Many weeks ago I received a note from Jay
Ryan asking if I’d be interested in reading and reviewing his textbook, Signs & Seasons: Understanding the
Elements of Classical Astronomy. I jumped at the idea. It soon arrived in
the mail, and in between cross-country practices, homeschooling, and all the
other things that go with farm life, I snatched moments to curl up with the
book.
I started out reading rapidly through several chapters,
but I soon snapped the book shut…and reopened it once again at the beginning;
there was too much fascinating information in each chapter that I was going to
miss if I continued dashing through the book!
You probably ought to know that I am not new to the love
of the night sky. I fell in love with it when my now 20-year-old daughter was
in 3rd grade and we did an astronomy unit in her science class. I
joined an astronomy club, learned the constellations, read books and magazines,
bought binoculars and, eventually, a telescope; I have loved every minute of it.
Although Signs and Seasons covers
many topics that I have already studied, the
depth and understanding that Jay brings to the subject is captivating.
To be truthful with you, the first time I
opened the book, I was puzzled by the old script and ornate language Jay had
used for the introductory pages of the book. As I read, I found that they were modeled
after the style of the old colonial almanacs which were written at a time when
the knowledge of basic astronomy was more commonly known than it is today. From
ancient times to the Colonial era, the average person knew much more about the
rising and setting sun, the seasonal changes in the night sky, the phases of
the moon, and the dance of the planets. It was not until we had the technology
of modern times that people could live day to day without that knowledge. This
book offers us a chance to learn and understand what our ancestors knew—and
more. Jay takes us step-by-step through classical astronomy—the traditional and
historical study of the cosmos that anyone with access to a clear night sky can
learn. No expensive or fancy equipment is needed—just this text and a little
time out of doors.
Signs
and Seasons is a textbook written from a
Christian perspective for junior and senior high students. I think, however, it
would be enjoyed by adults as well. It is my opinion that junior high students
would benefit from an adult studying with them, but older students, such as
high school homeschoolers, could be quite independent. There are seven chapters
plus a prologue and an epilogue:
Prologue: The Sky Above
Chapter 1: The Light He
Called Day
Chapter 2: The Darkness He
called Night
Chapter 3: The Cycle of the
Month
Chapter 4: The Tabernacle
for the Sun
Chapter 5: The Cycle of the
Year
Chapter 6: The Seasonal
Stars
Chapter 7: The Wandering
Stars
Epilogue: The Calendar
In the back of the book there is a section of field activities—dozens
of hands-on activities and instructions that direct the students to go outside and
observe. Although I have not seen it, there is now a student workbook that
includes these field activities, a field journal, and tests (answer key
included); I hope to use this textbook with a group of homeschooled students,
and I am pleased to hear that this student workbook is now available!
Throughout the text there are illustrations—often several
on each page. To understand the tilt of the earth, the path of the sun, the
seasonal changes of the constellations, the zodiac, equinoxes, and solstices we
need to view the earth from a different perspective--as a person standing
outside the solar system, for example; these illustrations allow us to
visualize the concepts.
Every time I review a textbook that
comes from a Christian perspective, I get asked if it could be used by someone
who is not Christian. Here is some information for you:
- This is a science textbook on classical
astronomy. The topics covered in this book are ones that have been observed by
people of various faiths throughout the centuries.
- There is no discussion of old vs. new earth
and evolution; as far as I remember, the topics are not even mentioned.
- There are numerous quotes scattered between
paragraphs and alongside drawings throughout the text by Leonardo da Vinci,
Aristotle, Ptolemy, Kopernik, Virgil, and many others; included are quotes from the Bible.
- The author is a Christian. The title of the
first chapter, “The Light He Called Day”, is a reference to God. This type of
reference is made here and there throughout the book. However, a large
percentage of the pages do not make any reference to God or faith at all, but
you should know that at any point you might encounter a reference such as this:
In our generation, many
people are not familiar
with the true sight of a
starry sky as its Creator
intended it to be seen—a
dark canopy, speckled
with stars that shine more
brightly than anything
that can be seen on the
ground.
I would say that if these references and quotes are
something you are willing to work around, there is plenty here for you. The
majority of pages contain information that is simply science.
This book could be used as a semester class
by spending two weeks on each chapter; there would be time for several of the
field activities as well. However, it would be easy to make this a full year’s
credit by doing the field activities and outside observations which would give
the student time to get to know the night sky and observe the movement of the
earth and her neighbors. If the field activities were done, I would consider it
a science class with a lab.
I’ve enjoyed reading this book and I look forward to
using it with students. Jay Ryan has been writing popular astronomy articles for
many years and has been a contributing editor to Sky & Telescope magazine; he is the author
of Cycles: An Introduction to Astronomy
and Time. His knowledge of astronomy and his years of experience and his
love of astronomy are evident throughout his book. You can find more information about Signs and Seasons at the Classical Astronomy website: http://www.classicalastronomy.com/.
Signs & Seasons: Understanding the
Elements of Classical Astronomy
By
Jay Ryan
ISBN:
978-0-9792211-0-1
280
pages, hardbound
Textbook
$39.00
Field
Journal and Test Manual $16.00
