Front cover image for Out of the blue : a 24-hour skywatcher's guide

Out of the blue : a 24-hour skywatcher's guide

Why is the sky blue? How can I see an eclipse? Skywatcher John Naylor offers practical advice on where and when you should look for natural phenomena in both the day and night sky. Out of the Blue is for all those curious or puzzled about things optical and astronomical
eBook, English, 2002
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2002
Handbooks and manuals
1 online resource : color illustrations
9780511064043, 9780511057717, 9780521809252, 9780511072505, 9780511536595, 9781280433818, 9781107131842, 9786610433810, 9781139147576, 9780511169755, 9780511308536, 0511064047, 0511057717, 0521809258, 0511072503, 0511536593, 1280433817, 1107131847, 661043381X, 1139147579, 0511169752, 0511308531
57365191
Prefacexi
Introduction1(4)
Daylight
5(24)
The colour of the daytime sky
5(2)
Why is the sky blue?
7(4)
Airlight
11(3)
Aerial perspective
14(4)
How far can you see?
18(2)
Polarised light
20(1)
Polarised light from the sky
21(4)
Polarised light due to reflections
25(2)
Haidinger's brush
27(2)
Shadows
29(21)
No light without shadow
29(1)
Solar shadows
30(3)
Shadows formed by point sources
33(2)
Mach bands
35(1)
Coloured shadows
36(3)
The heiligenschein
39(4)
Shadows on water
43(3)
Shadows formed by clouds
46(2)
Shadows under trees in leaf
48(2)
Mirages
50(14)
Atmospheric refraction
50(3)
Inferior mirages
53(4)
Superior mirages
57(4)
Lake monsters
61(1)
Looming and unusual visual range
62(2)
Sunset and sunrise
64(24)
Sunset
64(6)
Twilight
70(3)
Clouds at sunset
73(2)
The purple light
75(2)
Crepuscular rays
77(2)
Mountain shadows
79(1)
Abnormal twilights
79(1)
The Sun at the horizon
80(4)
Green flashes
84(2)
The Purkinje effect
86(2)
Rainbows
88(39)
Unweaving the rainbow
88(3)
How to recognise a rainbow
91(4)
Looking for rainbows
95(2)
Supernumerary bows
97(2)
Circular rainbows
99(2)
Rainbows at sunset and sunrise
101(1)
Lunar rainbows
102(1)
Reflection rainbows
103(2)
Reflected rainbows
105(1)
Spray bows
106(1)
Fog bows
106(2)
Rainbow wheels
108(1)
Horizontal rainbows
109(2)
Searchlight rainbows
111(1)
Eclipse rainbows
112(1)
Anomalous rainbows
112(2)
Explaining the rainbow
114(8)
Tertiary rainbows
122(1)
Polarised rainbows
123(1)
Are rainbows real?
123(2)
Notes for rainbow observers
125(2)
Coronae and glories
127(9)
Coronae
127(3)
Other situations in which coronae are seen
130(1)
Cloud iridescence
131(2)
Glories
133(2)
Notes for observers of coronae and glories
135(1)
Atmospheric halos
136(21)
Ice halos
136(3)
22° halo
139(5)
Upper tangent arc
144(1)
46° halo
144(1)
Rare halos
145(1)
Parhelia
146(3)
Circumzenithal and circumhorizontal arcs
149(2)
The parhelic circle
151(1)
Sun pillars
152(1)
Subsuns
152(2)
Notes for ice halo observers
154(3)
The night sky
157(14)
A brief history of the sky
157(4)
Naked-eye astronomy
161(2)
The celestial sphere
163(2)
The ecliptic
165(2)
The apparent motion of the Sun
167(2)
Why is the sky dark at night?
169(1)
The sky beyond the equator
170(1)
The Moon
171(48)
Observing the Moon
171(1)
The Earth-Moon system
172(4)
Looking at the Moon without a telescope
176(4)
The lunar surface
180(3)
The best time to look at the Moon
183(2)
The Moon in daylight
185(3)
How bright is the Moon?
188(5)
Earthshine
193(2)
Moonlight
195(2)
The Moon illusion
197(1)
A Blue Moon
198(1)
Sidereal and synodic months
199(1)
Finding the Moon in the sky
200(4)
Moonrise and moonset
204(3)
The lunar day
207(1)
Libration
208(2)
Lunar puzzles
210(3)
The Moon's phases
213(6)
Eclipses
219(21)
Chasing eclipses
219(1)
Solar eclipses
220(2)
Preparing to see an eclipse
222(2)
Watching a solar eclipse
224(3)
Eclipse checklist
227(4)
Explaining a solar eclipse
231(5)
Eclipses of the Moon
236(4)
Planets
240(18)
The Solar System
240(6)
How to tell a planet from a star
246(3)
Inferior and superior planets
249(1)
Where to look for an inferior planet
250(2)
Mercury
252(1)
Venus
252(2)
Where to look for a superior planet
254(2)
Apparent changes in brightness of superior planets
256(2)
Stars
258(24)
Light without form
258(3)
Where are the stars?
261(5)
Star brightness
266(5)
Star colours
271(1)
Looking at stars through a telescope
272(2)
Why do stars twinkle?
274(1)
Seeing in the dark
275(2)
Peripheral vision
277(1)
Why are stars star-shaped?
277(1)
Constellations
278(4)
Comets and meteors
282(18)
Comets
282(5)
Meteors
287(6)
Artificial satellites
293(1)
Aurorae
294(3)
Zodiacal light
297(3)
APPENDIX: Technical and practical advice for skygazing300(6)
Estimating distance
300(1)
A primer on angles
301(1)
Binoculars
302(2)
A cloud primer
304(2)
Glossary306(10)
Further reading316(3)
Sources and notes319(26)
Index345
English
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