wacky and Weird Astronomy Experiments written by Janice VanCleave and published by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. This book was released on 2016-12-15 with total page 65 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a series of fun and involving hands-on astronomy experiments, kids learn how distance from the sun affects atmospheric temperature, why the Earth is called the “Blue Planet,” why Jupiter’s ring shines, and how to reproduce Mars’ red soil and Jupiter’s stormy red spot. They will also determine why radio wave receivers are curved, how radio waves are sent around the Earth via satellite, how satellites enter into orbit, and how rockets achieve escape velocity. Featuring color illustrations and safe, simple step-by-step instructions, Janice VanCleave again shows just how much fun science can be.
Download or read book Many More of Janice VanCleave s Wild Wacky and Weird Astronomy Experiments written by Janice VanCleave and published by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. This book was released on 2017-12-15 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a series of fun and involving hands-on astronomy experiments, kids learn how the Sun's rays affect the visibility of Venus, determine the difference between local sun time and clock time, and observe and chart the phases of the Moon. They will also demonstrate why only one side of the Moon is visible from the Earth, make a model of the celestial sphere, and create a model of a multistage rocket. Featuring color illustrations and safe, simple step-by-step instructions, Janice VanCleave shows just how much fun science can be.
Download or read book Even More of Janice VanCleave s Wild Wacky and Weird Astronomy Experiments written by Janice VanCleave and published by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. This book was released on 2017-07-15 with total page 65 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a series of fun and involving hands-on astronomy experiments, kids learn how gravity affects the movement of celestial bodies, why and how a satellite stays in orbit, how the Earth is protected from solar winds, why the stars seem to move in circles in the night sky, and how to safely observe the image of the Sun. They will also determine and demonstrate why the Sun�s center is more dense than its outer edge, why charged particles are attracted near the Earth�s poles, and how planetariums produce images of the night sky. Featuring color illustrations and safe, simple step-by-step instructions, Janice VanCleave again shows just how much fun science can be.
Download or read book Weird Weather written by David A. J. Seargent and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-03-02 with total page 373 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is, in a sense, a sequel to David Seargent's first Springer book Weird Astronomy (2010). Whereas Weird Astronomy extended over a broad range of purely astronomical topics, the present work concentrates on phenomena closer to home; the atmospheric and "shallow space" events as opposed to deep space events. The line between astronomy and meteorology is blurred - a fact that is discussed in Weird Weather. It is not primarily a book of "wonders" or of the unexplained, although some of the topics covered remain mysteries. It is primarily directed toward those who are fascinated by climate and weather, and who are open-minded when considering Earth's climate, what drives it, and what are the causes of climate change. The author, David A. J. Seargent, presents the facts with a balanced and scientific approach. Weird Weather: Tales of Astronomical and Atmospheric Anomalies is about strange, unusual, and apparently inexplicable observations of the air and sky. Primarily these are in the Earth's atmosphere, but there are corresponding phenomena in the atmospheres of other planets of the Solar System - lightning on Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn, whirlwinds and dust storms of Mars, and auroras on Jupiter. Topics include anomalous lights, anomalous sounds, spectacular effects of cloud illumination by the Sun or Moon, lightning phenomena, electrophonic sounds of lightning, aurora and meteors, tornado and whirlwind phenomena on Earth and Mars, usual atmospheric effects, mirages, and the possible astronomical influences on cloud and climate.
Download or read book Weird Astronomical Theories of the Solar System and Beyond written by David Seargent and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-12-26 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After addressing strange cosmological hypotheses in Weird Universe, David Seargent tackles the no-less bizarre theories closer to home. Alternate views on the Solar System's formation, comet composition, and the evolution of life on Earth are only some of the topics he addresses in this new work. Although these ideas exist on the fringe of mainstream astronomy, they can still shed light on the origins of life and the evolution of the planets. Continuing the author's series of books popularizing strange astronomy facts and knowledge, Weird Astronomical Theories presents an approachable exploration of the still mysterious questions about the origin of comets, the pattern of mass extinctions on Earth, and more. The alternative theories discussed here do not come from untrained amateurs. The scientists whose work is covered includes the mid-20th century Russian S. K. Vsekhsvyatskii, cosmologist Max Tegmark, British astronomers Victor Clube and William Napier, and American Tom Van Flandern, a specialist in celestial mechanics who held a variety of unusual beliefs about the possibility of intelligent life having come from elsewhere. Despite being outliers, their work reveals how much astronomical understanding is still evolving. Unconventional approaches have also pushed our scientific understanding for the better, as with R.W. Mandl's approaching Einstein with regard to gravitational lensing. Even without full substantiation (and some theories are hardly credible), their hypotheses allow for a new perspective on how the Solar System became what it is today.
Download or read book Weird Worlds written by David A. J. Seargent and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-04-18 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Weird Worlds” is the third book in David Seargent’s “Weird” series. This book assumes a basic level of astronomical understanding and concentrates on the “odd and interesting” aspects of planetary bodies, including asteroids and moons. From our viewpoint here on Earth, this work features the most unusual features of these worlds and the ways in which they appear “weird” to us. Within our own Solar System, odd facts such as the apparent reversal of the Sun in the skies of Mercury, CO2-driven fountains of dust on Mars, possible liquid water (and perhaps primitive life!) deep within the dwarf planet Ceres, and a variety of odd facts about the planetary moons are all discussed. A special chapter is devoted to Saturn’s giant moon Titan, and its methane-based weather system and “hydrological” cycle. This chapter also includes recent speculation on the possibility of methane-based organisms and the form that these might take, if they really do exist. Beyond our Solar System, the book looks at the range of worlds discovered and hypothesized. In “Weird Worlds,” the author discusses planets where temperatures are so high that it rains molten iron, and others so cold that liquid methane floods across plains of ice! Worlds are described where the lightest element acts like a metal and where winds blow at thousands of miles per hour – as well as possible planets whose orbits are essentially parabolic. In keeping with previous titles in David Seargent’s “Weird” series, “Weird Worlds” contains several projects that astronomers of all levels can undertake.
Download or read book Weird Weather written by David A. J. Seargent and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-03-02 with total page 373 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is, in a sense, a sequel to David Seargent's first Springer book Weird Astronomy (2010). Whereas Weird Astronomy extended over a broad range of purely astronomical topics, the present work concentrates on phenomena closer to home; the atmospheric and "shallow space" events as opposed to deep space events. The line between astronomy and meteorology is blurred - a fact that is discussed in Weird Weather. It is not primarily a book of "wonders" or of the unexplained, although some of the topics covered remain mysteries. It is primarily directed toward those who are fascinated by climate and weather, and who are open-minded when considering Earth's climate, what drives it, and what are the causes of climate change. The author, David A. J. Seargent, presents the facts with a balanced and scientific approach. Weird Weather: Tales of Astronomical and Atmospheric Anomalies is about strange, unusual, and apparently inexplicable observations of the air and sky. Primarily these are in the Earth's atmosphere, but there are corresponding phenomena in the atmospheres of other planets of the Solar System - lightning on Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn, whirlwinds and dust storms of Mars, and auroras on Jupiter. Topics include anomalous lights, anomalous sounds, spectacular effects of cloud illumination by the Sun or Moon, lightning phenomena, electrophonic sounds of lightning, aurora and meteors, tornado and whirlwind phenomena on Earth and Mars, usual atmospheric effects, mirages, and the possible astronomical influences on cloud and climate.
Download or read book Strange Universe written by Bob Berman and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2015-11-10 with total page 287 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Touches on a dizzying array of subjects, including UV rays, inert gases, fossils, meteorites, microwaves, rainbows . . . Like many a good teacher, Berman uses humor to entertain his audience and liven things up." —Los Angeles Times Bob Berman is motivated by a straightforward philosophy: everyone can understand science—and it's fun, too. In Strange Universe, he pokes into the bizarre and astonishingly true scientific facts that determine the world around us. Geared to the nonscientist, Berman's original essays are filled with the trademark wit and cleverness that has earned him acclaim over many years for his columns in Astronomy and Discover magazines. He emphasizes curiosities of the natural world to which everyone can relate, and dishes on the little-known secrets about space and some of science's biggest blunders (including a very embarrassing moment from Buzz Aldrin's trip to the moon). Fascinating to anyone interested in the wonders of our world and the cosmos beyond, Strange Universe will make you smile and think.
Download or read book Weird Astronomy written by Eric Sanders and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-03-21 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Weird Astronomy appeals to all who are interested in unusual celestial phenomena, whether they be amateur or professional astronomers or science buffs who just enjoy reading of odd coincidences, unexplained observations, and reports from space probes that "don't quite fit." This book relates a variety of "unusual" astronomical observations - unusual in the sense of refusing to fit easily into accepted thinking, or unusual in the observation having been made under difficult or extreme circumstances. Although some of the topics covered are instances of "bad astronomy," most are not. Some of the observations recorded here have actually turned out to be important scientific breakthroughs.
Download or read book Exoplanets written by Michael E. Summers and published by Smithsonian Institution. This book was released on 2017-03-14 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The past few years have seen an incredible explosion in our knowledge of the universe. Since its 2009 launch, the Kepler satellite has discovered more than two thousand exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system. More exoplanets are being discovered all the time, and even more remarkable than the sheer number of exoplanets is their variety. In Exoplanets, astronomer Michael Summers and physicist James Trefil explore these remarkable recent discoveries: planets revolving around pulsars, planets made of diamond, planets that are mostly water, and numerous rogue planets wandering through the emptiness of space. This captivating book reveals the latest discoveries and argues that the incredible richness and complexity we are finding necessitates a change in our questions and mental paradigms. In short, we have to change how we think about the universe and our place in it, because it is stranger and more interesting than we could have imagined.
Download or read book Mysterious Universe written by William R. Corliss and published by . This book was released on 1979 with total page 724 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Our Astronomy Handbook covers much the same ground as the three preceding Astronomy Catalogs, but in more detail. For example, the quotations are much more extensive [Picture caption: Unexplained rift in the zodiacal light] Typical subjects covered: The lost satellite of Venus * Transient lunar phenomena * Ephemeral earth satellites * Venus' radial spoke system * Relativlty contradicted * Cosmological paradoxes * Changes in light's velocity * Vulcan; the intramercurial planet * Knots on Saturn's rings * Bright objects near the sun * The Sun's problematical "companion star" * "Sedimentary" meteorites * Life chemistry in outer space * Planet positions and sunspots. ... Publisher description.
Download or read book Weird Comets and Asteroids written by David A. J. Seargent and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-05-17 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book concentrates on some of the odd aspects of comets and asteroids. Strange behavior of comets, such as outbursts and schisms, and how asteroids can temporally act as comets are discussed, together with the possible threat of Centaurs-class objects like the Taurid complex. Recent years have seen the distinction between comets and asteroids become less prominent. Comets in "asteroid" orbits and vice versa have become almost commonplace and a clearer view of the role of small bodies in the formation of the Solar System and their effect on Earth has become apparent. Seargent covers this development in detail by including new data and information from space probes.
Download or read book Unusual Telescopes written by Peter L. Manly and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1995-04-27 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Peter Manly surveys more than 150 unusual telescopes designed by amateur and professional astronomers to suit some special need.
Download or read book Strange New Worlds written by Ray Jayawardhana and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2013-04-21 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An insider's look at the cutting-edge science of today's planet hunters In Strange New Worlds, renowned astronomer Ray Jayawardhana brings news from the front lines of the epic quest to find planets—and alien life—beyond our solar system. Only in the past two decades, after millennia of speculation, have astronomers begun to discover planets around other stars—thousands in fact. Now they are closer than ever to unraveling distant twins of the Earth. In this book, Jayawardhana vividly recounts the stories of the scientists and the remarkable breakthroughs that have ushered in this extraordinary age of exploration. He describes the latest findings--including his own—that are challenging our view of the cosmos and casting new light on the origins and evolution of planets and planetary systems. He reveals how technology is rapidly advancing to support direct observations of Jupiter-like gas giants and super-Earths—rocky planets with several times the mass of our own planet—and how astronomers use biomarkers to seek possible life on other worlds. Strange New Worlds provides an insider's look at the cutting-edge science of today's planet hunters, our prospects for discovering alien life, and the debates and controversies at the forefront of extrasolar-planet research. In a new afterword, Jayawardhana explains some of the most recent developments as we search for the first clues of life on other planets.
