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Product Identifiers
PublisherSpringer New York
ISBN-10038748941X
ISBN-139780387489414
eBay Product ID (ePID)2309347683
Product Key Features
Number of PagesXviii, 250 Pages
LanguageEnglish
Publication NameSirius : Brightest Diamond in the Night Sky
SubjectPhysics / Astrophysics, Astronomy
Publication Year2007
TypeTextbook
Subject AreaScience
AuthorJay B. Holberg
SeriesSpringer Praxis Bks.
FormatPerfect
Dimensions
Item Height0.2 in
Item Weight21 Oz
Item Length9.5 in
Item Width6.7 in
Additional Product Features
Intended AudienceScholarly & Professional
Dewey Edition22
ReviewsFrom the reviews: "This book is wonderful, being an authoritative and connected history of Sirius as seen throughout the ages. a? I am highly impressed by the original new research reported in this book. a? I could imagine that this book would be good for constructing an astro-history course around. a? But mainly, for people like us, it is a great story with a lot of new information." (HAD News, Vol. 70, May, 2007), From the reviews:"This book is wonderful, being an authoritative and connected history of Sirius as seen throughout the ages. … I am highly impressed by the original new research reported in this book. … I could imagine that this book would be good for constructing an astro-history course around. … But mainly, for people like us, it is a great story with a lot of new information." (HAD News, Vol. 70, May, 2007)"To write a complete book about a single star may sound like a daunting task, but Jay Holberg, a senior research scientist at the lunar and planetary laboratory in Arizona, has done so with success. … The book is meticulously researched … . It's a fascinating read and will appeal equally to the newcomer to astronomy and to the serious student. This is recommended without the slightest hesitation." (Patrick Moore, BBC Sky at Night, July, 2007)"Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, has been of human interest at least since early Egyptian priests watched for its heliacal rising as a sign that the Nile would soon flood and fertilize the fields. … Ample bibliography for further investigation. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers; lower-division undergraduates through faculty." (M. Dickinson, Choice, Vol. 45 (1), 2007)Jay Holberg has chosen Sirius as the subject of this charming and well-written book which covers both the lore and the physics of the brighter star in the sky. … I thoroughly recommend this book as an instructive and entertaining read (Holberg is good at the apposite analogy), and as one that discusses the early 20th-century advances in astrophysics, which are often ignored in popular books, but underlie our modern understanding of stars. (William Tobin, Southern Stars, Vol. 46 (2), June, 2007), From the reviews: "This book is wonderful, being an authoritative and connected history of Sirius as seen throughout the ages. ? I am highly impressed by the original new research reported in this book. ? I could imagine that this book would be good for constructing an astro-history course around. ? But mainly, for people like us, it is a great story with a lot of new information." (HAD News, Vol. 70, May, 2007) "To write a complete book about a single star may sound like a daunting task, but Jay Holberg, a senior research scientist at the lunar and planetary laboratory in Arizona, has done so with success. ? The book is meticulously researched ? . It?'s a fascinating read and will appeal equally to the newcomer to astronomy and to the serious student. This is recommended without the slightest hesitation." (Patrick Moore, BBC Sky at Night, July, 2007) "Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, has been of human interest at least since early Egyptian priests watched for its heliacal rising as a sign that the Nile would soon flood and fertilize the fields. ? Ample bibliography for further investigation. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers; lower-division undergraduates through faculty." (M. Dickinson, Choice, Vol. 45 (1), 2007), From the reviews: "This book is wonderful, being an authoritative and connected history of Sirius as seen throughout the ages. ? I am highly impressed by the original new research reported in this book. ? I could imagine that this book would be good for constructing an astro-history course around. ? But mainly, for people like us, it is a great story with a lot of new information." (HAD News, Vol. 70, May, 2007) "To write a complete book about a single star may sound like a daunting task, but Jay Holberg, a senior research scientist at the lunar and planetary laboratory in Arizona, has done so with success. ? The book is meticulously researched ? . It?'s a fascinating read and will appeal equally to the newcomer to astronomy and to the serious student. This is recommended without the slightest hesitation." (Patrick Moore, BBC Sky at Night, July, 2007), From the reviews: "This book is wonderful, being an authoritative and connected history of Sirius as seen throughout the ages. ... I am highly impressed by the original new research reported in this book. ... I could imagine that this book would be good for constructing an astro-history course around. ... But mainly, for people like us, it is a great story with a lot of new information." (HAD News, Vol. 70, May, 2007) "To write a complete book about a single star may sound like a daunting task, but Jay Holberg, a senior research scientist at the lunar and planetary laboratory in Arizona, has done so with success. ... The book is meticulously researched ... . It's a fascinating read and will appeal equally to the newcomer to astronomy and to the serious student. This is recommended without the slightest hesitation." (Patrick Moore, BBC Sky at Night, July, 2007) "Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, has been of human interest at least since early Egyptian priests watched for its heliacal rising as a sign that the Nile would soon flood and fertilize the fields. ... Ample bibliography for further investigation. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers; lower-division undergraduates through faculty." (M. Dickinson, Choice, Vol. 45 (1), 2007) "Jay Holberg has chosen Sirius as the subject of this charming and well-written book which covers both the lore and the physics of the brighter star in the sky. ... I thoroughly recommend this book as an instructive and entertaining read (Holberg is good at the apposite analogy), and as one that discusses the early 20th-century advances in astrophysics, which are often ignored in popular books, but underlie our modern understanding of stars." (William Tobin, Southern Stars, Vol. 46 (2), June, 2007)
Number of Volumes1 vol.
IllustratedYes
Dewey Decimal523.8
Table Of ContentAncient Sirius.- The Goddess of the Eastern Horizon.- The Dog Star.- The Nature of the Stars.- From Myth to Reality.- A Dark Star Prophesied.- A Dark Star Revealed.- The Physics of the Stars.- An Odd Pair.- Giants among the Dwarfs.- A Matter of Degeneracy.- Einstein's Well.- A Controversial and Occult Sirius.- A Red Sirius.- Modern Mysteries.- A Contemporary and Future Sirius.- A View from Space.- Past, Present, and Future.
SynopsisOf all the fixed stars in the night sky, Sirius is by far the brightest - almost twice as bright as its nearest rival, the star Canopus, which lies too far south to be viewed from most of the Northern Hemisphere. Only the Sun, Moon and the planets Venus, Jupiter and, at times, Mars, appear brighter. Sirius, with its flashing brilliance, is a striking feature of the northern winter sky and has understandably drawn the attention of observers of the night sky for thousands of years. Sirius has many names. Astronomers recognize over fifty designations for the star, but the most commonly used is Alpha Canis Majoris, the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major. This is Latin for the 'Great Dog', which has led to its popular nickname the 'Dog Star'. Over the centuries many beliefs have come to be associated with Sirius. Some of these beliefs still echo in such phrases as 'the dog days of summer', which the ancient Romans understood well. Other old beliefs long ago fell from public consciousness -- only to be revived and to grow into modern popular and scientific controversies. Although these beliefs may seem quite recent, many have their origins in the ancient lore surrounding Sirius; humans seem naturally drawn to its brilliance, and a surprising number of modern cults have nucleated around beliefs in which Sirius plays a prominent role., Sirius - A Diamond in the Night will tell two stories. The first and most obvious is why the star known as Sirius has been regarded as an important fixture of the night sky by many civilizations and cultures since the beginnings of history. A second, but related, narrative is the prominent part that Sirius has played in how we came to achieve our current scientific understanding of the nature and fate of the stars. These two topics have a long intertwined history, and the telling of one story eventually leads back to the other. Presently, new observations from space are revealing, in precise terms, how stars like Sirius and the Sun have evolved and what they will ultimately become, while at the same time answering some of the age-old questions about Sirius. The book is divided into five parts. The first (Chapters 1 and 2) describes how Sirius was viewed by the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece and Rome. The second part (Chapters 3-5) describes how early astronomers sought to determine the nature of the stars, including the prediction that Sirius possessed an unseen companion and the eventual discovery of this white dwarf companion 18 years later. The third part (chapters 6-9) describes the major discoveries in stellar astrophysics revealed by observations of Sirius. The fourth part (chapters 10 and 11) probes the modern scientific and pseudo scientific controversies involving Sirius, including the 'Red Sirius' and Dogon tribe stories. The final part (Chapters 12 and 13) highlights modern observations made with the Hubble Space Telescope and other spacecraft of the white dwarf companion., Of all the fixed stars in the night sky, Sirius is by far the brightest ? almost twice as bright as its nearest rival, the star Canopus, which lies too far south to be viewed from most of the Northern Hemisphere. Only the Sun, Moon and the planets Venus, Jupiter and, at times, Mars, appear brighter. Sirius, with its flashing brilliance, is a striking feature of the northern winter sky and has understandably drawn the attention of observers of the night sky for thousands of years. Sirius has many names. Astronomers recognize over fifty designations for the star, but the most commonly used is Alpha Canis Majoris, the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major. This is Latin for the 'Great Dog', which has led to its popular nickname the ?Dog Star?'. Over the centuries many beliefs have come to be associated with Sirius. Some of these beliefs still echo in such phrases as ?the dog days of summer?, which the ancient Romans understood well. Other old beliefs long ago fell from public consciousness ? only to be revived and to grow into modern popular and scientific controversies. Although these beliefs may seem quite recent, many have their origins in the ancient lore surrounding Sirius; humans seem naturally drawn to its brilliance, and a surprising number of modern cults have nucleated around beliefs in which Sirius plays a prominent role., This is the first book to integrate the cultural history of Sirius with modern astrophysics in a way which provides a realistic view of how science progresses over time. The book tells two stories. The first and most obvious is why the star known as Sirius has been regarded as an important fixture of the night sky by many civilizations and cultures since the beginnings of history. A second, but related, narrative is the prominent part that Sirius has played in how we came to achieve our current scientific understanding of the nature and fate of the stars. The book further provides an intriguing, in-depth treatment of longstanding Sirius controversies, such as Red Sirius and the story of the Dogon tribe, and it contains the results of original historical studies, as well as topical and timely scientific research., This book describes why Sirius has been regarded as an important fixture of the night sky since the beginnings of history. It also examines the part that Sirius has played in how we came to achieve our current scientific understanding of stars.
LC Classification NumberQB1-991
