Eclipse -- Journeys to the Dark Side of the Moon
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Published:19th Jan '17
£13.99
Available to order, but very limited on stock - if we have issues obtaining a copy, we will let you know.
On 21 August 2017, over 100 million people will gather in a narrow belt across the USA to witness the most watched total solar eclipse in history. Eclipse - Journeys to the Dark Side of the Moon, written by the widely read popular science author Frank Close, describes the spellbinding allure of this most beautiful natural phenomenon. The book explains why eclipses happen, reveals their role in history, literature and myth, and focuses on eclipse chasers, who travel with ecstatic fervour to some of the most inaccessible places on the globe to be present at the moment of totality. The book includes the author's quest to solve a 3000 years old mystery: how did the moon move backwards during a total solar eclipse, as claimed in the Book of Joshua? It is an inspirational tale: how a teacher and an eclipse inspired the author, aged eight, to a life in science, and a love affair with eclipses, which takes him to a war zone in the Western Sahara, to the South Pacific and the African bush. The tale comes full circle with another eight-year old boy - the author's grandson - at the 2017 great American eclipse. Readers of all ages will be drawn to this inspirational chronicle of the mesmerizing experience of total solar eclipse.
Entertaining, inspiring, and highly informative. * John Riutta, Astronomy, Featured Book Reviews *
Science and wonder mix seamlessly in this tale. * The Weekly Standard *
A down-to-earth, lyrical account of solar eclipses, centering on his [Frank's] trips to Africa, the South Pacific and other locales where he pursues, with a mix of intrepid zest and mathematical precision, total solar eclipses. Eclipse beautifully blends these travel narratives with the history of eclipses. * Shelf Awareness *
The author artfully weaves together his own experiences and an explanation of the phenomenon. * Kirkus Reviews *
Close's simple, winding, and occasionally evocative language is tinged with nostalgia, and his readers will see both the humanist and scientific elements involved in the "exquisite alignment of sun, moon, and earth." Close provides eyewitness account from regular people and personal reflections on seeing totality, convincingly demonstrating that there is nothing better than standing in lunar darkness and feeling 'humbled by the ability of science to predict'. * Publishers Weekly *
Close's book, combining the rigour of a scientist with the excitement of a layman, is [a] perfect primer.
More than just a primer on the science of solar eclipses, this memoir chronicles a physicists lifetime fascination with the celestial phenomenon and introduces readers to the quirky world of eclipse chasers. * Science News Books of the Year *
There are a plethora of guides to eclipse chasing that will satisfy those who want to know all the whys and wherefores of predicting and observing eclipses ... The reader does get a real sense of the lasting impact these eclipses have had on Close and the feeling that being present in the umbral shadow is an experience not to be missed. As an introduction to eclipses and the places eclipse watching might take you, this is an interesting read. * Steve Bell, Observatory Magazine *
ISBN: 9780198795490
Dimensions: 203mm x 135mm x 25mm
Weight: unknown
240 pages