A Dictionary of Modern Star Names

A Dictionary of Modern Star Names PDF

Author: Paul Kunitzsch

Publisher: Sky & Telescope

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781931559447

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Sirius, Algol, Castor and Pollux, Mizar and Alcor: these names are well known to stargazers. But others ? Rasalhague, Vindemiatrix, Zubenelgenubi ? are obscure tongue twisters. Have you ever wondered where all these exotic-sounding star names came from? In this second, revised edition of Short Guide to Modern Star Names and their Derivations, Paul Kunitzsch and Tim Smart track down the origin and meaning of 254 star names. This fascinating work, long out of print, is considered to be the most authoritative English-language treatment of star names in use today.

A Brief Introduction to Astronomy in the Middle East

A Brief Introduction to Astronomy in the Middle East PDF

Author: John M. Steele

Publisher: Saqi

Published: 2012-03-12

Total Pages: 115

ISBN-13: 0863568963

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The Middle East is the birthplace of astronomy and the centre for its development during the medieval period. In this brief introduction John Steele offers an intriguing insight into Middle Eastern achievements in astronomy and their profound influence on the rest of the world. Amongst other things, the book traces the Late Babylonians' ingenious schemes for modelling planetary motion. It also reveals how medieval Islamic advances in the study of the heavens, and the design of precise astronomical instruments, led to breakthroughs by Renaissance practitioners such as Copernicus and Kepler. An invaluable introduction to one of the oldest sciences in the world.

The Arabs and the Stars

The Arabs and the Stars PDF

Author: Paul Kunitzsch

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-05-15

Total Pages: 356

ISBN-13: 1351894765

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The influence of Arabic-Islamic science on European astronomy is still evident in the number of terms and star names which derive from the Arabic. These articles examine what the Arabs - and other peoples of the Islamic world - knew about the fixed stars and the constellations, and the astrological traditions they associated with them. Professor Kunitzsch shows how the early folk astronomy of the Arabs was radically altered, without being swept away, by the discovery of ancient Greek, also Indian and Persian, sources; by far the most important of these was the Almagest of Ptolemy. This knowledge was then transmitted to medieval Europe, to Byzantium and, especially, to Spain, as the articles go on to describe, and was a vital factor in stimulating the development of scientific thought in the West.

The Ever-Changing Sky

The Ever-Changing Sky PDF

Author: James B. Kaler

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2002-03-14

Total Pages: 524

ISBN-13: 9780521499187

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The Ever-Changing Sky provides a comprehensive and non-mathematical guide to spherical astronomy. The reader is guided through terrestrial and celestial co-ordinate systems, time measurement and celestial navigation, to the prediction of the rising and setting of the stars, Sun and Moon. It focuses on the geometrical aspects of the night sky without using complex trigonometry. The book progresses to a general study of the Earth and sky, including the stars and constellations (with useful star maps provided), the motions and appearance of the Moon, tides and eclipses, the orbits of the planets and the smaller bodies of the Solar System (asteroids, meteors, meteorites and comets). Finally, there is a brief overview of atmospheric phenomena (including rainbows and haloes). This text will be invaluable to students taking courses in naked-eye astronomy, amateur and professional astronomers, as well as more general readers wanting to know how the night sky changes.

Stars and Their Spectra

Stars and Their Spectra PDF

Author: James B. Kaler

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2011-07-28

Total Pages: 413

ISBN-13: 0521899540

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Revised and expanded, the second edition of this popular book provides a thorough introduction to stellar spectra. Each chapter explores a different star type, including new classes L and T. With modern digital spectra and updates from two decades of astronomical discoveries, it is invaluable for amateur astronomers and students.

Star Maps

Star Maps PDF

Author: Nick Kanas

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2019-08-20

Total Pages: 563

ISBN-13: 3030136132

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Explore the beauty and awe of the heavens through the rich celestial prints and star atlases offered in this third edition book. The author traces the development of celestial cartography from ancient to modern times, describes the relationships between different star maps and atlases, and relates these notions to our changing ideas about humanity’s place in the universe. Also covered in this book are more contemporary cosmological ideas, constellation representations, and cartographic advances. The text is enriched with 226 images (141 in color) from actual, antiquarian celestial books and atlases, each one with an explanation of unique astronomical and cartographic features. This never-before-available hardcover edition includes two new chapters on pictorial style maps and celestial images in art, as well over 50 new images. Additionally, the color plates are now incorporated directly into the text, providing readers with a vibrant, immersive look into the history of star maps.

Cosmos

Cosmos PDF

Author: John North

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2008-07-15

Total Pages: 903

ISBN-13: 0226594416

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The definitive history of humanity's search to find its place within the universe. North charts the history of astronomy and cosmology from the Paleolithic period to the present day.

In Synchrony with the Heavens, Volume 2 Instruments of Mass Calculation

In Synchrony with the Heavens, Volume 2 Instruments of Mass Calculation PDF

Author: David King

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2005-06-01

Total Pages: 1142

ISBN-13: 9047406753

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This is the first investigation of one of the main interests of astronomy in Islamic civilization, namely, timekeeping by the sun and stars and the regulation of the astronomically-defined times of Muslim prayer. The study is based on over 500 medieval astronomical manuscripts first identified by the author, now preserved in libraries all over the world and originally from the entire Islamic world from the Maghrib to Central Asia and the Yemen. The materials presented provide new insights into the early development of the prayer ritual in Islam. They also call into question the popular notion that religion could not inspire serious scientific activity. Only one of the hundreds of astronomical tables discussed here was known in medieval Europe, which is one reason why the entire corpus has remained unknown until the present. A second volume, also to be published by Brill, deals with astronomical instruments for timekeeping and other computing devices.

Astrolabes in Medieval Cultures

Astrolabes in Medieval Cultures PDF

Author:

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2019-01-28

Total Pages: 516

ISBN-13: 9004387862

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First published as a special issue of the journal Medieval Encounters (vol. 23, 2017), this volume, edited by Josefina Rodríguez-Arribas, Charles Burnett, Silke Ackermann, and Ryan Szpiech, brings together fifteen studies on various aspects of the astrolabe in medieval cultures. The astrolabe, developed in antiquity and elaborated throughout the Middle Ages, was used for calculation, teaching, and observation, and also served astrological and medical purposes. It was the most popular and prestigious of the mathematical instruments, and was found equally among practitioners of various sciences and arts as among princes in royal courts. By considering sources and instruments from Muslim, Christian, and Jewish contexts, this volume provides state-of-the-art research on the history and use of the astrolabe throughout the Middle Ages. Contributors are Silke Ackermann, Emilia Calvo, John Davis, Laura Fernández Fernández, Miquel Forcada, Azucena Hernández, David A. King, Taro Mimura, Günther Oestmann, Josefina Rodríguez-Arribas, Sreeramula Rajeswara Sarma, Petra G. Schmidl, Giorgio Strano, Flora Vafea, and Johannes Thomann.