|
Reflector Book Review:
Chasing the Shadow: An
Observer's Guide to Solar Eclipses
Category: Observing
|
 |
Chasing the Shadow: An Observer's Guide to
Solar Eclipses
by Joel Harris and Richard Talcott
Kalmbach Publishing Co.
21027 Crossroads Circle
P.O. Box 1612
Waukesha, WI 53187
$18.95; 160 pages
ISBN: 0-913135-21-6
Chasing the Shadow: An Observer's
Guide to Solar Eclipses is a new book by Joel Harris
and Richard Talcott which is aimed at the novice eclipse
observer. As the authors state in their introduction,
the purpose of this book is to answer the basic questions,
"Why go?", "What will I see?", and "When can I see it?"
In eight chapters, and chock full
of black and white photographs, this book surveys the
geometry, history, significance, and recording of solar
eclipses, both annular and total. Two appendices give
detailed and sometimes arcane information about eclipses
from 2001-2020, (the annular eclipse of April 29, 2014
will last only one second, and is viewable only from
central Antarctica), maps showing where on Earth each
eclipse is viewable, and charts showing the configuration
of the stars and planets during each eclipse.
The authors are both experienced eclipse
chasers. Richard L. Talcott is an assistant editor at
Astronomy magazine, and brings expertise in
astronomy and mathematics to the eclipse hunt. Joel
K. Harris is founder and president of Twilight Tours,
Inc., in Burbank, CA, and is a part time staff member
and museum guide at Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.
From ancient times until today, people
have been fascinated by solar eclipses. Eclipses were
once considered harbingers of disaster and bad tidings;
today the opposite is true, as we see people flocking
to the site of a solar eclipse. Chasing the Shadow:
An Observer's Guide to Solar Eclipses offers to
these observers practical advice, observing tips, and
a clear understanding of the mechanics of a solar eclipse.
If you are interested in solar eclipses, or plan to
travel to one, for example the November 3, 1994 eclipse
in South America, this book is a good way to enhance
your enjoyment and understanding of the experience.
Ed Flaspoehler
former Reflector Editor.
Reviewed in the August 1994 issue.
|
