Good book on naked-eye astronomy

[Allen Thrasher]

A couple of months ago there were several postings on books useful in
understanding traditional Hindu astronomy.  A very useful book describing
the basic phenomena of the heavens such as the sun moving "north" and
"south" with the seasons, the movements of the planets against the fixed
stars, etc. is:

Norman Davidson
Astronomy and the imagination : a new approach to man's experience of the
stars
London and New York : Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1985

I have found understanding books on even the most basic mathematical
aspects of pre-Galilean astronomy East and West difficult because they
usually are inadequate in describing what one _sees_.  This book was
written specifically to deal with that problem.  The author explains that
he is inspired by the scientific ideas of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of
Anthroposophy and editor of Goethe's scientific works.  Steiner took from
Goethe the idea that science after Newton was getting unhealthily remote
from direct sensuous experience of the physical world.



Allen Thrasher
athr at loc.gov

The opinions expressed do not represent those of my employer.