"Here's what it is about: For tens of thousands of years, the stars were our constant companions. In the glow of today's artificial lighting, when even professional astronomers study the universe by staring at screens rather than through eyepieces, we have forgotten this intimacy with the cosmos. Roberto Trotta is here to remind us: one of our species' most enduring and (literally) universal relationships has been with the night sky itself. In Starborn, cosmologist Trotta shows how stargazing has shaped the entire course of ...
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"Here's what it is about: For tens of thousands of years, the stars were our constant companions. In the glow of today's artificial lighting, when even professional astronomers study the universe by staring at screens rather than through eyepieces, we have forgotten this intimacy with the cosmos. Roberto Trotta is here to remind us: one of our species' most enduring and (literally) universal relationships has been with the night sky itself. In Starborn, cosmologist Trotta shows how stargazing has shaped the entire course of human civilization. The rhythm of our ancestors' lives revolved around the stars, from their cycles of agriculture to their patterns of birth. Our origin myths made the Sun into a life-giving creator and the Milky Way a gateway for departed souls. The motion of celestial bodies sustained the illusion that the Earth was at the center of the cosmos-until looking at them more closely sparked the Scientific Revolution. Across the ages stars have served as clocks, maps, compasses, muses, and gods, defining both our laws of reality and our dreams of the sublime. How radically different would humanity be, Trotta also asks, if our ancestors had looked up to the night sky and seen... nothing? In lyrical yet evidence-grounded meditations he imagines a world without stars, a dramatic alternate history in which we wouldn't understand gravity, where couldn't navigate or have much sense of time, and where our sense of the profound-of art and of the divine-was altered beyond recognition. Revealing the hidden connections between astronomy and the story of civilization, Starborn summons us to the marvelous sight that awaits us on a dark, clear night-to lose ourselves in the immeasurable vastness above"--
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Seller's Description:
Fine. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 352 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
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Very good. Ships Within 24 Hours M-F-Satisfaction Guaranteed! Has a publisher overstock mark. Item is in Good Condition. Clean Copy With Light Amount of Wear.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
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Seller's Description:
Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
