Seeing in the Dark: Your Frontrow Seat to the Universe
The book version of "Seeing in the Dark" by Timothy Ferris (Simon & Schuster, 2002), was followed by a PBS presentation in 2007. The movie is better.
"Seeing in the Dark" by Timothy Ferris is a narrative rhapsody honoring amateur astronomy. You do not need even a telescope to be blessed by the wonder of the skies. City lights are not a barrier. Certainly, a large telescope deep in the countryside, above the surrounding landscape is best. Building your own observatory is the epitome of the hobby. But for anyone, anywhere, passion and patience deliver the rewards. Seeing in the Dark is about the people whose love and work open the universe for themselves and others.
Galileo, Kepler, Caroline Herschel and hundreds of others all relied on telescopes that were severely under-powered – arguably mere toys – compared to today’s instruments. Many of them were amateurs because astronomy was not an academic profession until late in the 19th century. Today, astronomy is one of the few endeavors of scientific exploration and discovery where amateurs contribute significantly to the work of professionals.
Looking through a telescope is at once startling, edifying, and disappointing. We are treated to images from the Hubble space telescope. You are not going to look through a $500 five-inch (130 mm) reflector and see an 8x10 color glossy print of the Andromeda Galaxy. But you will see pretty much what it really looks like – or looked like 2.5 million years ago even before our ancestors stopped dragging their knuckles - because when you look into space, you always look back into time. And more to the point, amateurs who are accomplished and gifted viewers do measure up even against the great Hubble.
"Seeing in the Dark" by Timothy Ferris is a narrative rhapsody honoring amateur astronomy. You do not need even a telescope to be blessed by the wonder of the skies. City lights are not a barrier. Certainly, a large telescope deep in the countryside, above the surrounding landscape is best. Building your own observatory is the epitome of the hobby. But for anyone, anywhere, passion and patience deliver the rewards. Seeing in the Dark is about the people whose love and work open the universe for themselves and others.
Galileo, Kepler, Caroline Herschel and hundreds of others all relied on telescopes that were severely under-powered – arguably mere toys – compared to today’s instruments. Many of them were amateurs because astronomy was not an academic profession until late in the 19th century. Today, astronomy is one of the few endeavors of scientific exploration and discovery where amateurs contribute significantly to the work of professionals.
Looking through a telescope is at once startling, edifying, and disappointing. We are treated to images from the Hubble space telescope. You are not going to look through a $500 five-inch (130 mm) reflector and see an 8x10 color glossy print of the Andromeda Galaxy. But you will see pretty much what it really looks like – or looked like 2.5 million years ago even before our ancestors stopped dragging their knuckles - because when you look into space, you always look back into time. And more to the point, amateurs who are accomplished and gifted viewers do measure up even against the great Hubble.
