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Auteur(s) : Barentine, John C.Editeur : Springer International Publishing AgLangue : Anglais Parution : 01/11/2015Format : Moyen, de 350g à 1kgNombre de pages : 528Expédition : 876Dimensions : 24.0 x 16.8 x 2.9
ISBN : 9783319227948
Résumé :
Casual stargazers are familiar with many classical figures and asterisms composed of bright stars (e.g., Orion and the Plough),?but?this book reveals not just the constellations of today but those of yesteryear.?The history of the human identification of?constellations among the stars is explored through the stories of some influential celestial cartographers whose works determined whether new inventions survived. The history of how the modern set of 88 constellations was defined by the professional astronomy community is recounted, explaining how the constellations described in the book became permanently ?extinct.? ?Dr. Barentine?addresses why?some figures were tried and discarded, and also directs observers to how those figures can?still be picked out on a clear night if one knows where to look. These lost constellations are described in great detail using historical references, enabling observers to rediscover them on their own surveys of the sky.?Treatment of the obsolete constellations as extant features of the night sky adds a new dimension to stargazing that merges history with the accessibility and immediacy of the night sky.
Biographie:
John Barentine currently serves as the Director of Public Policy for the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) in Tucson, Arizona. He grew up in the Phoenix area and was involved in amateur astronomy there from early on. Later, he attended the University of Arizona, doing research at the National Optical Astronomy Observatories and National Solar Observatory headquarters in Tucson. From 2001-06 he was on the staff of Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico, serving first as an observing specialist on the Astrophysical Research Consortium 3.5-m telescope and then as an observer for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. John obtained a master's degree in physics at Colorado State University and a master's and doctorate in astronomy at the University of Texas at Austin. John has contributed to science in fields ranging from solar physics to galaxy evolution while helping develop hardware for ground-based and aircraft-borne astronomy. Throughout his career, he has been involved ineducation and outreach efforts to help increase the public understanding of science. In addition to his work for IDA, John is a member of the steering committee of the University of Utah Consortium for Dark Sky Studies and serves on light pollution committees of the American Astronomical Society and the International Astronomical Union. In 2018, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.
John is the author of two books on the history of astronomy for Springer: The Lost Constellations and Uncharted Constellations. The asteroid (14505) Barentine is named in his honor. His interests outside of astronomy and dark skies include history, art/architecture, politics, law and current events.
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Sommaire:
John Barentine is a lifelong amateur astronomer, with formal education and experience in academic astronomy. He holds undergraduate and master's degrees in physics and astronomy, and received his Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin in 2013. His dissertation work followed the path of atomic and molecular gas from star formation through the evolution of galaxies. Most of his doctoral research was published in the Astrophysical Journal, and in previously published articles in other academic outlets such as the Astronomical Journal and Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series volumes. Previously, he was at Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico, where he was a staff scientist working on the Astrophysical Research Consortium 3.5-meter telescope and as an Observer for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. For that work, John was honored in 2007 by the International Astronomical Union, which named the asteroid (14505) Barentine his honor. Now, he is the Program Manager for the International Dark-Sky Association. This work brings him into frequent contact with journalists and includes writing press releases. In 2006, he wrote a press release for an archaeoastronomy poster presented at a meeting of the AAS that went viral and resulted in worldwide media coverage as the Barentine petroglyph. In addition to John's professional work, he writes an astronomy blog on Tumblr (strictlyastronomy.tumblr.com) and maintains an active presence on Twitter.
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