Contemplating the Cosmos

The path to understanding astrophysics is both thought-provoking and brain-stretching. How did the universe come into existence, when will it end, and what role do our familiar planets and stars play in the grand scheme of the cosmos? There are many more questions in astrophysics than there are answers. The goal of this book is to put you in a position where you’re able to better formulate those questions, and know where to go for answers.

The Roswell Incident is the most famous UFO story on record and is the cornerstone of an alleged government conspiracy to hide alien visits from the world. The initial discovery of a suspected UFO crash site in 1947 played out over a three-day period, then almost completely vanished from view for 30 years, before being resurrected in the 1970s by UFO researchers.

On July 20, 1969, the whole world stared into their television sets and watched blurry, flickering, black and white images as Apollo 11’s lunar excursion module, nicknamed “The Eagle,” descended from orbiting around the moon and touched down on the Sea of Tranquility. In 1960, deep in the heart of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, President John F.

Every couple of years or so, we earthlings are treated to the beauty of a total lunar eclipse. The moon appears red as it passes into Earth's shadow, and for some, this elicits the wonder of our orbiting celestial friend and its significance to world culture.A lunar eclipse is the cousin to a solar eclipse, albeit much less dramatic.

Every astrological chart includes the Moon, eight planets, twelve houses, and more. But the core of almost every horoscope is the Sun, which is why we are beginning with the signs of the Zodiac that begin in Spring. ©ollomy/Shutterstock.com The signs of Spring: Aries, Taurus, and Gemini The Sun begins its journey through the signs and the seasons on or about March 20, when it enters Aries.

Here are some favorite facts about astronomy and, in particular, Earth and its solar system. With the following information under your belt, you may be ready to handle the astronomy questions on television quiz shows and inquiries from friends and family. You have tiny meteorites in your hair Micrometeorites, tiny particles from space visible only through microscopes, are constantly raining down on Earth.

Digital cameras are now the preferred tools for photographing meteors. But digital meteor photography requires a digital single lens reflex camera (DSLR), which is an expensive camera (point-and-shoot cameras and cellphone cameras don't work very well, except in the rare case when you can catch a brilliant fireball) and a lot of trial-and-error experimenting until you get it right.