The Turtle and the Stars: Observations of an Earthbound Astronomer

by Arthur R. Upgren

An enchanting look at the heavens that unlocks the sky's mysteries & celebrates the beauty of the universe.
The sky is one great constant, bearing extraordinary colors & images in every kind of weather. Modern astronomy has revealed many secrets of the sky. Now the most intriguing ones have been distilled for a popular audience. With illustrations & engaging text, The Turtle & the Stars brings stargazers face-to-face with facts & lore. Topics include: What color is the atmosphere of Mars? Might it someday appear as blue as ours? How does the Milky Way cast shadows? Why is it we never see the sunset as it's occurring? Earthly questions range from why the Taj Mahal glimmers when you gaze up at it to why the top of the Empire State Building travels farther than its lower floors each day. With contagious enthusiasm, Upgren also invites the contemplation of the natural beauty of the cosmos thru recollecting scenes such as a leatherback turtle depositing her eggs under a sky lit only by Venus, or witnessing total solar eclipse in Venezuela. A trove of facts sprinkled with references to history, literature, film & music, this is a wonderful tour for armchair astronomers & naturalists alike.

Genres: Science

304 pages, Hardcover

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.