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Many Skies: Alternative Histories of the Sun, Moon, Planets, and Stars

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Alternate history has become a popular subject in recent years, both in terms of fiction and also in non-fiction, exploring such ideas as what would have happened if Napoleon had not been defeated at Waterloo or if the South had won the Civil War. Upgren in _Many Skies_, explored alternate solar, stellar, and galactic systems and arrangements and what effects these might have had on the history of the world.

Upgren divided the book into four sections, chapters in each section either exploring an alternate universe where the sky as it appears on Earth is different or discussing some aspect of astronomy as set-up to an idea for an alternate universe in a following chapter. The chapters described the different sky, why it was different, how this sky could have come to exist, what it would look like to an observer on Earth, and then what effects this might have had on the history of science and the history of the world in general. Often times the discussion of the effects were just questions the author would raise though in several cases he went into more detail. There were many diagrams and charts to help illustrate his points and Upgren did a good job of explaining astronomical terms such as proper motion, retrograde motion, and globular clusters when needed.

Part one looked at different systems and arrangements for our Sun and Moon. What if the Earth had three moons? What if the Earth had not one Sun but three? What if the Earth were alone in space with the Sun, with no Moon or other planets, comets, or asteroids?

Part two looked at alternate planets in our solar system, including our own. What if the Earth had rings? What if Jupiter existed in the orbit of our Venus? What if a bright planet, known to the ancients, orbited the Sun outside of the primary plane of the solar system, going far to the north or the south of the ecliptic? What if very bright comets were more frequent? What if Mars or Venus had a moon the size of our Moon (if Mars or Venus had a satellite as large and as bright as our Moon it would easily be seen by the unaided eye; if the Moon was seen from Venus when Venus is at its closest, about 26 million miles away, it would outshine all but the Sun and the Earth)?

Part three looked at alternate stellar and galactic systems and arrangements. What if a star close to the Earth became a supernova? What if the Pleiades Cluster was about as close as the Hyades is now, not thousands of light years away but instead only a hundred light years away, with its stars visible in the daytime? What if the solar system were above the galactic plane, perhaps well outside and to the north of it, with the northern sky completely black and empty to the naked eye?

Part four didn't really delve as much into different skies but touched on other topics, including issues of light pollution and astronomical causes of mass extinction on Earth.

Not surprisingly, many of the various scenarios dealt primarily with alternate histories of science (particularly astronomy) as a result of these different skies. In some cases these alternate skies were beneficial to science. If the Earth had more than one Sun and/or had more than one Moon, or if Jupiter or Venus had satellites visible to the naked eye it would have been possible that the heliocentric model of the solar system would have been adapted centuries earlier, perhaps in the days of the Roman Empire, as it would have been apparent to ancient astronomers that not every object orbited the Earth. Similarly, in an alternate universe with a closer Jupiter (in the orbit of Venus perhaps), close enough that the unaided eye could detect a disk; it would have been possible to see a full set of phases and lead the intelligent observer to conclude it orbited the Sun and not the Earth.

In other cases these alternate skies would not have helped the advancement of science. In an alternate universe where the Earth had rings, the only fully dark skies would exist near the poles, where the rings, lying on the equatorial plane, would be below the horizon and thus not visible. At lower latitudes the sky would always be too bright for the observation of faint objects and it is very likely that as a result the development of stellar astronomy would have been severely retarded. In a system with only the Sun and the Moon (no planets, comets, or asteroids), the issue of whether or not the Sun revolves around the Earth would likely not have been solved until the 18th or 19th centuries when the aberration of starlight and direct measure of stellar parallax could be accomplished with better instrumentation, Kepler's Laws of planetary motion could not have been devised, nor probably either Newton's laws of motion (or at least both would have been devised much later in history). Additionally, no concept of a week or a month would have suggested itself, producing perhaps changes in timekeeping.

Changes to world history would of course not be limited to just astronomy and Upgren does explore that as well. He suggested that if the Earth had had more than one Sun and/or Moon, it is possible that monotheistic religious would not have arisen at all or have arisen later in world history and perhaps in the present polytheistic religious would still be quite common and widespread. In an alternate universe where the northern sky is pure black (due to the solar system being well above the galactic plane), astrology would not have developed and many world mythologies would have been less rich.

An interesting and thought provoking book, my only complaints are that I would have liked more development of non-science-related historical topics as well as alternate evolutionary histories of life on Earth.

Emeritus astronomy professor Arthur Upgren presents Many Skies: Alternative Histories Of The Sun, Moon, Planets And Stars, an imaginative discussion of how bodies in the night sky could just as easily have been arranged in very different ways. Exploring scenarios such as if the Earth had multiple moons, or rings like Saturn, or if the Sun were a double-star or triple-star system, Many Skies contemplates how different theologies, astrologies, and methods of tracking time would have evolved. Many Skies also scrutinizes how human interferences such as light pollution is changing the night sky, and warns that increased satellites displaying products will change the appearance of Earth's atmosphere. A vivid and contemplative account, as appealing, understandable, and enjoyable for lay readers as for experts in the field.

I purchased this book based on the reviews many well known professionals in the astronomical community. As a professional in the Aerospace Industry and an "Amateur Astronomer" for 40 years (with undergraduate degrees in Chemistry & Astronomy) I found this book to be fascinating in the various solar system scenarios the author describes but also disturbing for another reason. The different "Alternative Histories" were well thought out and showed an excellent grasp of astronomical and physical principals.
However; Dr Upgren, like his colleague and predecessor Carl Sagan ("Pale Blue Dot"), clearly goes out of his way to display what I consider to be an obvious Christian bigotry. In the book, the author attempts to determine how our earlier Western European culture might have acted and developed under several different solar system scenarios where humans could have developed and advanced.
As many academics do, he compares actions and motives from hundreds and even thousands of years ago to today's societal and cultural values and utterly fails to put these facts in any sort of historical context. He seems to delight in "bashing" the christian church and its leaders. At the same time, all other religions and societies appear to be treated fairly if not in some cases with a status that may not be deserved.
Unfortunately, in my opinion, this very transparent bigotry on the part of the author is very distracting and significantly diminishes the scholarship of this work.