Totality : eclipses of the sun /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:Littmann, Mark, 1939-
Edition:3rd ed.
Imprint:Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2008.
Description:1 online resource (xv, 341 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates) : illustrations (some color), maps
Language:English
Subject:Solar eclipses.
SCIENCE -- Astronomy.
Solar eclipses.
Electronic books.
Electronic books.
Format: E-Resource Book
URL for this record:http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/11187281
Hidden Bibliographic Details
Other authors / contributors:Espenak, Fred.
Willcox, Ken, 1943-
ISBN:9780191559709
0191559709
0199532095
9780199532094
Notes:Includes bibliographical references (pages 329-333) and index.
Print version record.
Summary:A total eclipse of the Sun is the most awesome sight in the heavens. Totality: Eclipses of the Sun takes you to eclipses of the past, present, and future, and lets you see - and feel - why people travel to the ends of the Earth to observe them. - ;A total eclipse of the Sun is the most awesome sight in the heavens. Totality: Eclipses of the Sun takes you to eclipses of the past, present, and future, and lets you see - and feel - why people travel to the ends of the Earth to observe them. Totality: Eclipses of the Sun is the best guide and reference book on solar eclipses ever written. It expla.
Other form:Print version: Littmann, Mark, 1939- Totality. 3rd ed. Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2008 0199532095 9780199532094
Review by Choice Review

Some of the materal in this book is devoted to forecasting the appearance of the July 11, 1991, eclipse and so will soon be outdated, but the book is also one of the best available sources of information on total solar eclipses in general. Topics include the geometry of eclipses, eclipses in mythology, the anatomy of the sun, famous historical eclipses, the scientific uses of eclipses, eclipse photography, and the personal experience of viewing a total eclipse. The important topic of observing safety is covered especially well. There are several interesting short articles by eclipse veterans and a number of wonderful anecdotes. (Thomas Edison traveled to Wyoming to try out a new invention during the eclipse of July 1878, only to be frustrated at the moment of darkness when confused hens returned to the chicken coop where he had installed his telescope.) The drawings and photographs (many in color) are uniformly excellent, and there are extensive tables of data. Highly recommended for all libraries.-T. Barker, Wheaton College (MA)

Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review

Rationalized beyond awe, we like to think there is nothing particularly wondrous about solar eclipses. Don't tell that to this troika of scientists, who organize the geometry, superstitions, eclipse expeditions, safe-viewing advice, and an almanac of the next two decades' worth of eclipses into a compendium that astronomy enthusiasts will clamor for. Littman et al. revel in the subject and provide a wealth of pertinent, interesting facts. One fact lends urgency to seeing every possible display of the spectacle: the final solar eclipse will take place in 620 million years, as the inexorably receding moon will no longer appear large enough to cover the solar disk. A practical fact urges library acquisition of this title: the eclipse on 11 August 2000 begins at dawn 300 miles off Boston, perhaps tempting vacationers to charter every whale-watching boat possible. But libraries needn't worry about ephemerality: the authors, in addition to the fascinating data, diagrams, and photos they provide, express effectively the awesomeness of the subtly darkening prelude to the dramatically instant onset of totality. A sure star in the astronomy collection. --Gilbert Taylor

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Choice Review


Review by Booklist Review