Optics of the Moon

The only work to date to collect data gathered during the American and Soviet missions in an accessible and complete reference of current scientific and technical information about the Moon.

Annotation. Reports from the July 1993 meeting detail advances in telescopes and astronomy technology and discuss the feasibility of astronomical observations from the South Pole and the Moon, in sections on general purpose optical telescopes, charge-coupled devices, optical spectrographs and other instruments, operations and networking, and remote outposts. Includes photos and diagrams. No index. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Optics of the Moon offers a modern approach to lunar remote sensing. It presents methods for interpreting optics of surfaces on the Moon with complicated structures. For example, the book illustrates how phase-ratio techniques can lead to detection of surface structure anamolies, describes polarimetric studies of the lunar surface and their use, and addresses many other questions related to the regolith-like surfaces of the Moon, such as why the Moon looks like a ball at a large phase angle and like a disk in full moon, why the lunar surface has slight color variations, and why at large phase angles its polarization degree closely correlates with albedo. Includes case studies, maps, and color figures to illustrate concepts clearly with specific application to the moon Presents theories alongside experimental and observational data to support and describe modern techniques Communicates new approaches and methods related to the optics of surfaces on the Moon with complicated structures

Observing the Moon is a definitive work, written as a reference book for anyone seriously interested in the Moon and its geology. It is of course a perfect companion for practical observers. Detailed and extensively illustrated chapters catalog ail the interesting lunar features visible in modest telescopes. They are preceded by a crash course in modern lunar geology - based on the vast amount we have learned during and since the Apollo missions - and are followed by chapters on photographic and CCD imaging, drawing and lunar topography. A CD-ROM accompanies this book and contains an atlas of lunar images and much more. The CD-ROM requires a PC running Windows 3.1 or higher, a minimum of 16MB (Windows 3.1), 64MB (Windows 95 up) of memory and a 2x or faster CD-ROM player.

The Optics was a product of Kepler's most creative period. It began as an attempt to give astronomical optics a solid foundation, but soon transcended this narrow goal to become a complete reconstruction of the theory of light, the physiology of vision, and the mathematics of refraction. The result is a work of extraordinary breadth whose significance transcends most categories into which it might be placed. It gives us precious insight into Kepler's thought during this crucial period, an insight all the more valuable in that most of his working papers from that time have been lost. Second, it is the culmination of a long and rich tradition in the science of optics, in distinct contrast with the new optical thought represented by Descartes. And third, it presents discoveries in the physiology of vision, photometry, and the geometry of conic sections which have become part of our intellectual heritage. Especially notable are Kepler's discovery of the inverted retinal image, his theoretical grounding of the inverse-square photometric law, and his insights into the relations between the various conic sections.

Written in the second quarter of the 11th century this work is an important treatise on light and vision. The work is divided into seven books; this translation covers the first three dealing with rectilinear vision.

In this selection of studies, J.L. Mancha explores aspects of the development of medieval optics and astronomy, including some medieval antecedents of the work of early modern astronomers. The articles deal with Latin, Hebrew and Arabic texts, and the process of translation and transmission of knowledge, and focus on three main themes: the theory and astronomical use of the pinhole camera in the 12th and 13th centuries; the characteristics of the Latin and Provençal versions of Levi ben Gerson's astronomical work; and different aspects of the survival of homocentric astronomy in the Middle Ages, especially al-Bitruji's model for trepidation and the technique for calculating the hippopede resulting from Eudoxan couples.