The Analemma Waltz

When author Paul Vincent moved into his new home in Bristol, Rhode Island, he was struck by how generously its interior gathered sunlight and decided to keep a record of the annual solar itinerary across its walls, floors and furniture. The result is The Analemma Waltz, a celebration of the sun’s slow-motion dance through his house, facilitated, in part, by its surfeit of windows, but much more so by the analemma—the narrow figure-eight pattern the sun describes in the sky in the course of a year in the Earth’s orbital journey. Vincent’s habit of noting and minuting the changing positions of sunlight, day by day and week by week, was the catalyst for meditations on matters of universal concern, as suggested by the times and the seasons of the year and approached, not from the perspective of a scholar or academic, but from that of an interested layperson. Such matters, addressed in the monthly chapters, include the study of history, the virtue of tolerance, the conflict between science and religion and the morality of war. Despite the varied nature of the essay topics in The Analemma Waltz, certain themes appear and reappear throughout the book, namely the author’s convictions that existential particularity is the occasion of both joy and sadness; that the world’s people, though the beneficiaries of seemingly endless breakthroughs in technology, are, and will remain, metaphysically vulnerable; and that appreciation prompting gratitude is the highest vocation of the human person.

The Analemma Waltz is a collection of essays--twelve in number, corresponding to the months of the year--about matters of universal concern to the human community, including the study of history, the virtue of tolerance, the conflict between science and religion, and the morality of war. The distinctive characteristic of the book is its format, where the author moves by slow degrees from the particulars of his own life to a consideration of these age-old concerns. Each chapter essay begins with extracts from the author's journal of the changing positions of sunlight in his house, what he refers to as the solar "slow motion dance," a phenomenon made possible by the analemma--the narrow figure-eight pattern the sun describes in the sky in the course of a year in the Earth's orbital journey. Although the essay topics in The Analemma Waltz are varied, as suggested by the times and seasons of the year, there are certain thematics that appear and re-appear throughout the book, namely the author's convictions that existential particularity is the occasion of both joy and sadness; that the world's people, though the beneficiaries of seemingly endless breakthroughs in technology, are, and will remain, metaphysically vulnerable; and that appreciation prompting gratitude is the highest vocation of the human person.

This quiz book contains over 600 pages crammed with questions that will challenge the nimblest of minds and stretch the limits of your trivia knowledge.

T. Plotner, The Night Sky Companion, DOI 10. 1007/978-0-387-79509-6_1, 1 Springer ScienceþBusiness Media, LLC 2009 2 TheNightSkyCompanion Welcome,fellowtravelertothestars!Forthenextyearwewilltakeajourneytogetheracrossthenight sky. In these pages you will find lunar features, planets, meteor showers, single and multiple stars, open and globular clusters, as well as distant galaxies. There will be astronomy history to explore, famous astronomers to meet, and science to learn. You’ll find things here for those who enjoy stargazing with just their eyes, binoculars, or even the largest of telescopes! Although these observing tips are designed with all readers in mind, not everyone lives in the same time zone—or the same hemisphere—and certainly no one has clear skies every night. But no matter where you live, or who you are, it is my hope that somewhere here you find something of interest to keep you looking up! LearningtheNightSky If you are new to astronomy, it might seem difficult to learn all those stars. Relax! It’s much easier than you think. Just like moving to a new city, everything will seem unfamiliar at first, but with a little help from some maps, you’ll soon be finding your way around like a pro. Once you become familiar with the constellations and how they appear to move across the night sky, the rest is easy. If you do not have maps of your own, try visiting your local library or one of many online sites thatcangeneratethem. Theygiveobjectpositionsingreatdetail,andmosthaveakeyofGreekletters to help you understand star hop instructions.

Proceedings of the US/European Celestial Mechanics Workshop, Poznan, Poland, July 3-7, 2000

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