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Get ready for the trio of European eclipses, delve into the history of telescope making and prepare for cloudy weather.
The Solar Eclipse Atlas The Solar Eclipse Guide Solar Eclipses
Author:
Jan Hattenbach, Ronald Stoyan Oculum Verlag
Publisher: ISBN-10: ISBN-13: Print Length: Price:
394937020X 978-3949370205 40 pages £23.99
Author:
Jan Hattenbach, Daniela Pujado Lizama Oculum Verlag 3949370188 978-3949370182 128 pages £23.99
Publisher: ISBN-10: ISBN-13: Print Length: Price:
Author: Publisher: ISBN-10: ISBN-13: Print Length: Price:
William Sheehan Reaktion Books
1836391692 978-1836391692 256 pages £25.00
The prospect of three solar eclipses sweeping across Europe in the next three years is tantalising for astronomers and the general public alike. It is an extraordinary coincidence that three eclipses will cross Spain, although the middle of the trio only clips its southern tip. They are set to occur on 12 August 2026, 2 August 2027 and 26 January 2028.
These three new publications all take different approaches to the topic of eclipses, but each can help readers make the most of the events. Taken together, they reflect two complementary impulses: the practical need to observe these fleeting events, and the deeper desire to understand them in their historical and scientific context.
The pair of guides from Oculum Verlag lean firmly towards the observer, focusing on making the most of these particular opportunities. Although closely related in subject matter, they differ noticeably in format and intent. The Solar Eclipse Atlas is a spiral-bound A4 book containing little more than maps to help plan observations and navigate to chosen sites. The second, smaller-format volume, the Solar Eclipse Guide, is a companion that provides much more information about eclipses in general and these three in particular. It reads like a cross between a travel guide to Spain and an eclipse primer. Together, these two volumes provide everything a prospective eclipse chaser could want to prepare for these events.
In contrast, William Sheehan’s Solar Eclipses (Reaktion Books) takes a broader view of the subject. Rather than focusing on a particular set of eclipses, Sheehan explores the phenomenon across history, science and culture. The narrative moves from early attempts to predict eclipses through to modern expeditions, weaving in accounts of famous observations and the gradual uncovering of the Sun’s outer atmosphere. There is a strong sense of how important eclipses are both culturally and scientifically.
Sheehan writes with authority and clarity, balancing technical explanation with storytelling. The photographs are well chosen and help bring the already excellent text to life. There is always something evocative about seeing old photographs of Victorians chasing eclipses.
In summary, Oculum’s guides are immediate, practical and event-driven, designed to maximise the experience of specific eclipses. Sheehan’s book is reflective and wide-ranging, offering a deeper appreciation that extends beyond any single event. For readers planning to witness the forthcoming European eclipses, the ideal approach may be to use both: the Oculum volumes in the field, and Sheehan’s account to understand why those few minutes of darkness have captivated observers for centuries.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Grubb Dublin and Grubb Parsons: Telescope Makers
Author: Ian Glass Print Length: 344 pages
Read Grubb Dublin & Grubb Parsons: Telescope Makers online or download for free: cfah. org.za/resources/grubb-glass/
Ian Glass was born in Ireland and educated at Trinity College Dublin and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has lived in Cape Town since 1971 and has worked for most of his career at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO), specialising in the infrared. He is the author of Grubb Dublin & Grubb Parsons: Telescope Makers .
What drew you to this subject? I first became interested in Grubb Parsons (GP) through the 74-inch Radcliffe Telescope. I used it extensively in Pretoria and Sutherland for my infrared work and did a great deal to modernise it. Among the material SAAO inherited from Radcliffe was correspondence from GP concerning the saga of its construction.
What astounds you the most about these particular telescope makers? I found it remarkable that a specialised company like this grew up in Dublin rather than in London or one of the major industrial towns in Britain. I was also impressed by the development work at GP after the Second World War, when they produced some of the world’s best optics.
Tell me a little about the Centre for Astronomical Heritage (CfAH)? The CfAH is a small non-profit organisation set up by a few of us to encourage the preservation of astronomical artefacts and paper records. We are involved with cataloguing and digitising plate collections and correspondence, and have worked mainly on the records of the Boyden Observatory, Bloemfontein, and the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope.
What is your desert-island astronomy book (the one book you cannot imagine never being able to read again)? Hard question! On my desert island I would perhaps keep Hoskin’s Cambridge History of Astronomy and a good annual sky guide such as the ASSA Sky Guide Southern Africa.
What is next for you? My next project is a biography of Sir Thomas Maclear. He was born in a small town in Ireland, became a medical doctor in Bedfordshire and eventually, as an amateur turned professional astronomer, ran the Royal Observatory, Cape, for 37 years.
Astronomy for Cloudy Nights:
Eight Essays of Respite from Frustrating Skies
Author: Publisher:
ISBN: ISBN13: Print Length: Price:
David Clarke Cambridge Scholars Publishing 1-0364-5916-0 978-1-0364-5916-1 253 pages £32.99
Clarke is the retired observatory director from Glasgow University and is currently a member of the Eddington Astronomical Society, Kendal. In this miscellany of musings, he covers a broad selection of astronomical topics in a style that occasionally recalls a Ronnie Corbett chair sketch for those who remember that far back.
Dealing with his topics in a semi-random fashion, he weaves essays that sit at the centre of a Venn diagram between autobiography, scientific education and shaggy-dog story. The reader is just as likely to encounter a technical explanation as an anecdote, poem or reference to the arts. Quirky and unique.