Stars Above, Earth Below

by Nordgren, Tyler

• ISBN13: 9781441916488
• ISBN10: 1441916482
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-04-30
• Publisher: Praxis

Summary

In Stars Above, Earth Below, Tyler Nordgren examines a range of astronomical topics and makes the connection between them and the landscapes, processes, and cultures which can be seen and experienced within specific U.S. National Parks. For each park and topic the story unfolds in three steps: what does the reader see for him - or herself? What is the scientific cause or explanation of what is seen? And finally, what is the big picture about ourselves, our world, and our Universe? The author takes us the length and breadth of the U.S., from the coast of Maine to the Yellowstone volcano, from the depths of the Grand Canyon to the heights of the Rocky Mountains, exploring the natural links between the features of the parks and those of our Universe.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xxiii
Acknowledgments	p. xxv
How to use this book	p. xxvii
Come see the Milky Way	p. 1
Our place in the Galaxy: (Yosemite, Big Bend, and all National Parks and Monuments)
Black hole Sun	p. 35
Solar eclipses, black holes, and gravity: (Grand Teton and Chaco Culture National Historical Park)
On the shores of the cosmic sea	p. 69
Tides on Earth, moons, stars, and galaxies: (Acadia and all coastal National Parks)
Worlds of fire and ice	p. 105
Volcanoes in the Solar System: (Yellowstone and all volcanic National Parks)
Red rock planet	p. 147
Mars: (Arches and all National Parks of the Four Corners Region)
Glaciers and Goldilocks: a tale of three planets	p. 187
Climate change on Venus, Earth and Mars: (Glacier and all glacial National Parks)
Autumn Moon	p. 227
The Moon and meteor showers: (Great Smoky Mountains, Acadia, and all eastern National Parks)
Our cosmic connection	p. 271
Stars and archaeoastronomy: (Chaco Culture National Historical Park)
Worlds without number	p. 317
The search for extrasolar planets: (Rocky Mountain, and all National Parks of the mountain west)
Far away and long ago: the Universe before you	p. 357
Cosmology: (Grand Canyon National Park)
Starry sky national park	p. 397
Light pollution and out night sky heritage: (Bryce Canyon, Natural Bridges, and all National Parks and Monuments)
Index	p. 437
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.