In The Astronomer and the Witch, Ulinka Rublack pieces together the tale of this extraordinary episode in Kepler's life, one that takes us to the heart of his changing world.

Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) was one of the most admired astronomers who ever lived and a key figure in the scientific revolution. A defender of Copernicus ́s sun-centred universe, he famously discovered that planets move in ellipses, and defined the three laws of planetary motion. Perhaps less well known is that in 1615, when Kepler was at the height of his career, his widowed mother Katharina was accused of witchcraft. The proceedings led to a criminal trial that lasted six years, with Kepler conducting his mother's defence. In The Astronomer and the Witch, Ulinka Rublack pieces together the tale of this extraordinary episode in Kepler's life, one which takes us to the heart of his changing world. First and foremost an intense family drama, the story brings to life the world of a small Lutheran community in the centre of Europe at a time of deep religious and political turmoil - a century after the Reformation, and on the threshold of the Thirty Years' War. Kepler's defence of his mother also offers us a fascinating glimpse into the great astronomer's world view, on the cusp between Reformation and scientific revolution. While advancing rational explanations for the phenomena which his mother's accusers attributed to witchcraft, Kepler nevertheless did not call into question the existence of magic and witches. On the contrary, he clearly believed in them. And, as the story unfolds, it appears that there were moments when even Katharina's children wondered whether their mother really did have nothing to hide...

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Astronomy has two worlds, a professional and amateur. The professional world is an academic world of professors, space programs, telescopes, journals, and the like. It is for the serious scientist. The amateur world is for people who like astronomy for fun, joy, thrilling cosmic sights, stargazing, star parties, and a festive atmosphere over the joys of the sky. Here in this book we will discuss and review the amateur side of astronomy.

Atlas over de vigtigste galakser og nebuloser, som kan ses i teleskop af amatørastronomer.

A lifetime of wisdom infuses the collection of stories gathered by centenarian Jos Miguel de Barandiran, patriarch and interpreter of ancient Basque tales, a sample of which are available for the first time in English in A view from the Witch's Cave.

In the nineteenth century the beauty of the night sky is the source of both imaginative wonder in poetry and political and commercial power through navigation. The Romantic Imagination and Astronomy examines the impact of astronomical discovery and imperial exploration on poets including Barbauld, Coleridge, Keats, Shelley, and Rossetti.

Over the last 15 years or so there has been a huge increase in the popularity of astrophotography with the advent of digital SLR cameras and CCD imagers. These have enabled astronomers to take many images and, indeed, check images as they scan the skies. Processing techniques using computer software have also made ‘developing’ these images more accessible to those of us who are ‘chemically challenged!’ And let’s face it – some of the pictures you see these days in magazines, books, and on popular web forums are, frankly, amazing! So, why bother looking through the eyepiece you ask? Well, for one thing, setting up the equipment is quicker. You just take your ‘scope out of the garage or, if you’re lucky enough to own one, open the roof of your observatory, align the ‘scope and off you go. If you have an equatorial mount, you’ll still need to roughly polar align, but this really takes only a few moments. The ‘imager’ would most likely need to spend more time setting up. This would include very accurate polar alignment (for equatorial mounts), then finding a guide star using his or her finder, checking the software is functioning properly, and c- tinuous monitoring to make sure the alignment is absolutely precise throu- out the imaging run. That said, an imager with a snug ‘obsy’ at the end of the garden will have a quicker time setting up, but then again so will the ‘visual’ observer.

The Biohistory of Feminism is a multilayered project that incorporates evolutionary biology to argue that behaviors labelled feminist by human cultures are already found in nature, and that there is no one path to being female. On a planet where asexual reproduction dominates, intersex and parthenogenesis exist and eusocial females contribute to their colonies without reproducing, being female goes beyond motherhood stereotypes dear to those who attempt to perpetuate a universal idea of male dominance in human history. Feminism exists naturally as a series of efforts to express oneself in a multiplicity of ways freely chosen—including the attainment of alpha status as a social animal, managing resources and forming alliances. Elephant matriarchs and alpha female bonobos were there among social animals before the appearance of human monarchs like Wu Zetian and contemporary politicians like Angela Merkel and cultural leaders like Wangari Maathai. Female dolphins and chimpanzees taught cultural traditions before the intellectual achievements of literary figures like Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and scientists like Jane Goodall. The diversity of female expression in nature is natural.

Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) is remembered, along with Copernicus and Galileo, as one of the greatest Renaissance astronomers. A gifted analytical thinker, he made major contributions to physics, astronomy, and mathematics. Kepler was trained as a theologian, yet did not hesitate to challenge church doctrine and prevailing scientific beliefs by supporting the theory of a Sun-centered solar system. As Imperial Mathematician to the Holy Roman Emperor, he analyzed the precise observations of the heavens that his predecessor, the great astronomer Tycho Brahe, had recorded. The book follows the ingenious scientist along the difficult pathway from raw data to his monumental discovery--the three Laws of Planetary Motion. Kepler also made fundamental contributions to optical theory, including a correct description of the function of the eye and a new and improved telescope design. His unique Rudolfine Tables, universal calculations of planetary motion, were unprecedented in their accuracy. James Voelkel vividly describes these scientific achievements, providing enough background in astronomy and geometry so even beginners can follow Kepler's thinking and enjoy this book. Equally captivating is his account of Kepler's tumultuous life, plagued by misery, disease, war, and fervent religious persecution.Oxford Portraits in Science is an ongoing series of scientific biographies for young adults. Written by top scholars and writers, each biography examines the personality of its subject as well as the thought process leading to his or her discoveries. These illustrated biographies combine accessible technical information with compelling personal stories to portray the scientists whose work has shaped our understanding of the natural world.