The Rainbow Sky: An Exploration of Colors in the Solar System and Beyond 2010th Edition
Author(s): Tony Buick (Author)
Publisher: Springer
Publication Date: 23 Dec. 2009
Edition: 2010th
Language: English
Print length: 377 pages
ISBN-10: 1441910522
ISBN-13: 9781441910523
Book Description
W here do you start to write about colors in the universe? Do you look to the deepest ocean trenches on Earth, with their awesome bioluminescent creatures roaming the blackness of the abyss? And where do you finish? With the most distant galaxies in the cosmos? A difficult question, p- haps, but in between the two extremes, there is so much to marvel at that it really doesn’t matter where you start or end, as long as you note the staggeringly beautiful and complex examples of color there are and that each should, if possible, be represented in some way. Whether staring up at the sky when surprised by the sudden appearance of a vividly colored band of light that is a rainbow or peering through a telescope to view colors further afield, the origin and complexity of the source of light is witness to the wonderful and majestic world and the universe in which we live. A n attempt has been made here not only to create a picture gallery of the universe, but also to provide brief explanations or interpretation of the colors and, where appropriate, to give hints on how to capture p- tures easily yourself, without spending lots of money. As illustrated in the introduction, paying attention to just a few basic camera settings, it is possible to turn a blurred snapshot into a detailed and pin sharp picture worthy of framing and hanging on the wall.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Fireworks, flames, fiery pink sunsets, and rainbows: the world is a burst of color. We take it for granted, but as Tony Buick argues in The Rainbow Sky, that is how it should be. Gray roses wouldn’t tempt us to inhale their sweetness, and gray flames wouldn’t warn us they are hot and dangerous. Color, as the author discusses, is necessary to interpret our world and its place in the cosmos. Through stunning imagery, personal commentary and a conversational tone, Buick takes readers on a journey to explore color and discover its origins, it peculiarities and its ability to inspire awe. The Rainbow Sky, in its conversational tone, explains color on Earth, in the Solar System and beyond, and it reminds of the beauty and science of the rainbow.” — Ashley Yeager, Public Information Officer, W. M. Keck Observatory
From the Back Cover
The world is full of color, from the blue ocean and the yellow daffodils and sunflowers in green carpeted meadows to the majestic purple mountains in the distance and brightly hued coral reefs off the edges of tropical coasts.
But what is color, exactly? Why do we see things in different colors? Do we all see the same colors?
Like the surface of our planet, the sky above us offers us an endless palette of color, a visual feast for the eyes. Besides atmospheric phenomena such as sunsets and rainbows, there are the many varied worlds of the Solar System, which we can spy through our telescopes, with their subtle colorings of beige and blue and green. Faraway star systems have suns that come in shades ranging from red and yellow to blue and white. Scientists even often use “false colors” to enhance the features of images they take of structures, such as the rings of Saturn and Jupiter’s clouds.
This book, with its clear explanations of what makes the sky such a colorful place and in its great wealth of pictures, dazzles and delights while informing. Learn what makes the sky blue and our Sun yellow. Learn about all the quirky atmospheric events that color our world. And finally, learn how to see, really see, what’s around you and appreciate and enjoy it.
About the Author
Tony Buick is a chemist by profession, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. He is the author of How to Photograph the Moon and Planets with your Digital Camera (Springer) and has had many astronomy and photography articles published, most recently in the Sky at Night magazine: How to Photograph the ISS. In addition, he has written for MENSA magazine, the Society of Popular Astronomy and various other magazines and journals.
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