Lights in the Sky: Identifying and Understanding Astronomical and Meteorological Phenomena (The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series)
Language: English
Pages: 227
ISBN: 1846285623
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Many lights and other objects in the sky go unrecognised, or at least are little understood by those observing them. Such things range from the commonplace like rainbows and meteors, to the distinctly unusual like the green flash and ball lightning. And there is still a residuum of objects that remain unidentified by the watcher – classed generally as ‘UFOs’, a description which today has connotations of the mysterious, even of extraterrestrial visitors.
The first part of this book is an identification guide, very much like the "plant identifier" sections found in a good gardening or botany book. It allows quick (and structured) identification of known aerial phenomena, whether at night or during the day. The objects thus found are referenced to the second part of the book…
The second part gives a full description, physical explanation, and where relevant notes on observing and photographing the various phenomena. Some will need optical aids such as binoculars or telescopes, but the main thrust of the book is identification and explanation rather than imaging.
The final chapter approaches UFOs from a scientific standpoint, particularly the way in which human perception and often preconception affects the outcome. It does however finish with a short section on "extraterrestrial UFOs", emphasising the burden of proof aspect and touching on the scientific theories of life on other worlds and the improbability of visitors.
starlight by scattering it, or diffracting it, or both. This is a feature of particles this small, described as colloidal. When mixed with a cocktail of noxious gases like ozone and nitrogen oxides, the scene is set for Los Angeles smog (Figure 3.4). The problem is still with us today (Figure 3.5). Figure 3.5. UK Pollution, August 2004 Three decades later, we still see severe atmospheric pollution over the United Kingdom in a hot summer. Air Pollution 21 That’s the core problem in our
produced at least one good picture for me, the cover for a book on eclipses (Figures 8.3, 9.13, 9.14, 9.15, and 9.16). Figure 9.13. Bishop’s Ring The characteristic arc and colors around the setting sun. 122 Lights in the Sky Figure 9.14. Bishop’s Ring later Changes in coloration and intensity happen very rapidly as light levels fall. Figure 9.15. Bishop’s Ring, stars, and rhinos Nearly dark and only the red remains as the animals emerge. Dusk Glows 123 Figure 9.16. Venus Ring Clearly
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206 . Optical Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. 07 Videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. 09 Sightings of “Alien” UFOs at Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 . Sightings of “Alien” UFOs in the Daytime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209 Amateur Astronomers and UFOs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210 Contents
A tripod is an essential stability aid together with cable release. • For digital cameras the same rules apply except that the CCDs record to their limit anyway. For video cameras, these can also be used in “night-mode” in most cases and many allow frame capture via a computer. Consult the instruction manuals for their advice. Whatever you do the next time one appears, you must be prepared and ready. Always keep an old pair of binoculars handy and above all never throw away Figure 10.11. Hale
of the times they are flat and fall by sideslipping so that the overall effect is the same—they appear on average to remain horizontally flat. With the high winds often associated at those altitudes, the crystals don’t fall at all but are carried along flat as that’s with least air resistance. Whatever the cause, when the situation is thus, we can see the reflection mode of the solar pillars (Chapter 7). Halos and arcs on the other hand are an effect of light refracted through, not reflected from