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EDITORIAL INFORMATION

The Ever-Changing Sky provides a comprehensive and uniquely non- mathematical guide to spherical astronomy. In a clear and lucid text, the reader is guided through terrestrial and celestial co-ordinate systems, time measurements and celestial navigation, to the prediction of the rising and setting of the stars, Sun and Moon. The book focuses on the geometrical aspects of the night sky without the use of complex trigonometry (which is saved to a handy appendix).

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 halos). 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.

(Extracted from the dust jacket).

GENERAL TABLE OF CONTENTS

-Contents.

-List of Tables.

-Preface.

-1- The Earth and the Celestial Sphere.

-2- The Moving Earth and the Traveling Observer.

-3- The Orbital Motion of the Earth.

-4- Stars and Constellations.

-5- Precession, Nutation, and Aberration.

-6- Time.

-7- Sunrise and Sunset.

-8- Positions in the Sky and on Earth.

-9- The Moon.

-10- Tides, Eclipses, and Calendars.

-11- The Planets.

-12- The Small Bodies of the Solar System.

-13- Light and the Atmosphere.

-Appendix 1. Graphs and Tables.

-Appendix 2. Star Maps.

-Appendix 3. Trigonometric Relationships.

-Bibliography.

-Index.

OUR REVIEW

Many are the books that take us into the mysteries of astronomy for the first time. Some of them deal with the different aspects which characterize this science with greater detail than others. The book we are considering now could be said to be situated in an average scale in this respect, yet it also is one of the most detailed, complete ones. Kaler integrates a good mixture of theory and practice, while leaving out very few details. Written in a clear, well studied style, the reader should learn a lot with this book. With it, the readers will certainly satiate all their needs for a basic knowledge on the observation of the skies with the naked eye, one of the most forgotten pleasures for us nowadays.

The book is generously illustrated with numerous graphics and photographs, something essential for this kind of works. These contribute greatly to the understanding of, not only how the studied objects and bodies are seen, but also why they behave in a given way. Its controlled presentation, almost free from mathematical displays, makes this a very accessible work and one quite apt for any amateur reader interested in this field.