Sky Above and Worlds Beyond

I found this book at a library bargain book rummage sell. Though the copyright date is 1983 and some of the information is a tad out of date thanks to NASA's on-going stellar research, this book is a fun and easy little read for those who love astronomy, astronomy humor, and imaginative astronomy. It's an excellent product for those who want to teach basic astronomy concepts to young people. It has value in showing us where we (as a species) have been with our "space" thinking / exploration, and it prompts us to search for updates to present and future cosmic stories and dreams. I can't imagine why anyone wanted to part with it because I just love it! :) Perhaps, one paragraph in the book was the deal breaker for me: Quote from book: (On viewing stars--past and present) "To get an idea of what the cave people saw you would have to go deep into the desert, miles away from factories and buses, and street lamps. Today air and light pollution blot out hundreds of stars. In fact, in large cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York, people have trouble seeing Sirius, the brightest star in the sky next to the sun. For some of us our view of the night sky is very much like looking through a dirty window. But there were no dirty windows forty thousand years ago, and the stars blazed sharp and clear...." (Page 5). Wow! Even way back in 1983, we were worried about preserving Dark Skies! Chapter List: 1. Star Fever (Getting into Star Gazing as a Hobby and Why) 2. Yes, We Had No Telescopes (History of Sky Watching with some intriguing observations) 3. The Green Cheese (Moons, Gravity, and Roche Limit) 4. We Are Family (Our Solar System Family) 5. The Grand Tour (Visiting Other Worlds; The Grandest Vacation) 6. Fire in the Sky (Meteors, Comets, Heavenly Shows and Showers) 7. Has Anybody Seen My Martian? (Mars, Myths & Missions) 8. Big Sol (Our sun) 9. Star Light, Star Bright (Other Stars, Black Holes, and Space Monsters) 10. Above and Beyond (Going to Other Worlds; Daedalus Project) 11. Hello, This is Earth Calling (Radio Astronomy and SETI) SEE FOR YOURSELF (Observing; Sky Maps) FURTHER READING INDEX This enthusiastic little book is worth reading! I wish the publishers would revise and present a new edition! :D