Provides a unique compendium of odd astronomical and cosmological theories, covering lesser known but equally entertaining stories Offers a lighthearted, easy-to-understand look into the history of astronomical and scientific thought throughout the ages, requiring no prior background in astronomy Includes over 100 photographs and diagrams to illustrate key concepts and misconceptions covered by the text

Autorentext
Geoff Kirby holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Environmental Sciences. His career was in Oceanography, specifically concerning the interactions between the atmosphere and oceans that drive important aspects of climate change. 
Kirby's interest in astronomy began while living in London during World War II. The Blackout precautions against enemy bombers provided the intensely dark skies that originally enabled him to see the heavens in spectacular detail. In the 1950s, he began making astronomical telescopes, and over subsequent decades gained minor fame for his observations of the Moon, Planets, Variable Stars and Artificial Satellites. His work has been featured in several international astronomical journals, while his autobiography, An Amateur Astronomer's Life: Seven Decades of Enthusiasm for the Heavens, was published in 2016.

Klappentext
From unicorns on the Moon to UFOs piloted by Martian bees, this book chronicles some of the strangest ideas that have been put forward and have actually been believed in -- about our Solar System. Drawn from tales dating from the Middle Ages to the present, this collection of stories takes readers on an imaginative and wild ride through the ages and minds of some of the wackiest, tackiest, most outlandish concepts in astronomy, cosmology and physics. Follow along as Geoff Kirby recounts each quirky idea in detail and explains how these theories fare against modern astronomical research and technologies.

Inhalt
Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: The Sun and Its Solar System -- A Sexy Musical Pool Game? Chapter 3: Our Three Wacky Inner Planets -- Imaginary, Delusionary and Inhabited.- Chapter 4: Earth -- Flat, Hollow or Inside Out?.- Chapter 5: Our Moon - Inhabited, Small and Icy.- Chapter 6: Mars: Inhabited and a Threat?.- Chapter 7: Solar System Rubble: The Home of Princess Moon Owl?.- Chapter 8: The Outer Planets -- Forests of Hemp, Armadas of Seamen and the Holy Foreskin of Jesus.- Chapter 9: Wackiness Beyond the Solar System.- Chapter 10: Is It Wacky to Believe in Astrology and UFOs?.- Index.