Out of the Blue :A 24-Hour Skywatcher's Guide

Publication subTitle :A 24-Hour Skywatcher's Guide

Author: John Naylor  

Publisher: Cambridge University Press‎

Publication year: 2002

E-ISBN: 9780511057717

P-ISBN(Paperback): 9780521809252

Subject: P422.3 atmosphere absorption, scattering and transmission

Keyword: 天文学

Language: ENG

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Out of the Blue

Description

Why is the sky blue and why are sunsets red? When can I see a rainbow? Why is the moon sometimes visible in daylight? In Out of the Blue skywatcher John Naylor offers practical advice about where and when you can expect to see natural phenomena, what you will see and how to improve your chances of seeing it. He takes in both the night and the day sky, and deals only with what can be seen with the naked eye. Drawing on science, history, literature and mythology, and written in a popular style that assumes only basic scientific know-how, Out of the Blue is for everyone who enjoys being outdoors and who feels curious or puzzled about things optical and astronomical.

Chapter

1.8 Polarised light due to reflections

1.9 Haidinger’s brush

Chapter 2 SHADOWS

2.1 No light without shadow

2.2 Solar shadows

2.3 Shadows formed by point sources

2.4 Mach bands

2.5 Coloured shadows

2.6 The heiligenschein

2.7 Shadows on water

2.8 Shadows formed by clouds

2.9 Shadows under trees in leaf

Chapter 3 MIRAGES

3.1 Atmospheric refraction

3.2 Inferior mirages

3.3 Superior mirages

3.4 Lake monsters

3.5 Looming and unusual visual range

Chapter 4 SUNSET AND SUNRISE

4.1 Sunset

4.2 Twilight

4.3 Clouds at sunset

4.4 The purple light

4.5 Crepuscular rays

4.6 Mountain shadows

4.7 Abnormal twilights

4.8 The Sun at the horizon

4.9 Green flashes

4.10 The Purkinje effect

Chapter 5 RAINBOWS

5.1 Unweaving the rainbow

5.2 How to recognise a rainbow

5.3 Looking for rainbows

5.4 Supernumerary bows

5.5 Circular rainbows

5.6 Rainbows at sunset and sunrise

5.7 Lunar rainbows

5.8 Reflection rainbows

5.9 Reflected rainbows

5.10 Spray bows

5.11 Fog bows

5.12 Rainbow wheels

5.13 Horizontal rainbows

5.14 Searchlight rainbows

5.15 Eclipse rainbows

5.16 Anomalous rainbows

5.17 Explaining the rainbow

5.18 Tertiary rainbows

5.19 Polarised rainbows

5.20 Are rainbows real?

5.21 Notes for rainbow observers

Chapter 6 CORONAE AND GLORIES

6.1 Coronae

6.2 Other situations in which coronae are seen

6.3 Cloud iridescence

6.4 Glories

6.5 Notes for observers of coronae and glories

Chapter 7 ATMOSPHERIC HALOS

7.1 Ice halos

7.2 22° halo

7.3 Upper tangent arc

7.4 46° halo

7.5 Rare halos

7.6 Parhelia

7.7 Circumzenithal and circumhorizontal arcs

7.8 The parhelic circle

7.9 Sun pillars

7.10 Subsuns

7.11 Notes for ice halo observers

Chapter 8 THE NIGHT SKY

8.1 A brief history of the sky

8.2 Naked-eye astronomy

8.3 The celestial sphere

8.4 The ecliptic

8.5 The apparent motion of the Sun

8.6 Why is the sky dark at night?

8.7 The sky beyond the equator

Chapter 9 THE MOON

9.1 Observing the Moon

9.2 The Earth–Moon system

9.3 Looking at the Moon without a telescope

9.4 The lunar surface

9.5 The best time to look at the Moon

9.6 The Moon in daylight

9.7 How bright is the Moon?

9.8 Earthshine

9.9 Moonlight

9.10 The Moon illusion

9.11 A Blue Moon

9.12 Sidereal and synodic months

9.13 Finding the Moon in the sky

9.14 Moonrise and moonset

9.15 The lunar day

9.16 Libration

9.17 Lunar puzzles

9.18 The Moon’s phases

New Moon

Young Moon

First quarter

Gibbous Moon

Full Moon

Last quarter

Waning crescent

Chapter 10 ECLIPSES

10.1 Chasing eclipses

10.2 Solar eclipses

10.3 Preparing to see an eclipse

10.4 Watching a solar eclipse

10.5 Eclipse checklist

First contact

Shadows

Airlight

Shadow bands

Baily’s beads

Second contact

The sky during totality

The solar corona

Effect on animals

Third contact

Fourth contact

10.6 Explaining a solar eclipse

10.7 Eclipses of the Moon

Chapter 11 PLANETS

11.1 The Solar System

11.2 How to tell a planet from a star

11.3 Inferior and superior planets

11.4 Where to look for an inferior planet

11.5 Mercury

11.6 Venus

11.7 Where to look for a superior planet

11.8 Apparent changes in brightness of superior planets

Chapter 12 STARS

12.1 Light without form

12.2 Where are the stars?

12.3 Star brightness

12.4 Star colours

12.5 Looking at stars through a telescope

12.6 Why do stars twinkle?

12.7 Seeing in the dark

12.8 Peripheral vision

12.9 Why are stars star-shaped?

12.10 Constellations

Chapter 13 COMETS AND METEORS

13.1 Comets

13.2 Meteors

13.3 Artificial satellites

13.4 Aurorae

13.5 Zodiacal light

Appendix: Technical and practical advice for skygazing

Estimating distance

A primer on angles

Binoculars

A cloud primer

Glossary

Further reading

Magazines

Internet

Sources and notes

Chapter 1: Daylight

1.1 The colour of the daytime sky

1.2 Why is the sky blue?

1.3 Airlight

1.4 Aerial perspective

1.5 How far can you see?

1.6 Polarised light

1.7 Polarised light from the sky

1.8 Polarised light due to reflections

1.9 Haidinger’s brush

Chapter 2: Shadows

2.1 No light without shadow

2.2 Solar shadows

2.3 Shadows formed by point sources

2.4 Mach bands

2.5 Coloured shadows

2.6 The heiligenschein

2.7 Shadows on water

2.8 Shadows formed by clouds

Chapter 3: Mirages

3.1 Atmospheric refraction

3.2 Inferior mirages

3.3 Superior mirages

3.4 Lake monsters

3.5 Looming and unusual visual range

Chapter 4: Sunset and sunrise

4.2 Twilight

4.3 Clouds at sunset

4.4 The purple light

4.5 Crepuscular rays

4.6 Mountain shadows

4.7 Abnormal twilights

4.8 The Sun at the horizon

4.9 Green flashes

4.10 The Purkinje effect

Chapter 5: Rainbows

5.1 Unweaving the rainbow

5.2 How to recognise a rainbow

5.4 Supernumerary bows.

5.5 Circular rainbows

5.6 Rainbows at sunset and sunrise

5.7 Lunar rainbows

5.8 Reflection rainbows

5.9 Reflected rainbows

5.10 Spray bows

5.11 Fog bows

5.12 Rainbow wheels

5.13 Horizontal rainbows

5.14 Seachlight rainbows

5.15 Eclipse rainbows

5.16 Anomalous rainbows

5.17 Explaining the rainbow

5.18 Tertiary bows

5.19 Polarised rainbows

5.20 Are rainbows real?

5.21 Notes for rainbows observers

Chapter 6: Coronae and glories

6.1 Coronae

6.4 Glories

6.5 Notes for observers of coronae and glories

Chapter 7: Atmospheric halos

7.1 Ice halos

7.2 22° halo

7.3 Upper tangent arc

7.4 46° halo

7.5 Rare halos

7.6 Parhelia

7.7 Circumzenithal and circumhorizontal arcs

7.8 The parhelic circle

7.10 Subsuns

7.11 Notes for ice halo observers

Chapter 8: The night sky

8.1 A brief history of the sky

8.2 Naked-eye astronomy

8.3 The celestial sphere

8.4 The ecliptic

8.6 Why is the sky dark at night?

8.7 The sky beyond the equator

Chapter 9: The Moon

9.2 The Earth–Moon system

9.3 Looking at the Moon without a telescope

9.4 The lunar surface

9.6 The Moon in daylight

9.7 How bright is the Moon?

9.8 Earthshine

9.9 Moonlight

9.10 The Moon illusion

9.11 A Blue Moon

9.16 Libration

9.17 Lunar puzzles

9.18 The Moon’s phases

Chapter 10: Eclipses

10.2 Solar eclipses

Chapter 11: Planets

11.1 The solar system

11.2 How to tell a planet from a star

11.4 Where to look for an inferior planet

11.6 Venus

11.7 Where to look for a superior planet

11.8 Apparent changes in brightness of superior planets

Chapter 12: Stars

12.1 Light without form

12.2 Where are the stars?

12.3 Star brightness

12.4 Star colours

12.6 Why do stars twinkle?

12.7 Seeing in the dark

12.8 Peripheral vision

12.9 Why are stars star-shaped?

12.10 Constellations

Chapter 13: Comets and meteors

13.1 Comets

13.2 Meteors

13.3 Artificial satellites

13.4 Aurorae

13.5 Zodiacal light

Appendix: Technical and practical advice for skygazing

Estimating distance.

Binoculars

A cloud primer

Glossary

Index

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