Investigating Art, History, and Literature with Astronomy
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Investigating Art, History, and Literature with Astronomy by Donald W Olson
How can shadows determine the date and time of a painting by Johannes Vermeer? How did the Moon and tides cause the loss of King John’s crown jewels?
In his newest book, Professor Olson, author of Celestial Sleuth and Further Adventures of the Celestial Sleuth, explores how astronomical clues can uncover fascinating new details about art, history, and literature. He begins with an accessible introduction to amateur “celestial sleuthing,” showing how to use your astronomical knowledge, software, archives, vintage maps, historical letters and diaries, military records, and other resources to investigate the past.
Follow along as Professor Olson then explores twenty real-world cases where astronomy has helped answer unresolved questions or correct longstanding interpretations about an event. Examples involve artists such as Vermeer, Monet, and O’Keeffe; the historical exploits of Alexander the Great, the desert travels of the Death Valley ’49ers, and ameeting between Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill in Marrakech; and literary works by Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Longfellow.
Packed with dozens of full-color illustrations, this book will enrich your knowledge of the past and equip you with all the tools you’ll need to become a celestial sleuth yourself.
“Many people have a passion for art, or world history, or great literature, or even astronomy — but seldom in all these things at once. This remarkable book by Donald Olson of Texas State University will put you in touch with such seemingly unrelated endeavors. It will open your eyes and broaden your mind as little else could.”
Roger W. Sinnott, Sky & Telescope
Dr. Donald Olson is a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Texas State University, but prefers the terms Celestial Sleuth. Olson received his Ph.D. in physics from the University of California-Berkeley, and after studying galaxy structure for two years at the University of Texas at Austin, he settled into Texas State, where he has been teaching since the early 1980s.
Over the past 25 years (1987-2012), the reputation of his department at Texas State University has been established by the publication of more than 40 articles published in such periodicals as The New York Times and Smithsonian Magazine. His work blurs the line between the hard science of forensic astronomy and the humanities. A longtime connoisseur of art and literature, Olson was approached in 1987 with a proposition that would help him merge the arts with his expertise in astronomy. An English professor asked for his help in interpreting astronomical references in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Shortly afterward, a history professor had a similar request, this time looking at the impact of moonlight and the tides on the amphibious invasion at the Battle of Tarawa during World War II. He has since then gone on to be published in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Sky and Telescope, and Smithsonian magazine, which called Olson ...the leading practitioner of...'forensic astronomy'.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9783030955533 |
| ISBN 10 | 3030955532 |
| Title | Investigating Art, History, and Literature with Astronomy |
| Author | Donald W Olson |
| Series | Popular Astronomy |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Springer Nature Switzerland AG |
| Year published | 2022-03-18 |
| Number of pages | 336 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |