Highlighting the History of Astronomy in the Asia-Pacific Region

Download Highlighting the History of Astronomy in the Asia-Pacific Region PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 1441981616
Total Pages : 659 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (419 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Highlighting the History of Astronomy in the Asia-Pacific Region by : Wayne Orchiston

Download or read book Highlighting the History of Astronomy in the Asia-Pacific Region written by Wayne Orchiston and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-08-27 with total page 659 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With just 400 pages, this title provides readers with the results of recent research from some of the world's leading historians of astronomy on aspects of Arabic, Australian, Chinese, Japanese, and North and South American astronomy and astrophysics. Of particular note are the sections on Arabic astronomy, Asian applied astronomy and the history of Australian radio astronomy, and the chapter on Peruvian astronomy. This title is of particular appeal to those with research interests in applied historical astronomy; archaeoastronomy; calendars, manuscripts, and star charts; historical instruments and observatories, and the history of radio astronomy.

Exploring the History of New Zealand Astronomy

Download Exploring the History of New Zealand Astronomy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3319225669
Total Pages : 688 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (192 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Exploring the History of New Zealand Astronomy by : Wayne Orchiston

Download or read book Exploring the History of New Zealand Astronomy written by Wayne Orchiston and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-12-08 with total page 688 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dr. Orchiston is a foremost authority on the subject of New Zealand astronomy, and here are the collected papers of his fruitful studies in this area, including both those published many years ago and new material. The papers herein review traditional Maori astronomy, examine the appearance of nautical astronomy practiced by Cook and his astronomers on their various stopovers in New Zealand during their three voyagers to the South Seas, and also explore notable nineteenth century New Zealand observatories historically, from significant telescopes now located in New Zealand to local and international observations made during the 1874 and 1882 transits of Venus and the nineteenth and twentieth century preoccupation of New Zealand amateur astronomers with comets and meteors. New Zealand astronomy has a truly rich history, extending from the Maori civilization in pre-European times through to the years when explorers and navigators discovered the region, up to pioneering research on the newly emerging field of radio astronomy during WWII and in the immediate post-war years. A complete survey of a neglected but rich national astronomical history, this does the subject full and comprehensive justice.

Exploring the History of Southeast Asian Astronomy

Download Exploring the History of Southeast Asian Astronomy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3030627772
Total Pages : 802 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (36 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Exploring the History of Southeast Asian Astronomy by : Wayne Orchiston

Download or read book Exploring the History of Southeast Asian Astronomy written by Wayne Orchiston and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-08-01 with total page 802 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited volume contains 24 different research papers by members of the History and Heritage Working Group of the Southeast Asian Astronomy Network. The chapters were prepared by astronomers from Australia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Scotland, Sweden, Thailand and Vietnam. They represent the latest understanding of cultural and scientific interchange in the region over time, from ethnoastronomy to archaeoastronomy and more. Gathering together researchers from various locales, this volume enabled new connections to be made in service of building a more holistic vision of astronomical history in Southeast Asia, which boasts a proud and deep tradition.

The Growth and Development of Astronomy and Astrophysics in India and the Asia-Pacific Region

Download The Growth and Development of Astronomy and Astrophysics in India and the Asia-Pacific Region PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 9811336458
Total Pages : 527 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (113 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Growth and Development of Astronomy and Astrophysics in India and the Asia-Pacific Region by : Wayne Orchiston

Download or read book The Growth and Development of Astronomy and Astrophysics in India and the Asia-Pacific Region written by Wayne Orchiston and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-06-28 with total page 527 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book discusses the study of astronomy in different cultures, applied historical astronomy and history of multi-wavelength astronomy, and the genesis of recent research. It contains peer-reviewed papers gathered from the International Conference on Oriental Astronomy 9 (ICOA-9) held at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune, India. It covers the areas like megalithic and other prehistoric astronomy, astronomical records in ancient texts, astronomical myths and architecture, astronomical themes in numismatics and rock art, ancient astronomers and their instruments, star maps and star catalogues, historical records and observations of astronomical events, calendars, calendrical science and chronology, the relation between astronomy and mathematics, and maritime astronomy. This book will be a valuable complement to a future generation of students and researchers who develop an interest in the field of Asian and circum-Pacific history of astronomy.

Golden Years of Australian Radio Astronomy

Download Golden Years of Australian Radio Astronomy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3319918435
Total Pages : 281 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (199 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Golden Years of Australian Radio Astronomy by : Wayne Orchiston

Download or read book Golden Years of Australian Radio Astronomy written by Wayne Orchiston and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-01-20 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The evolution of Australian radio astronomy from 1945 to 1960 has been studied in detail by numerous historians of science in recent years. This Open Access book is the first to present an overview of this remarkable chapter in Australian science. The book begins in the post-war period, as the Radiophysics Laboratory in Sydney switched from secret wartime research on radar to peacetime applications of this new technology. Next follows the detection of radio waves from space and the ensuing transformation of this fledgling science into the dominant research program at the Radiophysics Lab. Drawing from this history, the book shows how by 1960 the Radiophysics Lab had become the largest and most successful radio astronomy group in the world. The final chapter presents an overview of Australian radio astronomy from 1960 to the present day, as Australia prepares to co-host the multi-national, multi-billion-dollar Square Kilometre Array. Nearly 300 high-quality images complement the text, drawn from a wide range of sources including the extensive collection held by the CSIRO Radio Astronomy Image Archive. The book will be an essential reference for readers interested in the scientific and cultural development of radio astronomy. This book is published open access under a CC BY 4.0 license.

New Insights From Recent Studies in Historical Astronomy: Following in the Footsteps of F. Richard Stephenson

Download New Insights From Recent Studies in Historical Astronomy: Following in the Footsteps of F. Richard Stephenson PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3319076140
Total Pages : 350 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (19 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis New Insights From Recent Studies in Historical Astronomy: Following in the Footsteps of F. Richard Stephenson by : Wayne Orchiston

Download or read book New Insights From Recent Studies in Historical Astronomy: Following in the Footsteps of F. Richard Stephenson written by Wayne Orchiston and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-11-24 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book contains papers from a conference held to celebrate the 70th birthday of one of the world’s foremost astronomical historians, Professor F. Richard Stephenson, the latest recipient of the American Astronomical Society’s highest award for research in astronomical history, the LeRoy Doggett Prize. Reflecting Professor Stephenson’s extensive research portfolio, this book brings together under one cover papers on four different areas of scholarship: applied historical astronomy (which Stephenson founded); Islamic astronomy; Oriental astronomy and amateur astronomy. These papers are penned by astronomers from Canada, China, England, France, Georgia, Iran, Japan, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Portugal, Thailand and the USA. Its diverse coverage represents a wide cross-section of the history of astronomy community. Under discussion are ways in which recent research using historical data has provided new insights into auroral and solar activity, supernovae and changes in the rotation rate of the Earth. It also presents readers with results of recent research on leading historical figures in Islamic and Oriental astronomy, and aspects of eighteenth and nineteenth century Australian, British, German and Portuguese amateur astronomy, including the fascinating ‘amateur-turned-professional syndrome’.

The Emergence of Astrophysics in Asia

Download The Emergence of Astrophysics in Asia PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3319620827
Total Pages : 878 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (196 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Emergence of Astrophysics in Asia by : Tsuko Nakamura

Download or read book The Emergence of Astrophysics in Asia written by Tsuko Nakamura and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-11-03 with total page 878 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the ways in which attitudes toward astronomy in Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Taiwan, Thailand and Uzbekistan have changed with the times. The emergence of astrophysics was a worldwide phenomenon during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and it gradually replaced the older-style positional astronomy, which focused on locating and measuring the movements of the planets, stars, etc.. Here you will find national overviews that are at times followed by case studies of individual notable achievements. Although the emphasis is on the developments that occurred around 1900, later pioneering efforts in Australian, Chinese, Indian and Japanese radio astronomy are also included. As the first book ever published on the early development of astrophysics in Asia, the authors fill a chronological and technological void. Though others have already written about earlier astronomical developments in Asia, and about the recent history of astronomy in various Asian nations, no one has examined the emergence of astrophysics, the so-called ‘new astronomy’ in Asia during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Eclipses, Transits, and Comets of the Nineteenth Century

Download Eclipses, Transits, and Comets of the Nineteenth Century PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3319083414
Total Pages : 336 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (19 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Eclipses, Transits, and Comets of the Nineteenth Century by : Stella Cottam

Download or read book Eclipses, Transits, and Comets of the Nineteenth Century written by Stella Cottam and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-09-16 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the AAS 2019 Donald E. Osterbrock Book Prize for Historical Astronomy Grabbing the attention of poets, politicians and the general public alike, a series of spectacular astronomical events in the late 1800s galvanized Americans to take a greater interest in astronomy than ever before. At a time when the sciences were not yet as well established in the United States as they were in Europe, this public interest and support provided the growing scientific community in the United States with the platform they needed to advance the field of astronomy in the United States. Earlier in the 19th century comets, meteors and the discovery of the planet Neptune were all sources of inspiration to the general public. The specific events to be considered here are the total solar eclipses of 1868, 1869 and 1878 and the transits of Venus of 1874 and 1882. The available media responded to public interest as well as generating more interest. These events laid the groundwork that led to today's thriving network of American amateur astronomers and provide a fascinating look at earlier conceptions of the stars.

The History of Celestial Navigation

Download The History of Celestial Navigation PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3030436314
Total Pages : 342 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (34 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The History of Celestial Navigation by : P. Kenneth Seidelmann

Download or read book The History of Celestial Navigation written by P. Kenneth Seidelmann and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-06-29 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited volume charts the history of celestial navigation over the course of five centuries. Written by a group of historians and scientists, it analyzes how competing navigation systems, technologies, and institutions emerged and developed, with a focus on the major players in the US and the UK. The history covers the founding of the Royal Observatory; the first printing of a Nautical Almanac; the founding of the US and UK Nautical Almanac Offices; the creation of international standards for reference systems and astronomical constants; and the impact of 20th century technology on the field, among other topics. Additionally, the volume analyzes the present role and status of celestial navigation, particularly with respect to modern radio and satellite navigation systems. With its diverse authorship and nontechnical language, this book will appeal to any reader interested in the history of science, technology, astronomy, and navigation over the ages.

Selene's Two Faces

Download Selene's Two Faces PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 9004298878
Total Pages : 326 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (42 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Selene's Two Faces by :

Download or read book Selene's Two Faces written by and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2018-08-13 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Selene’s Two Faces sets out to look at the scientific purposes, the aesthetic expression, and the influence of early lunar drawings, maps and photographs, including spacecraft imaging.

Essays on Astronomical History and Heritage

Download Essays on Astronomical History and Heritage PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3031294939
Total Pages : 722 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (312 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Essays on Astronomical History and Heritage by : Steven Gullberg

Download or read book Essays on Astronomical History and Heritage written by Steven Gullberg and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-08-14 with total page 722 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This multidisciplinary work celebrates Wayne Orchiston's career and accomplishments in historical and cultural astronomy on the occasion of his 80th birthday. Over thirty of the world’s leading scholars in astronomy, astrophysics, astronomical history, and cultural astronomy have come together to honor Wayne across a wide range of research topics. These themes include: • Astronomy and Society • Emergence of Astrophysics • History of Radio Astronomy • Solar System • Observatories and Instrumentation • Ethnoastronomy and Archeoastronomy This exceptional collection of essays presents an overview of Wayne’s prolific contributions to the field, along with detailed accounts of the book’s diverse themes. It is a valuable and insightful volume for both researchers and others interested in the fields of historical astronomy and cultural astronomy.

Aspects of Science and Technology in Ancient India

Download Aspects of Science and Technology in Ancient India PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1000843742
Total Pages : 183 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (8 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Aspects of Science and Technology in Ancient India by : Arun Kumar Jha

Download or read book Aspects of Science and Technology in Ancient India written by Arun Kumar Jha and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-03-14 with total page 183 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book critically examines different aspects of scientific and technological development in Ancient India. It studies the special contribution of the history of science in our scientific understanding and its relationship with the philosophy and sociology of science. The volume: Discusses diverse and wide-ranging themes including Tibetan Buddhist tradition of neuro-biology; Sheds light on the unique developments within iron technology and urbanization in ancient Odisha; Studies the trajectory of proto-historic astronomy in India and the science of monsoon in early India; Evaluates the legacy of Aryabhata based on his major works related to astronomy and mathematics through a multidimensional perspective; Analyses the traditional knowledge of medicine in early India, the golden age of surgery with reference to the ancient Greek and Arabic systems of medicine, and the Buddhist influence on the science of medicine in Tibet. This book will be an essential read for scholars and researchers of ancient history, Indian history, history of science, history of technology, science and technology studies, and South Asian studies.

INTRODUCTION TO INDIAN KNOWLEDGE SYSTEM

Download INTRODUCTION TO INDIAN KNOWLEDGE SYSTEM PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.
ISBN 13 : 9391818218
Total Pages : 448 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (918 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis INTRODUCTION TO INDIAN KNOWLEDGE SYSTEM by : MAHADEVAN, B.

Download or read book INTRODUCTION TO INDIAN KNOWLEDGE SYSTEM written by MAHADEVAN, B. and published by PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.. This book was released on 2022-04-13 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This textbook is a culmination of multiple efforts of the authors to fill in the gap for offering a required course on Indian Knowledge System (IKS), recently mandated by AICTE. Moreover, the New Education Policy (NEP) has also provided a clear trajectory for imparting IKS in the higher education curriculum, necessitating a book of this kind in several higher education institutions in the country in the days to come. The book seeks to introduce the epistemology and ontology of IKS to the Engineering and Science students in a way they can relate, appreciate and explore further should there be a keen interest in the matter. After a brief section on the key concepts of IKS, the remaining part of the book traces IKS and brings out the applications. After a formal and concise introduction to IKS, the book provides certain foundational concepts applicable across all domains of Science and Engineering. These form the second part. The Science applications are laid out in Part 3, Engineering applications in Part 4 and other important topics in the final part of the book. The authors have rich expertise and background in both 'mainstream issues' and 'traditional knowledge' to present IKS in a contextually relevant fashion. They have delicately balanced the 'why' or 'how' of IKS and the 'what' of IKS. Although the book has been primarily developed for use by the Engineering institutions, the structure and the contents also address the requirement in other University systems (Liberal Arts, Medicine, Science and Management). This textbook incorporates several pedagogical features including a companion website https://www.phindia.com/ introduction_to_indian_knowledge_system that will make learning effective and enjoyable for the students. TARGET AUDIENCE Students at: • Engineering Institutes • Higher Education Institutes

No Shadow of a Doubt

Download No Shadow of a Doubt PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691217157
Total Pages : 416 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (912 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis No Shadow of a Doubt by : Daniel Kennefick

Download or read book No Shadow of a Doubt written by Daniel Kennefick and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2021-03-09 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On their 100th anniversary, the story of the extraordinary scientific expeditions that ushered in the era of relativity In 1919, British scientists led extraordinary expeditions to Brazil and Africa to test Albert Einstein's revolutionary new theory of general relativity in what became the century's most celebrated scientific experiment. The result ushered in a new era and made Einstein a global celebrity by confirming his dramatic prediction that the path of light rays would be bent by gravity. Today, Einstein's theory is scientific fact. Yet the effort to weigh light by measuring the gravitational deflection of starlight during the May 29, 1919, solar eclipse has become clouded by myth and skepticism. Could Arthur Eddington and Frank Dyson have gotten the results they claimed? Did the pacifist Eddington falsify evidence to foster peace after a horrific war by validating the theory of a German antiwar campaigner? In No Shadow of a Doubt, Daniel Kennefick provides definitive answers by offering the most comprehensive and authoritative account of how expedition scientists overcame war, bad weather, and equipment problems to make the experiment a triumphant success. The reader follows Eddington on his voyage to Africa through his letters home, and delves with Dyson into how the complex experiment was accomplished, through his notes. Other characters include Howard Grubb, the brilliant Irishman who made the instruments; William Campbell, the American astronomer who confirmed the result; and Erwin Findlay-Freundlich, the German whose attempts to perform the test in Crimea were foiled by clouds and his arrest. By chronicling the expeditions and their enormous impact in greater detail than ever before, No Shadow of a Doubt reveals a story that is even richer and more exciting than previously known.

American Eclipse: A Nation's Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World

Download American Eclipse: A Nation's Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Liveright Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1631490176
Total Pages : 339 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (314 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis American Eclipse: A Nation's Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World by : David Baron

Download or read book American Eclipse: A Nation's Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World written by David Baron and published by Liveright Publishing. This book was released on 2017-06-06 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Longlisted for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Prize for Literary Science Writing Winner of the AIP Science Communication Award An Amazon Best Book of the Year (Science) A St. Louis Post-Dispatch Best Book of the Year Finalist for the Colorado Book Award (Nonfiction) Booklist Editors’ Choice (Science & Technology) Featuring a new afterword priming readers for the total solar eclipse of 2024, this “essential” (BBC) account brilliantly captures the celestial and human drama of eclipses. With this “suspenseful narrative history” (Maureen Corrigan, NPR’s Fresh Air), award-winning science writer David Baron tells the story of the enterprising scientists—among them, planet hunter James Craig Watson, pioneering astronomer Maria Mitchell, and ambitious young inventor Thomas Edison—who raced to Wyoming and Colorado in the summer of 1878, at the dawn of the Gilded Age, to observe the first great American eclipse. Thrillingly recreating the fierce jockeying of these nineteenth-century astronomers, Baron draws on years of “exhaustive research to reconstruct a remarkable chapter of U.S. history” (Lee Billings, Scientific American), when the fate of American science still hung precariously in the balance. Now updated with an afterword that unites eclipses and eclipse-chasers past and present—revisiting the total solar eclipse of 2017 and looking forward to that of 2024—American Eclipse reveals the enduring power of these ethereal events to bring people together across space and time.

In the Shadow of the Moon

Download In the Shadow of the Moon PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Yale University Press
ISBN 13 : 0300227574
Total Pages : 277 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (2 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis In the Shadow of the Moon by : Anthony Aveni

Download or read book In the Shadow of the Moon written by Anthony Aveni and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2017-04-25 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From an award-winning author, astronomer, and anthropologist, an exploration of the scientific and cultural significance of the mesmerizing cosmic display. Since the first humans looked up and saw the sun swallowed by darkness, our species has been captivated by solar eclipses. Astronomer and anthropologist Anthony Aveni explains the history and culture surrounding solar eclipses, from prehistoric Stonehenge to Babylonian creation myths, to a confirmation of Einstein’s theory of general relativity, to a spectacle that left New York City in the moon’s shadow, to future eclipses that will capture human imaginations. In one accessible and engaging read, Aveni explains the science behind the phenomenon, tracks eclipses across the ancient world, and examines the roles of solar eclipses in modern times to reveal the profound effects these cosmic events have had on human history. Colored by his own experiences—Aveni has witnessed eight total solar eclipses in his lifetime—his account of astronomy’s most storied phenomenon will enthrall anyone who has looked up at the sky with wonder. “Aveni’s authoritative but accessible text is the clearest statement of the way our perception of eclipses has changed over the centuries.” —Stuart Clark, New Scientist “Authoritative and engaging.” —Marcelo Gleiser, NPR’s 13.7 “A recommended way to share the spirit of the occasion.” —Laurence A. Marschall, Natural History magazine “Everything you need to enjoy a solar eclipse—and even predict one, just like the Babylonians did! Aveni’s entertaining explorations show the very different impacts eclipses have had on past and present cultures.” —David DeVorkin, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution

Celestial Shadows

Download Celestial Shadows PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 1493915355
Total Pages : 727 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (939 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Celestial Shadows by : John Westfall

Download or read book Celestial Shadows written by John Westfall and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-11-19 with total page 727 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Much of what is known about the universe came from the study of celestial shadows. This book looks in detail at the way eclipses and other celestial shadows have given us amazing insights into the nature of the objects in our solar system and how they are even helping us discover and analyze planets that orbit stars other than our Sun. A variety of eclipses, transits, and occultations of the mooons of Jupiter and Saturn, Pluto and its satellite Charon, asteroids and stars have helped astronomers to work out their dimensions, structures, and shapes - even the existence of atmospheres and structures of exoplanets. Long before Columbus set out to reach the Far East by sailing West, the curved shadow of the Earth on the Moon during a lunar eclipse revealed that we inhabit a round world, a globe. More recently, comparisons of the sunlit and Earthlit parts of the Moon have been used to determine changes in the Earth's brightness as a way of monitoring possible effects in cloud coverage which may be related to global warming. Shadows were used by the Greek mathematician Eratosthenes to work out the first estimate of the circumference of the Earth, by Galileo to measure the heights of the lunar mountains and by eighteenth century astronomers to determine the scale of the Solar System itself. Some of the rarest and most wonderful shadows of all are those cast onto Earth by the lovely "Evening Star" Venus as it goes between the Earth and the Sun. These majestic transits of Venus occur at most two in a century; after the 2012 transit, there is not a chance to observe this phenomenon until 2117, while the more common sweep of a total solar eclipse creates one of the most dramatic and awe-inspiring events of nature. Though it may have once been a source of consternation or dread, solar eclipses now lead thousands of amateur astronomers and "eclipse-chasers" to travel the globe in order to experience the dramatic view under "totality." These phenomena are among the most spectacular available to observers and are given their full due in Westfall and Sheehan's comprehensive study.