Curiosities of the Sky is a newly annotated edition of the 1909 popular astronomy classic. All of the original text, photographs and diagrams are preserved, and new text added providing updates in the progress of astronomy since the book was first published.
Garrett Serviss wrote with a firm understanding of the science of the period. He was also graced with a delightful imagination and unequaled power of poetic expression in describing the wonders and mysteries of the universe.
A few of the topics covered:
* The strange unfixedness of the `fixed stars.'
* The slow passing of the constellations.
* The assembly of stars in immense clouds, swarms, and clusters.
* The starless gaps in the Milky Way.
* The marvelous phenomena of new, or temporary, stars.
* The amazing forms of the whirlpool, spiral, pinwheel, and lace, or tress, nebulae.
* The strange surroundings of the Sun.
* The mystery of the Zodiacal Light and the Gegenschein.
* The extraordinary transformations of comets and their tails.
* The prodigies of meteorites and masses of stone and metal fallen from the sky.
* The cataclysms that have wrecked the moon.
* The problem of life and intelligence on Mars.
* The problematical origin and fate of the asteroids.
* The strange phenomena of the auroral lights.
About the Author
Garrett Putnam Serviss was born in 1851 in Sharon Springs, New York. He graduated from Cornell in 1872 attended Columbia Law School and was admitted to the New York Bar in 1874. He seems never to have practiced law, becoming instead a journalist, first for the New York Tribune and then for the New York Sun. For the latter paper he anonymously wrote a much-loved astronomy column for the editorial page. He was a prolific author on astronomical topics, his books including Astronomy with an Opera Glass, Astronomy with the Naked Eye, and Round the Year with the Stars. He also wrote early science fiction novels, such as The Moon Metal and A Columbus of Space. He died on May 25, 1929 in Englewood, New Jersey.
Serviss had many virtues as a popularizer of science. He kept up with the research of his day and knew many professional astronomers personally. He was an active observer and was widely traveled. Although he adhered closely to the facts when summarizing current knowledge, he was not afraid to speculate. Scientists must keep their imaginations in check, he might say, but we spectators need not be so strict. Finally, his gentle wonder at the marvels of creation, and his care and skill in sharing it with us, make him a great pleasure to read.
