Lights in the Sky - Maunder, Michael

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Résumé :
Many lights and objects in the sky are misunderstood, and often completely unrecognised by observers. These range from rainbows and meteors, to the unusual: green flash and ball lightning. Many are classed as UFOs, a description which has long connoted mysterious, extraterrestrial visitors. The first part of this book is an identification guide offering quick and structured clues to known day or nighttime aerial phenomena. Objects thus found are referenced to the second part of the book, which gives a full description, physical explanation, and relevant notes on observing and photographing various phenomena. Some require optical aids such as binoculars or telescopes, but the main thrust of the book is identification and explanation rather than imaging. The final chapter approaches UFOs from a scientific standpoint, with a short section on extraterrestrial UFOs, emphasising burden of proof and touching on scientific theories of life on other worlds, and the improbability of visitors....

Sommaire:
Part 1: Identifier.- Daylight.- Dawn and Dusk.- Night.- Part 2: Astronomical and Meteorological Phenomena.- Dawn: Zodiacal light.- Season for pre-dawn sighting.- Red sky, Shepherd's warning.- Crepuscular rays.- Daylight: Haloes and coronas also detached arcs.- Sundogs and mock suns.-Iridescence.- Glories.- Heiligenschein.- Rainbows and fogbows.- Dusk: Zodiacal light Season for twilight sightings.- Red sky Shepherd's delight.- Solar pillars.- Green flash.- Spectre of the Brocken.- Mother of pearl clouds.- Volcanic dust ( Krakatoa 1888, via El Chicon 1981 to Pinatubo 1990).- Other dust: Bishop's ring, green and blue suns.- Night: Light pollution.- Milky Way.- Messier objects.- Caldwell objects.- Gegenschein.- Lunar haloes.- Lunar rainbows.- Aurorae.- Nacreous clouds.- Noctilucent clouds.- Meteors.- Other phenomena: marsh gas, fireflies: Lightning.- Ball lightning.- UFOs: Human perception.- Mistaken identities.- Astronomical and meteorological.- Man-made.- Extraterrestrial visitors?- Burden of proof.- The Fermi paradox.