Can a single explosion change the course of history? An eruption at the end of the 18th century led to years of climate change while igniting famine, disease, even perhaps revolution. Laki is one of Iceland’s most fearsome volcanoes.Laki is Iceland’s largest volcano. Its eruption in 1783 is one of history’s great, untold natural disasters. Spewing out sun-blocking ash and then a poisonous fog for eight long months, the effects of the eruption lingered across the world for years.  It caused the deaths of people as far away as the Nile and created catastrophic conditions throughout Europe.Island on Fire is the story not only of a single eruption but the people whose lives it changed, the dawn of modern volcanology, as well as the history―and potential―of other super-volcanoes like Laki around the world. And perhaps most pertinently, in the wake of the eruption of another Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajökull, which closed European air space in 2010, acclaimed science writers Witze and Kanipe look at what might transpire should Laki erupt again in our lifetime. B&W illustrations throughout

Product Description: In this sweeping tour of the cosmos and our place within it, acclaimed science writer Jeff Kanipe shows the many ways we are connected to the vast universe we inhabit. Long before our apelike ancestors dropped from the trees and began playing with fire, even before the Sun emerged from its chrysalis of dust and irradiated its brood of planets, numberless and nameless astronomical events affected Earth and its emerging life-forms...read more

An account of the efforts of astronomers to extend the current limits of the observable universe documents how objects on the very edge of viewability are informing the scientific community about the beginnings of time and such mysteries as the 'cosmic dark age' and 'dark energy.' By the author of A Skywatcher's Year. Reprint.

Product Description: This guided tour of the universe composed of photographs, diagrams, and star maps is a practical reference to the night sky. Each aspect of the solar system is covered, from star formations and the expansion of the universe to the evolution of astronomy and the latest technological developments...read more

A complete, illustrated guide for amateur astronomers describes twenty telescope tours of some of the sky's most fascinating phenomena, as well as information on skywatching tools and equipment, celestial bodies and artificial satellites, constellations, and more. Original. (view table of contents)

Product Description: If you have ever watched shooting stars graze the sky or wondered about a particularly bright point of light near the horizon, then this is the book for you. A Skywatcher's Year is the authoritative guide to visible bodies in the night sky throughout the year...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Offers tips on choosing skywatching tools, gives hints for sketching and photographing the night sky, and provides celestial charts (view table of contents)