Astronomy With the Naked Eye,1908

by Garrett P. Serviss

The specific things undertaken in this book First, the presentation of a set of star-charts, accompanying and illustrating the text, and containing the constellation figures, so that the reader may see those strange forms that the imaginations of men for thousands of years have drawn in the sky. The sixth-magnitude stars are visible to ordinarily good eyes, but they are inconspicuous. The charts are reductions from Heis's Atlas Calestis. Second, the march of the constellations across the sky, resulting from the annual revolution of the earth in its orbit, is followed from month to month, and they are presented in the text according to the times of their successive arrivals near the meridian, the north and south line of the sky. The appearance of the constellations, as viewed with the naked eye, is described, their histories and mythologies are given, and the stories of their chief stars and star groups are detailed. For the convenience of those who have telescopes, some of the double stars and other interesting telescopic objects in each constellation are described and their positions indicated. Third, the planets are described in a separate chapter, with illustrations intended to enable the uninitiated reader to follow their paths among the stars and to predict their approximate places for himself. In consequence of their constant motion, the planets cannot be indicated by symbols definitely located on the charts like the fixed stars. To sum up, the general purpose is to revive and cultivate interest in the picturesque and easily understood side of astronomy, so that everybody who wishes may "feel at home in the starry heavens," may share in the great intellectual pleasures which an acquaintance with them invariably gives, and may understand and enjoy the references to the stars, the constellations, and the planets that abound in all literatures and in all the periodicals of the day.

296 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1908

About the author

Garrett Putman Serviss was an American astronomer, popularizer of astronomy, and early science fiction writer. He majored in science at Cornell and in 1876 joined the staff of the The New York Sun newspaper, working as a journalist until 1892. Serviss showed a talent for explaining scientific details in a way that made them clear to the ordinary reader, leading Andrew Carnegie to invite him to deliver The Urania Lectures in 1894 on astronomy, cosmology, geology, and related matters. Serviss toured the United States for over two years delivering these lectures. He also wrote a syndicated newspaper column devoted to astronomy and other sciences.

Eight of his books are devoted to astronomy. He also wrote six works of fiction in his lifetime, all of which would today be classified as science fiction.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrett_...]