Table of Contents

Introduction 1

I The Sun and the Moon

1 Our Three Moons 7

2 Within a Triple Star 18

3 Our Backward Stellar Magnitude System 35

4 An Improper Proper Motion 39

5 All Our Yesterdays 45

6 We Are Alone 52

II The Planets

7 The Rings of Earth 67

8 Next Door to a Giant 73

9 Double Planet 82

10 Debris in the Solar System 88

11 Seasons of Paradox 97

12 More Than One Pluto 103

III The Stars

13 What If the Sun Were Red? or Blue? 111

14 The Vernal Equinox Lies in Virgo 117

15 Vega and Deneb Change Places 125

16 The Pleiades Star Cluster Is as Close as the Hyades 129

17 The Great Popcorn Balls 134

18 The Milky Way Lies along Our Equator 141

19 We Are Alone II 147

IV Homemade Skies

20 Ring of Rubbish 155

21 The Tangled Skein of Celestial Mechanics 159

22 A Second Chance 162

23 Chicxulub, the Worst Sky of All 175

Personal Note 187

Bibliography 189

Index 191