History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Venus Revealed: A New Look Below the Clouds of Our Mysterious Twin Planet

Average customer rating:

Excellent and fascinating book on Venus
Excellent, highly readable book on all things Venus
An important book that's fun to read
A good work of comparative planetology
A greeaat read!

Venus Revealed: A New Look Below the Clouds of Our Mysterious Twin Planet
David Grinspoon
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0201328399

Amazon.com

In a book that is as much romantic as purely scientific, David Harry Grinspoon combines historical perspective on the nearby planet Venus and data from recent observations, notably the Magellan spacecraft's detailed mapping of the planet's surface and gravitational field. In a lighthearted way, Grinspoon conveys the vast body of knowledge that scientists have recently acquired about the planet that is often called our "twin," despite its metal-melting surface temperatures and runaway greenhouse effect. (Could we learn something about our own climate in observing that of Venus?) In a fun though perhaps overconfident section, Grinspoon even argues that the likelihood that life once existed on Venus is as high as for Mars--an intriguing possibility, especially if evidence that life once existed on Mars becomes stronger.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent and fascinating book on Venus.......2005-05-28

I loved reading this book! It describes the cultural, historical and scientific aspects of Venus. For instance, it discusses the significance that ancient cultures placed on Venus (the brightest planet when visible). It also discusses perceptions (and some speculation) that people have had of Venus at various times in history. Then it discusses in detail the scientific discoveries of Venus, by radar and spacecraft. It discusses the politics and development of radar and spacecraft, as well as the actual scientific discoveries made at different times. It is also very fascinating to read about the surface and atmosphere and properties of Venus. It is also interesting how the author compares Venus to Earth in these areas. Although it is obvious that Venus would be a very hostile planet to visit, it is indeed a very fascinating planet to study. In terms of land features, I think that the author points out that Venus is actually similar to Earth in many ways (though also with some of its own characteristics). I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in the planet Venus in particular, or in the solar system in general.

Excellent, highly readable book on all things Venus .......2005-04-23

_Venus Revealed_ by David Harry Grinspoon is a well-written, witty, thoroughly researched book on our nearest planetary neighbor, the planet Venus, often thought of as Earth's twin due to its roughly same size and mass. Grinspoon covered the history of human perception of the planet, the observation of Venus by scientists from the ground through the centuries, what the amateur astronomer can see and learn about the planet, the saga of the numerous probes to orbit the planet as well as it enter its atmosphere and even land on its surface, current understandings of the atmosphere and geology of Venus, and speculations on whether or not Venus has or had life and the future of human exploration of the planet. There are two inserts in the book, one a color insert that included a color image of the surface of Venus made by the Soviet _Venera 13_ lander in March 1982 as well as several global and regional topographic maps made by the _Pioneer Venus Orbiter_ and _Magellan_, and a black and white insert which included more Soviet lander images of the ground of Venus as well as numerous close-ups taken by _Magellan_ of a wide variety of Venusian surface features. In the text of the book itself I really liked the various diagrams included, including schematics of the sulfur cycle on Venus and a diagram of typical cloud structure. _Magellan_ images are dominant in the book, an extraordinary space probe that peeled back the "bright, unyielding clouds" with "gentle radar fingers," revealing massive amounts of new information for Venus scientists to ponder and debate over.

Venus has long attracted human attention, as it is the brightest object in the night sky after the full moon. Though the planet was noticed by virtually every human culture, no civilization paid it more mind than the Classic Maya (A.D. 300-900). They felt they owed their very existence to Venus (whom they called Kukulcan) - a debt that they paid back in human sacrifices - and based their entire calendar on the 260-day Venus appearance interval. Mayan astronomers were able to chart the appearance, disappearance, and reappearance of Venus in the night skies with incredible accuracy, so much that the Mayan Venus Calendar has an error of only two hours in five hundred years of elapsed time.

The "solid citadel of clouds" that protected Venus from observation made it into a "tabula rasa," a blank slate that was inscribed by the wishes and dreams of observers for centuries. Grinspoon documented the many speculations about Venus being a swamp or ocean world, referencing both the serious speculations of astronomers such as Percival Lowell and the flights of fancy of popular literature and film. So little was known about the planet that even its rate of rotation wasn't resolved until 1962, when Earth-based radar images established that one day on Venus equaled 117 Earth days (and that it rotated in a backward or retrograde direction, with the sun rising in the west and setting in the east). Passive radio observations in 1956 that showed the planet emitting massive amounts of microwave radiation lead to the first real understanding of just how hot Venus was, as researchers began to infer that this was heat radiation from the surface, eventually establishing the surface temperature at 900 degrees Fahrenheit (so hot that an observer on the Venusian surface at night could see thanks to the glowing of the red-hot ground).

I enjoyed his coverage of the Venusian atmosphere the most of anything in the book. Though the planet-wide cloud cover looks basically bright and featureless even from orbit, images taken with ultraviolet filters have revealed that the atmosphere is dynamic and volatile, an intricate and complex swirl of high-contrast, fast-moving tiny splotches and huge, planet-wide streaks. The identity of this material, so dark in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum that its it responsible for absorbing nearly half the solar energy received by Venus, is still unknown and is simply called the unknown ultraviolet absorber. Its existence though has allowed scientists to study and model patterns of atmospheric circulation, an atmosphere that at the upper levels circles the planet at 200 miles per hour, circling the planet in four days (dubbed superrotation), while at the same time is virtually motionless at the surface. Explaining this phenomenon has presented another major challenge offered us by Venus, one not yet answered.

The atmosphere is unlike anything seen on Earth; immense cloud banks of sulfur dioxide and sulfuric acid cover the planet, not very dense and relatively transparent but incredibly vast, towering up to an altitude of 44 miles from the cloud base at 33 miles. They are concentrated into three discrete layers - each layer with a different mixture of droplet sizes - and separated by relatively clear air between. The nature of the droplets in the lowest cloud layer (called Mode 3 droplets) is uncertain, as they are not spherical in shape, may be crystalline, and appear to contain far more chlorine than sulfur (as well as perhaps other substances).

Grinspoon gave the reader a tour of the surface, from the "continents" of Africa-sized Aphrodite Terra along the equator and Australia-sized Ishtar Terra near the north pole to the wide plains to the great variety of volcanoes on the planet, some of which are probably active. Volcanic landforms cover some 90% of the surface, ranging in size from small shield volcanoes (often less than 12 miles across), so numerous that they gather in clusters of a hundred or so in immense shield fields, to odd six to forty mile across pancake dome volcanoes to still larger ones. Many features appear unique to Venus, such as ticks (volcanoes with flanks scalloped by landslides such that the ridges appear to be the jutting legs of an insect), arachnoids (volcanic domes surrounded by spider-web like patterns of fractures and ridges), and anemonae (volcanoes with petal-like lava flows extending outward from them). Other features include the odd circular coronae and intensely deformed areas called tessera.

An important book that's fun to read.......2003-02-25

Anyone that wonders why humans should continue to invest in space exploration--especially important at this time of tragedy with the Columbia mission--will find many answers in this excellent book. Grinspoon is one of those rare writers that enthralls us with the mystery and wonder of science, while at the same time not shying away from, or diminishing the complexities of scientific discovery. He describes with clarity why studies of other planets are important endeavors in their own right, as well as for our continued understanding of our own planet Earth.

All readers will gain an appreciation from Grinspoon for scientific discovery: how it builds with improving data from insights that at first seem remote and uncertain into solid foundations for better understanding of issues such as global warming on earth. Volcanology, plate tectonics, acid rain, and planetary climatology are all discussed in detail, as well as the more esoteric phenomena of planet formation and extra-terrestrial life. While the later topics might be argued as to their importance with regard to current problems on our planet, Grinspoon makes excellent connections for studies of the former issues on Venus, and their impact to our knowledge of our own home planet. Anything that significantly improves our understanding of global warming, plate tectonics (earthquakes), etc., is worth a significant and continuing investment. Venus Revealed is great book in many respects: lack of a bibliography is the only fault worth mentioning. (And I, for one, loved the often hilarious footnotes!) Highly recommended.

A good work of comparative planetology.......2001-10-30

Besides a excellent historical and scientifical synthesis of the Venusian system, this book does a good job at comparing the three main terrestrial planets, from the astronomical, physical, geological, atmospheric, etc. point of views. This is very refreshing because Venus is often overlooked in most books, that usually focus more on the binary comparison of Mars vs the Earth, and, in many ways, Terra is actually closer to Venus than Mars.

The text itself is clear, accurate and very entertaining to read (especially the footnotes!). Everything is based on scientific facts, except the last chapter, that digresses a little too much from the main subject, but it's ok.

A greeaat read!.......2001-07-06

I really enjoyed this overview of our sister planet! Despite his background as a planetologist and university professor, Grinspoon writes for the layman with a freshness and spirit that is rare in non-fiction astronomy books. He first takes us through an extensive history of our discoveries and past theories on Venus, then reveals the major findings of the Magellan mission which laid bare the planet's high-level topography. Towards the end Grinspoon presents a couple bold suggestions as food for thought, e.g. the possibility that life currently exists on Venus and also ideas for terraforming the planet!

I especially enjoyed the virtual tour of Venus as well as the descriptions of what it would be like to spend a day and night on Venus, assuming you could survive the extreme heat and crushing pressure. Did you know that it never gets totally dark on the ground, because even at night the rocks are so hot that they glow red??!

The footnotes didn't bother me too much; in fact, I rather appreciated Grinspoon's sense of humor and chuckled at a few of them. One thing that did annoy me was Grinspoon's repeated pessimistic assertions that we humans are wreaking havoc on Earth through global warming, ozone depletion, acid rain, pollution, blah blah. The fact is, it's kind of ludicrous to suggest that the Earth's overall "health" is being affected at all by us. There is no proof of this whatsoever. We may be making things worse for ourselves in the long run, but the Earth is so massive that there's really nothing we can do to hurt it.

Book Description

Spectacular full-color photographs introduce Earth's "sister planet," from its scorching deserts and clouds of sulfuric acid to the crushing pressure of its atmosphere.

"A clear, concise text draws on the latest findings and the best of recent color photographs." --Kirkus Reviews.

Customer Reviews:

Gorgeous illustrations with plenty of information.......2004-02-17

Gorgeous color photos illustrate this book about Venus. I appreciate that Seymour Simon writes matter-of-factly, without a patronizing attitude. There are plenty of facts about Venus.

I am impressed by the entire series of picture books by Seymour Simon and our family has been enjoying his books, one about each planet, which we are using as part of our homeschooling. I have found that many of the books that attempt to cover all topics about space end up skimping on important general information that Simon easily communicates, such as the temperature and how it compares to Earth, why humans could not survive on the planet, and the general weather conditions and how they compare to weather on Earth. The way these comparisons are made really helps children understand the conditions on the planets. This series by Simon is also superior to other books about Venus and space because the photos are in color; they are real, stunning photos, not lame illustrations drawn by hand. This book also features images made with data captured by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter spacecraft in 1980, from bouncing radio waves off of the surface of Venus. Photographs taken by the Soviet spacecraft, Venera 13, when it landed on the surface in 1982, shortly before the weather conditions and atmospheric pressure completely destroyed it. Images and information learned from NASA's Magellan in the 1990s is also included in this book.

As with all the books in this series, the content begins with what we can see with our naked eye from Earth (Venus looks like a brightest star in the night sky).

Customer Reviews:

An important contribution to astrological studies.......2003-04-20

This book provides a pretty good overview of the Goddesses from Near Eastern and Mediterranean cultures linked to the planet we know as Venus. The information on these Goddesses is only an overview - for in-depth studies I would recommend sources more specific to each particular Deity - but the author is thorough and scholarly, and does an excellent job of staying on point by returning again and again to the relationship of the Goddess to Her planet. This is very significant, given the strong connections of astrology and religion in the ancient world.

The originality and importance of the book lies in the author's interest in exploring these Goddesses together with astrological information regarding the planet Venus. She discusses in detail the two signs governed by the planet - Taurus and Libra - and compares the ditinctions between them with the distinctions which Plato made between Aphrodite Pandemos and Aphrodite Ourania. She then describes the influence of Venus through the signs, houses, and in aspect.

A very good book with an admirable amount of originality.

Book Description

In 2004, Venus crossed the sun's face for the first time since 1882. Some did not bother to step outside. Others planned for years, reserving tickets to see the transit in its entirety. But even this group of astronomers and experience seekers were attracted not by scientific purpose but by the event's beauty, rarity, and perhaps--after this book--history. For previous sky-watchers, though, transits afforded the only chance to determine the all-important astronomical unit: the mean distance between earth and sun.

Eli Maor tells the intriguing tale of the five Venus transits previously observed and the fantastic efforts made to record them. This is a story of heroes and cowards, of reputations earned and squandered, all told against a backdrop of phenomenal geopolitical and scientific change.

With a novelist's talent for the details that keep readers reading late, Maor tells the stories of how Kepler's misguided theology led him to the laws of planetary motion; of obscure Jeremiah Horrocks, who predicted the 1639 transit only to die, at age 22, a day before he was to discuss the event with the only other human known to have seen it; of the unfortunate Le Gentil, whose decade of labor was rewarded with obscuring clouds, shipwreck, and the plundering of his estate by relatives who prematurely declared him dead; of David Rittenhouse, Father of American Astronomy, who was overcome by the 1769 transit's onset and failed to record its beginning; and of Maximilian Hell, whose good name long suffered from the perusal of his transit notes by a color-blind critic.

Moving beyond individual fates, Maor chronicles how governments' participation in the first international scientific effort--the observation of the 1761 transit from seventy stations, yielding a surprisingly accurate calculation of the astronomical unit using Edmund Halley's posthumous directions--intersected with the Seven Years' War, British South Seas expansion, and growing American scientific prominence. Throughout, Maor guides readers to the upcoming Venus transits in 2004 and 2012, opportunities to witness a phenomenon seen by no living person and not to be repeated until 2117

Customer Reviews:

Venus in Transit doesn't cast a long shadow.......2004-03-11

I read e: The Story of a Number and Trigonometric Delights from Eli Maor and found both to be well written and enjoyable. With the transit of Venus approaching, the previous experience with Eli Maor brought me to his latest book. The writing style is the same, clear, fluent, but Venus in Transit is at a different level, more superficial than any of the other two books. And a couple of statements make you wonder. On page 58 "...Venus reaches its ascending node around December 8, and its descending node around June 7, so a transit can happen only around these dates. But for a transit actually to occur, Earth, too, must cross the line of the nodes on these dates." There is an inversion here, for Earth reaches the line of nodes at the given dates, while Venus is usually elsewhere in its orbit at these dates as already pointed by another reviewer. And then on page 20 when describing Galileo's observations of the phases of Venus as the first solid proof for the heliocentric system, the author states: " Venus showed phases like the moon - a narrow crescent at the time, a gibbous shape at another, and occasionally a nearly full disk. Here was solid proof that Venus moved around the sun; for had it moved around d the earth instead, it would have shown a full disk at each opposition, when it was directly opposite to the sun [sic]." This is surprising. Venus is never at opposition with the Sun as the ancients new very well by observation. The epicycles and deferents in the geocentric system of Ptolemy had their sizes and speeds carefully adjusted to account for the maximum elongation of 47 degrees or so along the ecliptic between the Sun and Venus. And although the geocentric system could not account for a full disk because in that system Venus was always between the Earth and the Sun, the alternative system proposed by Tycho Brahe could. These two inconsistencies suggest that Eli Maor is not exactly at home when discussing planetary astronomy and perhaps this is the source of the different levels between this book and the other two dealing with mathematics.

Incomplete history, muddled science.......2001-06-22

I have read a few of Eli Maor's books. They are not great masterpieces, but they fill a niche, providing all the information I wanted and more. This one was less satisfying. This became clear on page 58, where he states that Venus crosses the ecliptic on December 8 and June 7, and transits can occur only when Earth reaches the same node at the same time. Perhaps he is using the Venusian calendar, but in our calendar Earth will be there in December and June while the location of Venus will vary.

I bought this book because the transit of Venus in 1874 was significant in the history of Campbell Island (French expedition)and Auckland Island (German expedition) in the sub-Antarctic region. There were also Americans on Kerguelen and French on St. Paul Island, and probably others. Maor mentions only the British and German expeditions to Kerguelen, where the Brits released rabbits that devastated the native vegetation. The scale of the effort is not apparent from his tale.

My second objective was to learn what other mmethods were used to measure the astronomical unit when the transit of Venus proved inadequate. Maor mentions only that a measurement of the parallaz of Mars was used, but gives no hint how. Apparently there were other methods before WWII, but they are not in this book. Too much space is devoted to failures and speculations, pleasant stories properly used as side dishes, too little to the main course.

Interesting, simple astronomy.......2001-06-17

This book traces the history of the Venus transit, which is when Venus transits between the sun and earth, thus casting the planet's shadow on the sun. Happening only every 121 years, Maor explores the lives of the many scientists that studied the Venus transit in order to come up with an estimation of the astral unit (the distance between the sun and earth...about 93 million miles), including Galileo, Hell, Copernicus, Kepler, Brahe, and more. The book is very good, and one is left marveling at astronomy and eager to the coming of the transit, but Maor is very extensive in his history at times.

A syzygy for everyone.......2000-12-26

A transit of Venus is a kind of solar eclipse in which the planet Venus, rather than our moon, crosses in front of the Sun. A century-long interval between transits makes the normal kind of solar eclipse seem like a frequent event. The transits occur in pairs separated by eight years, with over one hundred-year separations between the pairs. The last transit of Venus was in 1882. However, we can look forward to the transits of 2004 and 2012.

By traveling thousands of miles, I have been able to place myself in the path of the shadow for six total and two annular solar eclipses. With careful planning, and some last minute scurrying to avoid clouds, my success rate for viewing of the critical event is seven of eight. How ironic that today I was able to walk into my own back yard to view a partial solar eclipse under a clear cloudless sky.

By contrast with total solar eclipses, which may be viewed only within a narrow corridor, a transit of Venus may be viewed from any place on the Earth that faces the Sun during the event. Thus, simultaneous observations may be made from distant locations.

The author tells the story of the pursuit of transits of Venus by scientists whose aim was to establish a precision measurement of the distance between the Earth and the Sun. It is a great adventure story. There are the usual disasters: there are wars; ships are intercepted; natives run off with the instruments; and there are clouds. Finally, an unexpected optical effect, the "black drop", appears. In the end science triumphs, although not as expected.

We no longer need to measure the transits of Venus to establish the astronomical unit. However, our ability to calculate and predict precise locations and times for the occurrence of such events as eclipses and transits is a confirmation of the success of our formulation of mechanics and an affirmation of the scientific method.

This work is primarily a history with the basic information on the details of the transit of 2004 and very little on the transit of 2012. The reader will have to go to the web for more. However, the eastern Mediterranean looks promising for 2004, while the transit of 2012 should provide an excuse for a trip to Hawaii.

From Unobserved to Key Measurements to Celestial Joy.......2000-12-15

Whether you are interested in astronomy or not, you will find this book to be a rewarding expansion of your understanding of that important, awe-inspiring part of the scientific pantheon.

The phrase, transit of Venus, describes the process whereby Venus appears to cross the Sun during daylight hours from earth. For most of recorded history, few probably paid attention. And for good reason. You would have been blinded by looking directly into the sun except very near sunrise and sunset. And you had to know when and where to be looking because transits of Venus are rare. Besides, you could see Venus on most nights anyway.

In this delightful background preparation for the next transit of Venus on June 8, 2004, Professor Maor provides all the background you could hope for to help you understand how celestial events (especially this one) are forecast so accurately, their scientific implications, and how to enjoy them yourself.

Many famous astronomers were encouraged to enter the field by first observing an eclipse. The ability to accurately predict the timing and the nature of the event left them with awe. Perhaps this transit of Venus will be our most productive ever for generating scholars for the 21st century. Oh, by the way, if you miss this one, there's another one coming along 8 years later in 2012.

Although ostensibly focused on a type of celestial event, the book has a broader theme: How humankind can use reason to deduce new understanding of the physical world.

The book begins with the origins of modern astronomy, by describing the observations of Galileo, the conclusions about the solar system by Copernicus, careful measurements of Brahe, Kepler's deductions from those observations, and Newton's application of these lessons into his Principia. All of that work made it possible to predict transits of Venus.

Since we all can see Venus with the unaided eye (unless blind or very near-sighted), why did anyone care? The main reason was that astronomers wanted to establish the distance between the earth and the Sun. They obviously could not pace it off. How could Venus help? By measuring the duration of the transit from far apart locations of known distance, one could construct a triangle and use standard trigonometry to calculate the distance to the Sun. This point is clearly and simply described in the book. The illustrations are wonderfully done to help.

Then the author gets down to the reality of executing on that simple concept. Many problems occur. At first, not enough observers are involved. Bad weather at the time of the transit can always obscure observations. The combination of our atmosphere and that of Venus also combine to create a black dot effect that makes it uncertain when the transit begins and ends. Some observers are accused of making mistakes. Other observers notice things that are not planetary transits. Thus, the realities and challenges of experimental science are well documented.

Astronomers have better ways to measure the distance to the Sun now. As a result, the transit of Venus takes on for us a combined role of aesthetic experience and honoring of the astronomical history associated with it. Professor Maor makes a nice transition in making this point clear.

He provides many tips for watching, including where to go, and how to watch safely. He describes a potential viewing from Jerusalem. That could be combined with a very nice religious pilgrimage, if you are so inclined, for those who have not been to Jerusalem before.

I especially liked his commentaries about seeing Earth transits from Mars, and transits of the inner planets from the outer ones as our ability to pursue space travel improves.

I think the most important question that this book raises is who to have with you when you observe the transit. A young person somewhere between the ages of 6 and 16 would probably be ideal. You could probably change a life with the experience that this event provides. I suggest that you provide that young person with a copy of this book (if old enough to appreciate it on their own) or read it to them and explain its meaning (if they are not advanced enough to appreciate it unaided). Then make a date to see the following transit 8 years later with the same person.

Customer Reviews:

Everything you wanted to know about Venus.......2004-06-19

A technical and very thorough book for those interested in the origins of Venus, its composition and why we call it our sister planet. Detailed descriptions of the Venera, Vega, Magellan and Mariner missions allow us to glimpse at the surface features, but alas, it is a very in-hospitable environment. A must have book for those interested in the second planet from the sun!

Very Good.......2003-06-13

This book has the reputation for being too technical for the layman... and it is... but in many ways that is what made this a cool book. It is certainly a much harder book to read than David Grinspoon's "Venus Revealed" (A very good book for the layman). However I found some of the technical parts of this book very facinating and it made me look up where some of the equations came from (the part on the study of the clouds, Nephelometry, was very interesting). There were other parts though were I did not even bother with the math and 'took their word for it'.

I would recommend if you have not read "Venus Revealed" try that first. If Grinspoon captures your imagination then buy this one and give it a try.

Too Technical.......2002-09-04

A very detailed book on the Planet Venus, however, it reads like an algebra text book. You can read a chapter and still not know what you read. I was dissapointed that all the photographs were in black and white. If you work for NASA, this is the book for you, otherwise I would recomend somthing a little less technical

Venus: Her Cycles, Symbols & Myths (Special Topics in Astrology)

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Venus: Her Cycles, Symbols & Myths (Special Topics in Astrology)
Anne Massey
Manufacturer: Llewellyn Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0738709913

Book Description

Who is an enticing beauty, a bitch goddess, and the queen of every natal chart? Venus, of course! Investigating this heavenly body from all angles, Anne Massey brings new dimension to this undervalued planet. Exploring Venus in mythology, fairy tales, and contemporary archetypes such as Marilyn Monroe, Massey uncovers this planet's striking personality. A close look at her cycles reveals gorgeous symmetry and sacred geometry, linking Venus to the golden mean, the pentagram, and other significant symbols. The author also focuses on this extraordinary planet's aspects and phases, in addition to her impact in the houses and signs, and discusses Venus retrogrades in depth. Lastly, no book on Venus would be complete without examining her dynamic influence on love and marriage.

Venus: A shrouded mystery (Isaac Asimov's library of the universe)

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Venus: A shrouded mystery (Isaac Asimov's library of the universe)
Isaac Asimov
Manufacturer: Gareth Stevens Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Pirates of Venus (Bison Frontiers of Imagination)

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In Defense of Carson Napier
ERB's hero Carson Napier aims for Mars, lands on Venus...
The weakest Burroughs series, but interesting nonetheless
Welcome to Amtor
My Favorite Burroughs

Pirates of Venus (Bison Frontiers of Imagination)
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Manufacturer: Bison Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0803261837

Book Description

The shimmering, cloud-covered planet of Venus conceals a wondrous secret: the strikingly beautiful yet deadly world of Amtor. In Amtor, cities of immortal beings flourish in giant trees reaching thousands of feet into the sky; ferocious beasts stalk the wilderness below; rare flashes of sunlight precipitate devastating storms; and the inhabitants believe their world is saucer-shaped with a fiery center and an icy rim. Stranded on Amtor after his spaceship crashes, astronaut Carson Napier is swept into a world where revolution is ripe, the love of a princess carries a dear price, and death can come as easily from the blade of a sword as from the ray of a futuristic gun.

Pirates of Venus is the exciting inaugural volume in the last series imagined and penned by Edgar Rice Burroughs. This commemorative edition features new illustrations by Thomas Floyd, the original frontispiece by J. Allen St. John, an afterword by Phillip Burger, a glossary of Amtor terms by Scott Tracy Griffin, a map of Amtor drawn by Edgar Rice Burroughs that appeared in the first edition, and an introduction by acclaimed science fiction and horror novelist F. Paul Wilson.

Customer Reviews:

In Defense of Carson Napier.......2006-06-28

This was the first book in Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Carson of Venus" series. It was the last major series that ERB created, 20 years after he created "John Carter of Mars". In this book, Carson Napier builds a rocketship and sets out for Mars, but ends up on Venus. He has a series of episodic adventures, and falls in love with a beautiful princess along the way (which happens in just about every ERB book). Fun stuff, if you are a fan of this sort of thing.

ERB's hero Carson Napier aims for Mars, lands on Venus..........2004-08-05

Originally serialized in "Argosy" in 1932, "Pirates of Venus" is the first story in the fourth longest series of pulp fiction adventures written by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Tarzan is the longest, with Mars and Pellucidar coming in second and third). The authorial conceit this time around is that Carson Napier visits ERB before heading off to Guadalupe Island where he has a rocket ship in which he intends to travel to Mars. Carson establishes a telepathic link with Burroughs, which will allow him to communicate his adventures from afar. This becomes helpful, especially when Carson's rocket ship takes off for Mars and the adventurer discovers that he forgot something: namely the gravitational effects of the moon. However, in one of the great strokes of luck in science fiction history this ends up sending Carson and his rocket ship to Venus instead. The planet is said to be uninhabitable, but Carson has no other choice and when the rocket enters the dense atmosphere he jumps out in a parachute. Carson's luck continues because the air is indeed breathable and soon he is having a series of adventures on the planet's surface and meets up with the beautiful Duare. If you have read a lot of ERB's novels you know two things are going to happen between these two, namely that he will fall in love with her and at the end of the novel they will be separated by tragic circumstances (to be continued).

"Pirates of Venus" is a straightforward ERB adventure on one level, but you can also read it as a thinly disguised political satire aimed at the communists. This would be the bit about the Thorists, who start a revolution for their own benefit in which they cheat the uneducated masses, kill or drive off the educated people, and are themselves pretty much just a collection of idiots (I did not say it was profound political satire on the level of George Orwell). As an adventure yarn this is one of ERB's better stories from the decade of the 1930s and in it you will find a strange world of amazing landscapes, fantastic creatures, and people with bizarre customs. The adventure elements are from Burroughs' well developed formula, so you might as well pay attention to the wonderful world of Amtor he has created. Still, special mention has to be made of Carson Napier having more of a sense of humor than Tarazn, John Carter, and David Innes put together (my favorite is his definition of "golf" as "a mental disease").

The weakest Burroughs series, but interesting nonetheless.......2004-07-19

"Pirates of Venus" begins the last major series by Edgar Rice Burroughs: the Venus novels. When it first appeared as a serial in the pulp magazine Argosy in 1932, Burroughs had already written Tarzan novels, most of the Mars series, and the novels of Pellucidar. The Venus novels were created partially as a response to Otis Adelbert Kline, a pulp author who wrote very much in the style of Burroughs. When Kline created a series of Venus-set novels made to imitate Burroughs's Martian novels, Burroughs fired back with his own series on Venus. He created a new hero, Carson Napier, who somehow manages to fire his rocket at Mars and end up landing on Venus. A jungle planet with tree-living humanoids battling a tyranny attempting to erase all class boundaries called 'The Thorists' (rather thinly disguised communists) and a horde of other monstrous menaces. Napier joins the fight against the Thorists and tries romancing the beautiful but unobtainable Duare.

It sounds like a typical Burrough adventure: plenty of colorful action, monsters, weird science, and crazy new cultures. But Burroughs was past his creative prime, and "Pirates of Venus" shows it. Phillip R. Burger, in his interesting afterword to this edition, sums up the problems in two telling sentences: "In the pantheon of Burroughs heroes, Carson Napier is considered a tad deficient." "I've become rather fond of 'Pirates of Venus' as well, in spite of the novel's rather glaring fault: no plot." Although Burger makes a spirited attempt to explain his liking for the novel, he's right about the flaws. Napier is a weak hero who doesn't really have any plan or direction, and the novel is really a loosely collected series of escapades and fights that lead nowhere in particular. The novel hardly even ends; it just stops -- setting up the inevitable sequels (which, for the record, are "Escape on Venus," "Lost on Venus," and "Carson of Venus"). Napier is maybe a more modern, realistic hero than Tarzan or John Carter of Mars, but that's not exactly what you want from an Edgar Rice Burroughs novel.

Nonetheless, "Pirates of Venus" is quintessential reading for Burroughs fans and pulp lovers. This excellent edition from Bison Books, complete with new illustrations, a glossary, and great essays from F. Paul Wilson and Phillip Burger, is the first time the book has been back in print for many years; many Burroughs readers probably haven't had a chance to experience Burroughs's last series, and here it is in quite handsome form. And, despite all its shortcomings, "Pirates of Venus" does offer simple action and adventure entertainment. Newcomers to Burroughs should first experience "Tarzan of the Apes," "Under the Moons of Mars" (a current volume from Bison Books that collects the first three Mars novels), "At the Earth's Core," and "The Land That Time Forgot" (all in print) before reading this later and lesser work from the creator of the modern action/adventure novel.

Welcome to Amtor.......2004-02-28

The plot is vintage (cliché?) Burroughs-stalwart Earthman finds himself alone on an alien world, rescues a beautiful princess, wins her love, and becomes the ruler of a mighty empire. Although there is nothing new in the plot, ERB at his best has a way of writing a tale that just zings along from adventure to adventure in a very enjoyable way, making for fast, fun, escapist reading. This is the literary equivalent of comfort food.

My Favorite Burroughs.......2002-05-17

Carson Napier has been my favorite Burroughs hero from about page 25 of my very old paperback copy of this book. He has all the heroic charms of John Carter while not quite being as over the top as the Warlord of Mars.

For plotting this book is stock Burroughs and his many imitators. If you loved John Carter try his not quite so wonderful brother. If you love the Green Star novels read the originals (much as the Calisto books are Carter's version of Barsoom so is Green Star Carter's version of Amtor). If you love Norman's Gor, Aker's Antares, or Carter's Calisto then do yourself a favor and read the lesser know inspiration for them.

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Venus Geology, Geochemistry, and Geophysics: Research from the USSR
A. T. Basilevsky , and V. P. Volkov
Manufacturer: Univ of Arizona Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0816512221

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