Combining a concise practical guide to astronomy with card decks, sky maps, and a flashlight, Starfinder explains how to navigate around the night sky, shows you what you can expect to see, and provides all the tools you need to see the constellations for yourself. It also includes a section on observing the Moon, planets, and other bodies of the Solar System, as well as a monthly guide to the skies in both the northern and southern hemispheres.
In 350 B.C.E., Aristotle, the great Greek philosopher, wrote that the Earth is the center of the solar system, and that all the other bodies in the solar system orbit the Earth while set into a complex series of spheres. However, in 1514 C.E., Nicolas Copernicus, a Prussian scientist and canon in the Catholic church, challenged these previous beliefs, theorizing that the center of the universe is not the Earth, but the Sun, that the distance from the Earth to the Sun is imperceptible compared to the distance to the stars, and that the apparent retrograde motion of the planets is due to observing them from the orbiting Earth. In a single, informative reference, "The Sun, Mercury, and Venus" discusses the innermost solar system and the importance of the Sun's energy on orbiting bodies. As the closest planet to the Sun, Mercury is the least visited of terrestrial planets and is difficult to see because it is always close to the Sun from the Earth's perspective. The Sun's brightness either damages instruments that attempt to see Mercury, or simply makes Mercury a dim and ill-resolved speck next to the limb of the Sun. This volume also covers the geological characteristics of Venus in relation to the Sun and the rest of the solar system. Perfect for those interested in understanding the science and history behind the exploration of these three celestial bodies, this volume puts a new spin on this exciting area of planetary science.
What do Terry Pratchett, Jackson Pollock, Star Trek, and Velcro have in common?
They are all invoked by science writer Jennifer Ouellette to shed vibrant new light upon some of the most revolutionary scientific developments in the history of mankind. The Addams Family Values illustrate Newton's laws, Back to the Future demonstrates the finer points of special relativity, and Jeannette Winterson's novel Gut Symmetries provides an elegant metaphorical framework for string theory. Combining anecdote, analogy, and colourful historical details with literature, art, and music, Black Bodies and Quantum Cats is witty and entertaining proof that physics is not arcane or even very scary, but is instead an exciting human endeavour - and a fundamental part of our everyday world. I recommend this book to all lovers of true life and nature - physics- around us :) - stovokor
Animals have existed on Earth for many hundreds of millions of years. In that time they have evolved into a great variety of forms, exploiting nearly every habitat the planet has to offer. In the dark depths of the oceans, in the seemingly inhospitable Polar Regions, in the driest deserts, even within the bodies of other animals, there are animal species that have developed unique and extraordinary means of surviving and thriving.
We want to live better, more youthful days while we’re living longer. Diet, exercise and a lucky draw from the gene pool can take us only so far, however. That’s where science comes in.
In this special edition from Scientific American, you’ll find firsthand reports from the researchers leading the efforts to understand the mechanisms of aging. They are teasing out ways to slow the biological clock as well as the degradation that time imposes on our bodies and minds. They are battling the diseases of age, including cancer and heart disease.
Animals have existed on Earth for many hundreds of millions of years. In that time they have evolved into a great variety of forms, exploiting nearly every habitat the planet has to offer. In the dark depths of the oceans, in the seemingly inhospitable Polar Regions, in the driest deserts, even within the bodies of other animals, there are animal species that have developed unique and extraordinary means of surviving and thriving.
