Every night, most of us retreat to our homes and stare at bright-as-sun screens, missing the most awe-inspiring show around: the one straight above us.
In How We See the Sky, Thomas Hockey, professor of astronomy at the University of Northern Iowa, encourages us to look anew at the sky, to notice more and to understand more of what we already observe. This isn't just another guide to the night sky; rather, Hockey describes what we can see--night and day--with unaided eyes. This means details, yes, but also history. In fact, his riffles through various eras of human civilization form some of the book’s most compelling passages. He also culls interesting scientific facts (for example, hundreds of years from now, Polaris will no longer be our north star).
Although Hockey aims at general readers, referring to literature and culture, the book's tone at times resembles a high school science text. However, his passion often offsets this, as he continually points up and looks back. When we look at the heavens--watching the same celestial spectacle as people millennia ago did and millennia from now will--we make connections not otherwise possible. "We have a great deal in common with the rest of the universe," Hockey says. "Indeed, we are intimately related to it." Tonight, kill the machines and find a quiet hill. As Hockey shows, our world brightens when we spend time in the dark. --Tom Swift, author of Chief Bender's Burden.