E-catalog        

Part I Astronomy in Art -- Van Gogh’s Lost Night Sky -- Van Gogh’s “Moonrise (Wheat Stacks) -- Van Gogh’s Starry Nights -- Edvard Munch and the Blood-Red Sky of “The Scream” -- Edvard Munch’s “Girls on the Pier” -- Edvard Munch’s Starry Nights -- Monet in London -- Monet’s “Impression, Sunrise” -- The Moonrise Photographs of Ansel Adams -- Canaletto’s Night Festival Paintings of Venice -- The Night Skies of J. M. W. Turner -- Part II Astronomy in History -- The Moon and the Marathon -- Julius Caesar’s Invasion of Britiain -- The Boston Tea Party -- Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride -- Lincoln and the Almanac Trial -- Lincoln and the Leonids -- Stonewall Jackson’s Fatal Full Moon -- John Muir and Moonbows -- World War II – Pearl Harbor and the Waning Moon -- World War II: The Tide at Tarawa -- World War II: D-Day in Normandy -- World War II: “I’ll Met by Moonligh” – The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis -- What’s a Blue Moon -- Did the Moon Sink the Titanic? -- Part III Astronomy in Literature -- Chaucer – Moon, Tides, and “The Franklin’s Tale” -- Chaucer – Lunar Motion in “The Merchant’s Tale” -- Identifying a Meteor in James Joyce’s “Ulysses” -- William Blake’s “The Tiger” -- False Dawn in the “Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam”.

Many mysteries in art, history, and literature can be solved using “forensic” astronomy, including calculating phases of the Moon, determining the positions of the planets and stars, and identifying celestial objects. In addition to helping to crack difficult cases, such studies spark our imagination and provide a better understanding of the skies. Weather facts, volcanic studies, topography, tides, historical letters and diaries, military records and the friendly assistance of experts in related fields help with the work.   Topics or cases pursued were chosen for their wide public recognition and intrigue and involve artists such as Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet; historical events such as the Battle of Marathon, Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain, and World War II; and literary authors such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Mary Shelley.   For each historical event influenced by astronomy, there is a different kind of mystery to be solved. For example, how can the Moon help to explain the sinking of the Titanic and a turning point of the American Civil War? For each literary reference to astronomy, which celestial objects were being described and was the author describing an actual event?   Follow these exciting investigations with Donald Olson, a master “celestial sleuth,” as he tracks down the truth and helps unravel mysteries as far back as ancient history and as recent as the haunting paintings of Edvard Munch.