Description
Book SynopsisOver two hundred illustrations, many in full color, capture for both the layman and scientist the beautiful optical effects that we see in the sky. The author describes and explains these effects in non-technical language. In addition to discussing such well-known phenomena as rainbows and halos, he treats the rarer ones, including sun pillars, sun dogs, glories, and mirages. Computer simulations and simplified mathematical models are used to make the physical origins of these events intelligible. The book sensitizes readers to a wide range of optical phenomena in the sky, explains how to look for them, and imparts an increased awareness and aesthetic appreciation of these fascinating effects. This new printing includes sharper color images and an expanded preface.
Table of Contents
- Rainbows
- Ice-crystal refraction effects: halos, arcs, and spots
- Ice-crystal refraction effects: pillars, circles, and crosses
- Complex displays, past and present
- Scattering: light in the sky and color in the clouds
- Diffraction: the corona, the glory, and the specter of the Brocken
- Atmospheric refraction: mirages, twinkling stars, and the green flash
