The Turtle and the Stars

by Arthur R. Upgren

“An approachable potpourri, Upgren’s essays will delight and inform astronomy buffs, whether students or recreational readers.” — Booklist

Why is a clear sky brighter near the horizon while a cloudy one is at its lightest overhead? What color is the atmosphere of Mars, and might it someday appear as blue as ours? How is it that the Milky Way casts shadows? Why does the Taj Mahal glimmer when you gaze up at it?

In The Turtle and the Stars , astronomer Arthur Upgren guides us through the physical phenomena that produce our sky and galaxy in all their variety and moods. He invites us to contemplate the natural beauty of the a leatherback turtle depositing her eggs under a sky lit only by Venus, a total solar eclipse in Venezuela, the play of the spectrum on the cathedral at Chartres.

Sprinkled with references to history, literature, film, and music, The Turtle and the Stars is a treasure trove of information for armchair astronomers and naturalists alike.

Genres: Science

272 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2002

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an exceptionally disjointed book by an astronomer who likes his job, who wants to convey this interest to others and is not good at doing so. The first three parts are a mess with no plan or organization. The third part on "the vulnerable sky" is an argument for the reduction of light pollution. With the exception of a few factoids in the earlier parts it's the only portion of longer than a few paragraphs that held interest. One gets the sense that this book was done hastily and without much of a unifying concept.