From Amazon.co.uk
Why is the sky blue? Why do mountains glow in the dark? Is the darkest always before the dawn? An ideal reference to have to hand in answering questions such as these,
Color and Light in Nature is an endlessly fascinating exploration of phenomena that are familiar to us all, but that even trained scientists take for granted. Take the question of why stars twinkle, for instance. Twinkling, astronomers Lynch and Livingston observe, is strongest with stars that are low in the sky, and then on a clear and windy night, when starlight passing through the atmosphere encounters little pockets of turbulence that bend its rays "momentarily away from our eyes". Sunlight undergoes similar distortions, yielding mirages, "blinks", sundogs, haloes, rainbows, "mountain light", and other wonders of nature, all of which the authors describe and explain in clear and accessible prose.
Lynch and Livingston encourage their readers to seek out and study these phenomena for themselves, writing, for instance , "No effort should be spared to witness at least one total eclipse in your lifetime." They go on to make a good case for why that should be so, and why the workings of light and colour should be of interest to students of science. Their book is a lively companion and teacher. --Gregory McNamee
Review
'Most people notice only the occasional rainbow and pretty sunset, yet they could see much more if they only knew what to look for. Color and Light in Nature will facilitate this admirably ... the up-to-date research, new ideas, beautiful pictures, and excellent explanations make Color and Light in Nature the new classic.' Science '... a beautifully illustrated popular account of atmospheric phenomena ... Many teachers as well as a good many naturalists will find the book to be a highly useful and comprehensive treatment of a beautiful subject, one that can be used to enliven dry classroom discussions of optics, light and colour.' Nature 'Lynch and Livingston deserve the thanks of the scientific community for re-opening our eyes to the wonderful world around us.' American Scientist 'A breathtaking list of effects is explained ... along with how they got there. It just made me want to rush out and look at the things.' New Scientist 'If you ever wanted to know why the sky is blue, or what clouds are made of, or how rainbows are formed, then this is the book for you.' Brendan K. Ward, Astronomy & Space
