Eclipse Penumbra

The second volume in the trilogy—“a complex, bizarre, and unique vision of the near future with a kaleidoscopic mix of politics, pop, and paranoia” (Bruce Sterling, author of The Hacker Crackdown). World War Three continues. A nuclear strike has laid waste to much of Europe. And the fascists and fundamentalists of the Second Alliance are diligently working on Project Total Eclipse—a nightmare scenario that seeks to establish the SA’s control over a much wider territory through a takeover of the first orbiting space colony in human history. And they are running out of patience with the New Resistance—technologically skilled guerillas who are the only ones standing in the way of their grand plans for apartheid and world domination . . . This extraordinary trilogy, which anticipated such phenomena as surveillance drones and the rising threat of right-wing authoritarianism, is a riveting saga of out-of-control corporate power, a near-future world riven by rage and fear, and the need for individuals to stand up and fight back if they want to hold on to their freedom. “Vivid, dense, powerful imagery . . . hard to put down.” —The Washington Post

Two questions guide this seven-year project: First, how can we approach the phenomenon, representation, and interpretation of total solar eclipses? Second, how can we heal the historical divide separating the natural sciences from the humanities, arts, history, and theology? The result of this interdisciplinary investigation into eclipses is an exciting look behind the scenes - into labs, archives, and museums, as well as around fieldwork in astronomy, meteorology, animal behaviour, and ecophysiology. Carefully prepared for readers from all backgrounds, these voices invite us to imagine a liberated mode of discovery, perception, creativity, and knowledge-production across the traditional academic divisions. A uniquely prismatic representation of total solar eclipses emerges, itself rising to a model of communal thinking, together, across disciplinary borders. This book is Tom McLeish's final project and scholarly testament. Dedicated to him and to astrophysicist Jay M. Pasachoff (contributing author of a chapter about the solar corona, also Pasachoff's final piece of writing), the volume is a friendly companion to the chase of knowledge, encouraging its readers to embark upon their own interdisciplinary journey of discovery.

Much of what is known about the universe came from the study of celestial shadows. This book looks in detail at the way eclipses and other celestial shadows have given us amazing insights into the nature of the objects in our solar system and how they are even helping us discover and analyze planets that orbit stars other than our Sun. A variety of eclipses, transits, and occultations of the mooons of Jupiter and Saturn, Pluto and its satellite Charon, asteroids and stars have helped astronomers to work out their dimensions, structures, and shapes - even the existence of atmospheres and structures of exoplanets. Long before Columbus set out to reach the Far East by sailing West, the curved shadow of the Earth on the Moon during a lunar eclipse revealed that we inhabit a round world, a globe. More recently, comparisons of the sunlit and Earthlit parts of the Moon have been used to determine changes in the Earth's brightness as a way of monitoring possible effects in cloud coverage which may be related to global warming. Shadows were used by the Greek mathematician Eratosthenes to work out the first estimate of the circumference of the Earth, by Galileo to measure the heights of the lunar mountains and by eighteenth century astronomers to determine the scale of the Solar System itself. Some of the rarest and most wonderful shadows of all are those cast onto Earth by the lovely "Evening Star" Venus as it goes between the Earth and the Sun. These majestic transits of Venus occur at most two in a century; after the 2012 transit, there is not a chance to observe this phenomenon until 2117, while the more common sweep of a total solar eclipse creates one of the most dramatic and awe-inspiring events of nature. Though it may have once been a source of consternation or dread, solar eclipses now lead thousands of amateur astronomers and "eclipse-chasers" to travel the globe in order to experience the dramatic view under "totality." These phenomena are among the most spectacular available to observers and are given their full due in Westfall and Sheehan's comprehensive study.

The most complete guide to viewing eclipses-including details on every solar and lunar eclipse through 2017 Want to observe the most fleeting eclipse phenomena, take dramatic photos, and keep a detailed record of the experience? Now you can be prepared. This comprehensive one-stop resource covers everything you need to know about solar and lunar eclipses-why they happen, how to view them, how to photograph them, even when and where they will occur through the year 2017. Here's where to turn for: * Detailed explanations of eclipse mechanics and dynamics, viewing techniques, and what to look for, both in the sky and all around you * Extended discussions of eclipse photography and videography-film selection and developing, filter requirements, special care of equipment, and more * Intriguing individual and group activities you can carry out during an eclipse to heighten your enjoyment and deepen your understanding of the event * Detailed maps and discussions on how and where to best view each eclipse, plus travel considerations, likely weather conditions, and equipment recommendations Whether you're a backyard astronomer, a dedicated eclipse chaser, or a teacher guiding students through their first eclipse experience, Eclipse! provides the in-depth, detailed, practical information you need to make the most of these thrilling celestial marvels of nature.

The Second Alliance is determined to extend its absolute power over the space colony and eliminate the New Resistance once and for all

Writing a comprehensive book on satellite communications requires the com mand of many technical disciplines and the availability of up-to-date information on international recommendations, system architectures, and equipment stand ards. It is therefore necessary to involve many authors, each possessing a good level of knowledge in a particular discipline. The problem of using a coherent and unambiguous set of definitions and basic terms has been solved by including in the book all the background information needed for understanding satellite communication systems, without any major reference to other textbooks specializing in particular disciplines. The obvious consequence of this approach has been the large size of the book, with the advantages, however, of practically complete independence from other books, more systematic discussion of the subject matter, and better readability. After the required background information, emphasis has been placed on the discussion of techniques and system design criteria rather than on specific equipment implementation or description of particular systems. The book may be divided in five parts as follows: • The first five chapters provide most of the required background information. • Chapter 6 is an introductory outline of satellite communication systems. • Chapters 7 to 13 deal with the various aspects of technical system design. • Chapter 14 discusses system economics. • Chapter 15 provides a brief insight into some foreseeable future develop ments of satellite communications.

The complete trilogy in one volume: Tech-savvy resistance fighters battle a twenty-first-century fascist takeover that threatens the entire planet—and beyond . . . In the near future, Russia invades Western Europe, crisis envelops the United States—and a mercenary army overseen by power-hungry theocrats and authoritarians takes advantage of the chaos. But a band of resistance fighters, technologically skilled and as dedicated to freedom as they are to sex, drugs, and rock and roll, intend to do what needs to be done to save humanity from mass-scale genocide—including those humans living in the world’s first orbiting space colony . . . This volume includes Eclipse, Eclipse: Penumbra, and Eclipse: Corona Praise for The Eclipse Trilogy “[An] apocalyptic, pop-inflected, rock-driven vision.” —William Gibson, New York Times–bestselling author of Neuromancer “Hard to put down.” —The Washington Post “John Shirley’s prophet-in-the-cyberwilderness voice deserves high billing among the best.” —Roger Zelazny, Nebula Award-winning author of Nine Princes in Amber “A Goya-esque vision of war-torn western Europe, bombed out and unstable . . . from a resurgence of Russian militarism and the collapse of NATO.” —Publishers Weekly “A kaleidoscopic mix of politics, pop, and paranoia.” —Bruce Sterling, author of Heavy Weather “Chillingly plausible.” —Kirkus Reviews

Astronomy, astrophysics and space research have developed extensively and rapidly in the last few decades. The new opportunities for observation afforded by space travel, the development of high-sensitivity light detectors and the use of powerful computers have revealed new aspects of the fascinating world of galaxies and quasars, stars and planets. The fourth, completely revised edition of The New Cosmos bears witness to this explosive development. It provides a comprehensive but concise introduction to all of astronomy and astrophysics. It stresses observations and theoretical principles equally, requiring of the reader only basic mathematical and scientific background knowledge. Like its predecessors, this edition of The New Cosmos will be welcomed by students and researchers in the fields of astronomy, physics and earth sciences, as well as by serious amateur astronomers.