Mystery of the Ashen Light of Venus (eBook)

Investigating a 400-Year-Old Phenomenon
eBook Download: PDF
2021 | 1st ed. 2021
XVI, 257 Seiten
Springer International Publishing (Verlag)
978-3-030-72715-4 (ISBN)

Lese- und Medienproben

Mystery of the Ashen Light of Venus - John C. Barentine
Systemvoraussetzungen
28,88 inkl. MwSt
  • Download sofort lieferbar
  • Zahlungsarten anzeigen

The 'Ashen Light' of Venus-a ghostly emission of light from the night side of our nearest planetary neighbor-is among the last unsolved mysteries of astronomical history. In the four centuries since the phenomenon was first reported, highly reputable visual observers of Venus have recorded seeing the Ashen Light, while others have spent a lifetime searching for it without once being convinced that they ever saw it.

Is the Ashen Light a trick of the eye? The result of a defective lens? A real scientific event?

Occasional references to the Ashen Light are scattered across the literature, yet no work to date has synthesized these records. This book therefore digs deep into the history of the mystery and our latest attempts to understand it, sifting through the clues that might explain whether it is caused by physics, is conjured up by the eye or brain, or a combination of both. 

This baffling story will appeal to amateur astronomers, hobbyists, and lay readers interested in joining the debate about one of the most elusive observable phenomena ever recorded in the night sky.



John Barentine currently serves as the Director of Public Policy for the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) in Tucson, Arizona. He grew up in the Phoenix area and was involved in amateur astronomy there from early on. Later, he attended the University of Arizona, doing research at the National Optical Astronomy Observatories and National Solar Observatory headquarters in Tucson. From 2001-06 he was on the staff of Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico, serving first as an observing specialist on the Astrophysical Research Consortium 3.5-m telescope and then as an observer for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.

John obtained a master's degree in physics at Colorado State University and a master's and doctorate in astronomy at the University of Texas at Austin. John has contributed to science in fields ranging from solar physics to galaxy evolution while helping develop hardware for ground-based and aircraft-borne astronomy. Throughout his career, he has been involved in education and outreach efforts to help increase the public understanding of science. In addition to his work for IDA, John is a member of the steering committee of the University of Utah Consortium for Dark Sky Studies and serves on light pollution committees of the American Astronomical Society and the International Astronomical Union. In 2018, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.

John is the author of two books on the history of astronomy for Springer: 'The Lost Constellations' and 'Uncharted Constellations.' The asteroid (14505) Barentine is named in his honor. His interests outside of astronomy and dark skies include history, art/architecture, politics, law and current events.
Erscheint lt. Verlag 7.9.2021
Reihe/Serie Astronomers' Universe
Astronomers' Universe
Zusatzinfo XVI, 257 p. 49 illus., 18 illus. in color.
Sprache englisch
Themenwelt Sachbuch/Ratgeber Natur / Technik Weltraum / Astronomie
Geisteswissenschaften Geschichte
Naturwissenschaften Physik / Astronomie Astronomie / Astrophysik
Schlagworte 17th century astronomy • Ashen Light • Ashen Light 1643 • dark side of venus • martian canals • observing Earthshine • observing Venus • Venus 17th century • Victorian astronomy
ISBN-10 3-030-72715-7 / 3030727157
ISBN-13 978-3-030-72715-4 / 9783030727154
Haben Sie eine Frage zum Produkt?
PDFPDF (Wasserzeichen)
Größe: 5,2 MB

DRM: Digitales Wasserzeichen
Dieses eBook enthält ein digitales Wasser­zeichen und ist damit für Sie persona­lisiert. Bei einer missbräuch­lichen Weiter­gabe des eBooks an Dritte ist eine Rück­ver­folgung an die Quelle möglich.

Dateiformat: PDF (Portable Document Format)
Mit einem festen Seiten­layout eignet sich die PDF besonders für Fach­bücher mit Spalten, Tabellen und Abbild­ungen. Eine PDF kann auf fast allen Geräten ange­zeigt werden, ist aber für kleine Displays (Smart­phone, eReader) nur einge­schränkt geeignet.

Systemvoraussetzungen:
PC/Mac: Mit einem PC oder Mac können Sie dieses eBook lesen. Sie benötigen dafür einen PDF-Viewer - z.B. den Adobe Reader oder Adobe Digital Editions.
eReader: Dieses eBook kann mit (fast) allen eBook-Readern gelesen werden. Mit dem amazon-Kindle ist es aber nicht kompatibel.
Smartphone/Tablet: Egal ob Apple oder Android, dieses eBook können Sie lesen. Sie benötigen dafür einen PDF-Viewer - z.B. die kostenlose Adobe Digital Editions-App.

Buying eBooks from abroad
For tax law reasons we can sell eBooks just within Germany and Switzerland. Regrettably we cannot fulfill eBook-orders from other countries.

Mehr entdecken
aus dem Bereich
Sonne, Mond und Sterne im Jahreslauf - mit Astrokalender für …

von Hans-Ulrich Keller

eBook Download (2023)
Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. KG
16,99
Perspektiven auf die Menschheit

von Neil deGrasse Tyson

eBook Download (2024)
Klett-Cotta (Verlag)
19,99
Das Jahrbuch für Amateurastronomen - mit umfangreichem Astrokalender …

von Hans Roth

eBook Download (2023)
Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. KG
29,99