Thomas Hockey – författare

Gazing up at the heavens from our backyards or a nearby field, most of us see an undifferentiated mess of stars - if, that is, we can see anything at all through the glow of light pollution. Today's casual observer knows far less about the sky than did our ancestors, who depended on the sun and the moon to tell them the time and on the stars to guide them through the seas. Nowadays, we don't need the sky, which is good, because we've made it far less accessible, hiding it behind the skyscrapers and excessive artificial light of our cities. "How We See the Sky" gives us back our knowledge of the sky, offering a fascinating overview of what can be seen there without the aid of a telescope. Thomas Hockey begins by scanning the horizon, explaining how the visible universe rotates through this horizon as night turns to day and season to season. Subsequent chapters explore the sun's and moon's respective motions through the celestial globe, as well as the appearance of solstices, eclipses, and planets, and how these are accounted for in different kinds of calendars.In every chapter, Hockey introduces the common vocabulary of today's astronomers, uses examples past and present to explain them, and provides conceptual tools to help newcomers understand the topics he discusses. Packed with illustrations and enlivened by historical anecdotes and literary references, "How We See the Sky" reacquaints us with the wonders to be found in our own backyards.

Combining the latest astronomical results with a historical perspective, Solar System: Between Fire and Ice takes you on a fabulous tour of our intriguing Solar System. Not content with a conventional discourse restricted to the major and minor bodies, astronomers Hockey, Bartlett, and Boice venture beyond the limits of our system to look at exoplanets and to consider future trends in space exploration and tourism. They discuss not only what scientists know about planets, asteroids, and comets but how the discoveries were made. With extensive teaching experience, their accessible prose clearly explains essential physical concepts. Lavishly illustrated as well as carefully researched, Solar System: Between Fire and Ice delights the eyes as well as feeding the mind. Detailed appendices provide additional technical data and resources for your own on-line voyage of discovery. Whether you are an educated layperson, student, teacher, amateur astronomer, or merely curious, you will come away having learned the most up-to-date knowledge and enjoyed the process.The authors bring a unique perspective to this subject, combining their years of experience in research, teaching, and history of planetary science. Prof. Thomas Hockey is a professor of astronomy, specializing in planetary science and the history of science. Dr. Jennifer Bartlett is an astronomer with a forte in dynamical motions of asteroids with liberal arts teaching experience. Dr. Daniel Boice is an active research astronomer in planetary science, especially comets, with considerable teaching experience."In the 1980s and 90s the Viking and Voyager missions provided droves of exciting information, generating a new level of public interest. Textbooks were rewritten and scientists worked to understand the data during mission poor period that followed. In recent times, however, we have entered a new era. There has been a multinational effort to expand our knowledge of the Solar System. Data from these missions has been freely shared and has again raised the level of public interest. Within this era of renewed interest, it is appropriate, as is done in this book, to provide the public with an effort to present an integrated view of our Solar System and questions that the discovery of extrasolar planets have raised with regard to the Solar System as a whole." Professor Reta Beebe, recipient of NASA’s Exceptional Public Service Medal"I understand this book to be aimed at a general audience, but I can also see its use as a text in astronomy classes, especially in a community school or situations where students typically resist reading the textbook. The writing is light and entertaining, and will engage students, yet it thoroughly covers all the basic concepts of a typical Astro 101 class." - Dr. Katy Garmany, winner of the American Astronomical Society’s Annie J. Cannon Award.

Combining the latest astronomical results with a historical perspective, Solar System: Between Fire and Ice takes you on a fabulous tour of our intriguing Solar System. Not content with a conventional discourse restricted to the major and minor bodies, astronomers Hockey, Bartlett, and Boice venture beyond the limits of our system to look at exoplanets and to consider future trends in space exploration and tourism. They discuss not only what scientists know about planets, asteroids, and comets but how the discoveries were made. With extensive teaching experience, their accessible prose clearly explains essential physical concepts. Lavishly illustrated as well as carefully researched, Solar System: Between Fire and Ice delights the eyes as well as feeding the mind. Detailed appendices provide additional technical data and resources for your own on-line voyage of discovery. Whether you are an educated layperson, student, teacher, amateur astronomer, or merely curious, you will come away having learned the most up-to-date knowledge and enjoyed the process.The authors bring a unique perspective to this subject, combining their years of experience in research, teaching, and history of planetary science. Prof. Thomas Hockey is a professor of astronomy, specializing in planetary science and the history of science. Dr. Jennifer Bartlett is an astronomer with a forte in dynamical motions of asteroids with liberal arts teaching experience. Dr. Daniel Boice is an active research astronomer in planetary science, especially comets, with considerable teaching experience."In the 1980s and 90s the Viking and Voyager missions provided droves of exciting information, generating a new level of public interest. Textbooks were rewritten and scientists worked to understand the data during mission poor period that followed. In recent times, however, we have entered a new era. There has been a multinational effort to expand our knowledge of the Solar System. Data from these missions has been freely shared and has again raised the level of public interest. Within this era of renewed interest, it is appropriate, as is done in this book, to provide the public with an effort to present an integrated view of our Solar System and questions that the discovery of extrasolar planets have raised with regard to the Solar System as a whole." Professor Reta Beebe, recipient of NASA’s Exceptional Public Service Medal"I understand this book to be aimed at a general audience, but I can also see its use as a text in astronomy classes, especially in a community school or situations where students typically resist reading the textbook. The writing is light and entertaining, and will engage students, yet it thoroughly covers all the basic concepts of a typical Astro 101 class." - Dr. Katy Garmany, winner of the American Astronomical Society’s Annie J. Cannon Award.

The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers is a unique and valuable resource for historians and astronomers alike. It includes approx. 1850 biographical sketches on astronomers from antiquity to modern times. It is the collective work of 430 authors edited by an editorial board of 8 historians and astronomers. This reference provides biographical information on astronomers and cosmologists by utilizing contemporary historical scholarship. The fully corrected and updated second edition adds approximately 300 biographical sketches. Based on ongoing research and feedback from the community, the new entries will fill gaps and provide expansions. In addition, greater emphasis on Russo phone astronomers and radio astronomers is given. Individual entries vary from 100 to 1500 words, including the likes of the super luminaries such as Newton and Einstein, as well as lesser-known astronomers like Galileo's acolyte, Mario Guiducci.

Now available in paperback, this beautifully illustrated volume ranges across the entire history of Jupiter studies, from the naked-eye observations of the Babylonians and the Greeks, through the telescopic discoveries of Galileo and T.E.R. Phillips, to the explosion of information received from space probes. It brings our understanding of Jupiter right up to date and includes preliminary findings from the Juno space probe, while also providing valuable practical information for those who wish to make their own observations of the planet. Introducing planetary science in an accessible and engaging way, Jupiter will appeal to those who wish to have a better understanding of this magnificent planet and its unique place in the solar system.

In anticipation of this upcoming event, this book takes us back in history over 150 years, telling the story of the nation’s first ever eclipse chasers.Our tale follows the chaotic journeys of scientists and amateur astronomers as they trekked across the western United States to view the rare phenomenon of a total solar eclipse.