With each page readers experience a profound view, and written perspective, of the
mountain and the Universe. Michael tells the
story of modern astronomy on Maunakea
with an elegance that borders on poetry; his
words transcend the printed page and succeed in conveying the poetry of the mountain and modern astronomy. This largeformat book belongs on the coffee table of
everyone who loves the unparalleled beauty
of both Maunakea and astronomy.
Coloring the Universe:
An Insider’s Look at Making
Spectacular Images of Space
Figure 2.
Excerpt from the book
“Coloring the Universe”
that features dozens of
Gemini images.
Anyone familiar with Gemini’s Legacy Images will recognize Travis Rector’s name as
the creative genius who massages selected
Gemini data into aesthetically pleasing pictures. While his work isn’t limited to Gemini
data (he has worked for years with Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Kitt Peak
National Observatory, and other observatories) his experience makes him uniquely
qualified to serve as an “insider” as the book’s
subtitle states. Joining Travis in this ambitious work are NASA’s Kimberly Arcand and
Megan Watzke, who collectively have produced and promoted astronomical imaging
22
GeminiFocus
to a level of artistry that is evident with even
a quick flip-through of this 250-page largeformat book.
The authors use accessible language and
striking astronomical images to describe and
show the telescopes and instruments used to
take these colorful images, the techniques
of astronomical data processing, and what
astronomy we can learn from the results.
The chapters are merged seamlessly into a
cohesive story in this book published by the
University of Alaska Press, Fairbanks (where
Rector teaches astronomy and physics).
George Herbig and
Early Stellar Evolution
A new Gemini Board member, Bo Reipurth,
from the University of Hawaii’s Institute for
Astronomy, is author of a recently published
book that chronicles the life and work of astronomer George Herbig. All astronomers
(and most Astronomy 101
students) know something
about George and his work
on the early evolution of
stars. However, did you
know that although his
mother encouraged him
to become a chemist (it
paid well), his passion for
astronomy and amateur
telescope making kept him
firmly entrenched on his ultimate career path (which is
fortunate for astronomy).
Bo is in a unique position
to write this biography, since George —
prior to his death at age 93 and while still in
his mid-70’s — entrusted to Bo volumes of
his detailed notes, comments, and autobiographical sketches. In the book’s foreword,
Bo includes this quote from George, as he
documented his life as a scientist:
July 2016