Bibliography

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Further Reading

Allen, Richard Hinckley. Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning. 1899; rpt. New York: Dover, 1963. Source for many of the epigrams in this packet.

Aveni, Anthony F. Skywatchers of Ancient Mexico. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1980. Good introduction to archaeoastronomy, particularly Mayan. Includes an excellent overview of observational phenomena, "Astronomy with the Naked Eye" (chapter six).

Crowe, Michael J. Theories of the World from Antiquity to the Copernican Revolution. New York: Dover, 1990. See the first chapter for an introductory orientation to the celestial motions. The appendix includes an excellent discussion of Stonehenge.

Knox, Richard. Experiments in Astronomy for Amateurs. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1976. Includes instructions for constructing and using sundials, a quadrant, an astrolabe, etc.

Krupp, Edwin C. Echoes of the Ancient Skies: The Astronomy of Lost Civilizations. New York: Harper and Row, 1983.

Menzel, Donald H. and Jay M. Pasachoff. A Field Guide to the Stars and Planets. Peterson Field Guide Series. Houghton Mifflin, latest version. Highly recommended: This guide, plus Chet Raymo's book and a few nights each month outdoors, are all you need to become familiar with the nighttime sky.

Neugebauer, Otto. The Exact Sciences in Antiquity. 2d ed. Providence: Brown University Press, 1957. The best and most reliable introductory survey of Mesopotamian and Egyptian mathematics and astronomy. Highly recommended.

Olson, Richard. Science Deified, & Science Defied: The Historical Significance of Science in Western Culture, From the Bronze Age to the Beginnings of the Modern Era, ca. 3500 B.C. to ca. A.D. 1640. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1982. Chapter two includes an interesting evaluation of the significance of astrology in ancient Near East and Western cultures.

Pedersen, Olaf. Early Physics and Astronomy: A Historical Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993. An excellent resource for much of the material covered in this course. Highly recommended.

Raymo, Chet. 365 Starry Nights: An Introduction to Astronomy for Every Night of the Year. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1982. One of the easiest ways to become familiar with celestial motions, to recognize the constellations (and learn their lore) is to read through this book in a year. If you do, you'll discover that you don't need a telescope to enjoy the starry sky.

Sky and Telescope. The leading journal for amateur astronomers. Each issue includes a star map for the month, with accompanying descriptions and explanations of interesting celestial events. You won't need an astronomy degree to enjoy this magazine. Other helpful monthly magazines are Astronomy (slightly less technical) and Star Date (introductory), each with easy to use star charts.

 

 

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