Connecting with the Cosmos: Nine Ways to Experience the Wonder of the Universe

I'm a big fan of naked eye astronomy, meaning I like observing the night sky without the aid of a telescope or star charts. I've often asked myself the question...if you were blindfolded and transported to somewhere in the world away from civilization, what could you determine by looking at the night sky. I discovered the answer is more than you think, including clock time, calendar time, compass directions, and your approximate latitude and longitude (hence location on earth) This is one book I'd highly recommend if you're interested is this type of information, along with Stikky Nights and The Stars by Rey. Among other things, it explains how to determine time by using the Big Dipper, compass direction in both the North and South hemisphere, and indirectly explains how to determine the calendar month and your latitude using the stars and constellations. It also gives one of the clearest explanation of the seasonal soltices I've ever read. This was not the direct intent of the book, which is more about appreciating the universe through direct observation, but the information is there, none the less. This book was poorly marketed. (I picked it up in Barnes and Noble in the bargain section for $5.) It was released in hardcover, looks like a coffee table book, and can be easily mistaken as a book either for New Age gurus or elementary school readers. (Look at the cover.) If this book were released again in softcover and marketed to amateur astronomers, my guess is it would be received quite favorably. Recommended if you can find it.

For me, this book was delicious. I could hardly put it down. It is written intelligently and yet on a level that we can all understand. I was delighted to have concepts explained in the detail that I had never heard before or at least I don't remember having learned in school, probably because my teachers didn't really have a professional grasp on the subject that Dr. Goldsmith does. I have given the book as a gift to others who are in my position, i.e. they are enthusiastic learners who have been away from this subject for a very long time. I enjoyed the topics which include: the sun, the moon, calendars, the stars, the planets, the constellations, light, the calendar, the milky way, the zodiac, meteors, shooting stars, and more. The book has beautiful photos and excellent charts, and doable exercises at the end of each chapter. Thank you Dr. Goldsmith!