Every place on earth has its own singular view of the stars and Florida is no different. There’s an enviable openness to the Florida landscape and flat horizon, allowing for a broader view of the sky in all directions. The warm, snowless winter nights with their long periods of darkness are ideal for stargazing, and Florida’s position near the tropics offers a view of the four stars in the Southern Cross in the spring and early summer. The two coasts offer stunning views of the sun rising and setting in the water—watch for the Green Flash as the sun finally drops into the ocean on the Gulf coast. A starting point for those who want to learn the Florida night sky and enjoy its treasures, this book also serves as a helpful reference for serious amateur astronomers. Enjoy the activities in these pages and be inspired by the science and history underlying them. Discovery starts in your own backyard. Step outside, look up, and get acquainted with the Florida night. The rewards will surprise and delight you.
Elinor DeWire has been researching, photographing, and writing about lighthouses since 1972. She has visited more than eight hundred sentinels in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, and Australia and is the author of fifteen books and more than 250 articles on the subject. Former Coast Guard historian, Dr. Robert Scheina, calls her "America's most prolific lighthouse author and a driving force behind the recent upsurge in interest in preserving lighthouses and the history and nostalgia surrounding them." DeWire has been honored for her work by the U.S. Lighthouse Society, the American Lighthouse Foundation, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the National League of American Pen Women. Two of her books have won the coveted Ben Franklin Award and the Coast Guard Book Award. DeWire also has written three books on amateur astronomy. She lives in the Puget Sound area of Washington and teaches at Olympic College.
Lighthouse Books by Elinor DeWire:
Guide to Florida Lighthouses
Guardians of the Lights: Stories of U.S. Lighthouse Keepers
The Lighthouse Keeper's Scrapbook
The Lightkeepers' Menagerie: Stories of Animals at Lighthouses
Lighthouses: Sentinels of the American Coast
Lighthouses of the Mid-Atlantic
Lighthouses of the South
Lighthouse Victuals & Verse
The Lighthouse Almanac
Sentries along the Shore
Field Guide to the Lighthouses of the New England Coast
The Lighthouses of Greece
The Lighthouse Activity Book for Kids
Florida Lighthouses for Kids
The DeWire Guide to Lighthouses of California, Oregon, & Washington
Astronomy/Sky Books:
Activities for Young Astronomers
Reach for the Sky
The Florida Night
Author Website:
www.ElinorDeWire.com
