Heavenly Bodies

by Iain Nicolson

Providing an account of the fundamentals of astronomy and their influence on everyday life, this book assumes no prior knowledge of the subject. The topics include sunrise and sunset, the position of the Earth relative to the sun and the effect on time, the stars and planets, and the moon. The book also explores some of the enigmas of the universe, ranging from the nature and purpose of ancient stone circles to the astrological signs of the zodiac. Readers are encouraged to take an active part in the learning process. A page-corner "flick" feature is incorporated to show the varying phases of the moon, together with an easily-assembled five-piece kit comprising star charts, a sundial, a sun compass, a nocturnal for telling the time by looking at the stars, and a decoder which illustrates the year-round motion of the sun over Stonehenge.

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 5, 1995

About the author

University of Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire, England, visiting fellow; contributor to television programming, including the British Broadcasting Corporation series The Sky at Night.