Living at the Edge of the Universe Observations of a Naturalist of the Night 1 Bob Vickers
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Living at the Edge of the Universe is the story of an amateur astronomer/naturalist’s two-and-a-half year quest to explore some of the nighttime sky’s most fascinating wonders. Bob Vickers set out to view and sketch all of the star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies of the Herschel 400, a list of 400 of the best and brightest deep sky objects from 18th century astronomer Sir William Herschel’s catalog of nearly 2500 entries. It is also a personal narrative of his lifelong passion to probe the limits of the visible universe available through a “backyard” telescope, encountering some unexpected shifts in perspective along the way.
The book contains numerous journal excerpts illustrated by the author’s personal field sketches.
From the Herschel 400 Journal for 20 January 2005
"The Blue Snowball is another planetary nebula, fairly bright with the distinct bluish-green color caused by the presence of oxygen atoms. It is slightly elliptical and its dimmer center gives it a vague ring shape. Even with averted vision, I can see no central star."
The author paints a uniquely compelling portrait of the beautiful, sometimes almost magical, experience of a night under the stars.
“… I pulled up a lawn chair, sat down, and gazed up into the clear twilit sky. The day’s light was beginning to fade into the forest just west of the observatory. In the east, above the Earth’s blue-gray shadow stretched a subtle hint of pink, the so-called Belt of Venus, reddened rays of sunlight scattered by the atmosphere. Gradually, the bare oak trees became stark silhouettes against the sky’s waning light. One by one, a few of the brightest stars slowly became visible where before there had been none and little by little an indigo night crept almost imperceptibly overhead to eventually displace the last remaining glow of day.”
“I became a beachcomber, camped along the coastline of the cosmic ocean and my small telescope was a collector of rare and ancient photons that washed ashore from the very edges of existence. These photons, which may have traveled across the cosmos for tens or even hundreds of millions of years, were funneled by the scope at the last instant, between blinks, into the camera obscura of my eye to form a ghostly vision in my brain.”
From the author’s preface
“If you are looking for a 'how-to' book discussing the pros and cons of different types of telescopes, eyepieces, imaging equipment, etc., you won’t find that here. Nor will you find a scientific treatment of astronomical objects. What you will find is a journal of personal experience with a focus on visual observing and reflections about that experience. It is more a 'why-to' than a 'how-to' book, intended for amateur or professional naturalists or anyone with an interest in the night sky.”
Living at the Edge of the Universe is an engaging collection of descriptive essays—a doorway which leads us to a side of nature at once both familiar and neglected.
“The skies of winter were intimate. Here was my familiar family, in my own house and my own neighborhood, with Uncle Rigel and Aunt Bellatrix just down the street a few hundred light-years away. Summer skies showed the downtown cityscape lights of the core of our galaxy and the nearby spiral arms. A suburb of globular clusters hovered within a few tens of thousands of light-years. The skies of fall showed the galactic star cities in our Local Group M31, M33, and their surrounding suburbs. The spring skies … were a window to the most distant star cities, galactic clusters, and superclusters—all far away, foreign, and exotic. Beyond my familiar surroundings, I looked farther and farther into the deep sky. Like Alice, I passed through my telescope looking glass into a realm beyond the wildest imagination.”
Living at the Edge of the Universe Observations of a Naturalist of the Night 1 Bob Vickers
I have always been thrilled to be out somewhere where I could see the sky without light pollution. Enjoyed the night sky from the beach, looking for the ISS, or the Space Shuttle. And, I liked the reminder that the moon is there (even when we can't see it). Thanks for writing down your quest, and sharing it with us. Who knows, I might just have to get a telescope to share with my grandkids! Your book has rekindled an interest from many years ago. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't enjoy reading it.Product details
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Tags : Living at the Edge of the Universe: Observations of a Naturalist of the Night - Kindle edition by Bob Vickers. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Living at the Edge of the Universe: Observations of a Naturalist of the Night.,ebook,Bob Vickers,Living at the Edge of the Universe: Observations of a Naturalist of the Night,Robert D. Vickers, Jr.,SCIENCE Astronomy,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY Personal Memoirs
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Living at the Edge of the Universe Observations of a Naturalist of the Night 1 Bob Vickers Reviews
Bob Vickers has written a charming, convincing book about the attractions of the night sky. As he points out, the sky is always available; even if the stars are obscured by a bright moon or only lightning and storm clouds can be seen, there is always something of interest up there. The main interest here is astronomical, though, and Vickers is that special kind of observer who not only looks but makes sketches of what he sees through his telescope. Anyone who has tried to draw a scene knows that the act of drawing not only focuses the attention but lets us see things we did not, could not see before we tried to depict them. Vickers integrates his observations with the activities of his daily and nightly life. Looking at stars is part of looking at nature, and taking note of nature is part of a complete life. At the center of the book is Vickers’s observation of objects originally described by William Herschel two and a half centuries ago, and Vickers gives us historical background about this talented amateur observer. The dominant impression I took away from Vickers’s book was that its author was someone with true perspective that he derives continually from awe-inspiring encounters with the wonders of the night.
Vickers writing took me back to the skies I loved in my childhood - before I lived with city lights. It is indeed, as he says in his introduction, a "why-to" rather than a "how-to" book for learning about the night sky.
I have always been thrilled to be out somewhere where I could see the sky without light pollution. Enjoyed the night sky from the beach, looking for the ISS, or the Space Shuttle. And, I liked the reminder that the moon is there (even when we can't see it). Thanks for writing down your quest, and sharing it with us. Who knows, I might just have to get a telescope to share with my grandkids! Your book has rekindled an interest from many years ago. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't enjoy reading it.
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