The Turtle and the Stars: Observations of an Earthbound Astronomer

“An approachable potpourri, Upgren’s essays will delight and inform astronomy buffs, whether students or recreational readers.” —Booklist

Why is a clear sky brighter near the horizon while a cloudy one is at its lightest overhead? What color is the atmosphere of Mars, and might it someday appear as blue as ours? How is it that the Milky Way casts shadows? Why does the Taj Mahal glimmer when you gaze up at it?

In The Turtle and the Stars, astronomer Arthur Upgren guides us through the physical phenomena that produce our sky and galaxy in all their variety and moods. He invites us to contemplate the natural beauty of the universe: a leatherback turtle depositing her eggs under a sky lit only by Venus, a total solar eclipse in Venezuela, the play of the spectrum on the cathedral at Chartres.

Sprinkled with references to history, literature, film, and music, The Turtle and the Stars is a treasure trove of information for armchair astronomers and naturalists alike.

Arthur Upgren is senior research scientist in the astronomy department at Yale University and John Monroe Van Vleck Professor of Astronomy at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. He is the author of Weather: How It Works and Why It Matters and Night Has a Thousand Eyes.
He lives in Middletown, Connecticut.