The spectacular reappearance of the aurora borealis at the beginning of the 18th century, often observed simultaneously from different observatories in Europe, mobilized and federated a large community of astronomers on a European scale. It encouraged them to communicate the results of their observations and, in compiling exhaustive catalogs of information, has helped to establish a system of the aurora borealis that can be further studied in the future, according to the experimental method inherited from the previous century. This book is dedicated to some of the main aurora observers in Europe and to the human, institutional and philosophical context in which they evolved in the first half of the 18th century. Its reading should be seen as a retrospective journey through the scholarly world of the Enlightenment, during which the same scholars are frequently encountered and reencountered, yet each time in different contexts, or from different angles, with the aim of compiling an account of the swarming of ideas and encounters that constituted the development of experimental science in this pivotal period.

Discover the incomparable beauty of the Northern Lights with this accessible guide for aspiring astronomers and seasoned night sky observers. Covers the essential equipment needed for observation and photography and full of stunning photographs.

For this new edition, the text has been brought fully up to date – and the period covered is from 2005 to 2010. Inevitably, this has meant that large sections of the book have been completely rewritten. Much has happened since the ?rst edition was published in 1998. Patrick Moore December 2004 v 00-OY2e_PRE(i-xvi).qxd 14/2/05 2:03 PM Page vii Contents Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix Phases of the Moon 2005–2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xii January . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 February . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 March. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 April. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 May . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 June . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 July . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 August. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 September. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237 October . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265 November. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295 December. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325 Appendix A: The 88 Constellations. . . . . . . . . . . . 351 Appendix B: Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353 Appendix C: The Greek Alphabet. . . . . . . . . . . . . 363 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365 vii 00-OY2e_PRE(i-xvi).qxd 14/2/05 2:03 PM Page ix Introduction It was once said that ‘the night sky always looks much the same’. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. There are 365 days in each year (366 in a Leap Year!), and from an astronomical point of view no two are alike.