Further Adventures of the Celestial Sleuth Popular Astronomy - Donald W. Olson
Title
Further Adventures of the Celestial Sleuth Popular Astronomy - Using Astronomy to Solve More Mysteries in Art, History, and Literature
Further Adventures of the Celestial Sleuth Popular Astronomy - Using Astronomy to Solve More Mysteries in Art, History, and Literature
Author
Donald W. Olson
Donald W. Olson
format
Paperback / softback
Paperback / softback
Publisher
Springer
Springer
Language
English
English
UK Publication Date
20180212
20180212
From the author of "Celestial Sleuth" (2014), yet more mysteries in art, history, and literature are solved by calculating phases of the Moon, determining the positions of the planets and stars, and identifying celestial objects in paintings. In addition to helping to crack difficult cases, these studies spark our imagination and provide a better understanding of the skies. Weather archives, vintage maps, tides, historical letters and diaries, military records and the assistance of experts in related fields help with this work.
For each historical event influenced by astronomy, there is a different kind of mystery to be solved. How did the changing tides affect an army's battle plans? How did the phases of the moon affect how an artist painted a landscape? Follow these exciting investigations with a master "celestial sleuth" as he tracks down the truth and helps unravel mysteries as far back as the Middle Ages and as recent as the iconic 1945 photograph of a kiss in Times Square on VJ Day. Topics or "cases" pursued were chosen for their wide public recognition and intrigue and involve artists such as Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet; historical events such as the campaigns of Braveheart in Scotland and battles in World War II and the Korean War; and literary authors such as Chaucer, Cervantes, Shakespeare, Byron, and Edgar Allan Poe.
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Donald W. Olson has been a professor of physics and astronomy at Texas State University since 1981. He received his B. S. (Physics) from Michigan State University and a Ph. D. (Physics) from the University of California at Berkeley, then went on to conduct post-doctoral research at Cornell University and the University of Texas at Austin.
At Texas State University, Olson teaches an Honors College course linking science and the humanities, and the Texas State group has published more than 50 articles using astronomy to solve mysteries from art, history, and literature.
In 2014, the American Association of Physics Teachers honored Olson with the Paul Klopsteg Award, which recognizes outstanding communication of the excitement of contemporary physics and astronomy to the general public. In 2015, Olson was named a Regents' Professor, the highest honor of the Texas State University system.
"The book reads much like a Sherlock Holmes case file. Donald W. Olson describes how he and his team from Texas State examined paintings, battles, photographs, and literature through an astronomical lens, to locate, re(examine) and challenge their understandings of the works . . For the higher education educator, I feel the book gives enough information to provide a roadmap of the kinds of information and tools one would need to endeavor on a similar quest." (Tasha Richardson, Physics in Canada, October 01, 2019)
"I thoroughly enjoyed this book as much as i enjoyed the original celestial sleuth, partly because some of my own work involves answering astronomical queries posed by other scientists, historians, and the general public.it is very satisfying to be able to use your knowledge of astronomy and physics to help people answer their questions and gain an understanding of their problem." (Steve Bell, The Observatory, Vol. 139 (1268), February, 2019)
Type
BOOK
Edition
1st Edition 2018
Country of Publication
Switzerland
Number of Pages
334