Star Hoppers

Star Hoppers
Author: Bill Napoli
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
Total Pages: 312
Release: 2015-01-23
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1503535126

Mike and Cindy are soul twins. They are also omnipotent Gods who, together with their eight other soul mates, have lived forever. While living in the Prime Realm, they possess the infinite power and knowledge that is enjoyed by all omnipotent Gods. However, most of the time they choose to live in other realms where they are totally unaware of who or what they are. Like all people who have elected to leave the Prime Realm, they have chosen to live their lives as ordinary mortals, possessing absolutely no special knowledge or powers. Their reasoning for doing this is simple. For them, living a heavenly existence in the Prime Realm isnt so heavenly after all. It means living a blissfully boring existence, one devoid of the opportunity to work, to grow, to learn, to be challenged, to fail, to succeed, and to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those around them. Nine of the ten soul mates have completed their most recent lifetimes on Earth and are temporarily back home in their mansion in the Prime Realm. Only Cindy remains alive on Earth. While the others await Cindys inevitable death and her subsequent return to the Prime Realm, they research a variety of exotic planets and realms in which to spend their next mortal lifetimes together. Three are among their leading planetary choices. Kardon is a world where the population has mastered complete control of gravity. Baltham, another favorite, is a world where complete strangers routinely request and grant sexual pleasures to each other. Benu, the most interesting of all, is located in the Seventh Realm where planets and suns are alive and their inhabitants consider them to be gods. When Cindy at last dies and rejoins her group, the ten soul mates decide to spend their next lifetime on the planet Benu, whose Sun is predicted to go supernova within the next several hundred years. Their goal is to work together in their new incarnations helping the inhabitants of Benu find some way to avoid total annihilation. Before embarking on this new adventure, they place blocks on their godly memories and powers. Determined to save the planets inhabitants, the ten soul mates soon encounter numerous obstacles and pitfalls. At every turn, the group must deal with a deeply religious population who shuns science and instead prefers to leave their global fate in the hands of their planetary and solar gods. One way or another, the team of intrepid soul mates must overcome the populations massive resistance to embracing science over religion, which in actuality offers their worlds only hope for salvation. In addition to being a riveting sci-fi tale, this book offers readers highly original answers to the eternal questions regarding our purpose in life, where we came from, and where we are going. You may find yourself asking, Suppose, just suppose . . .

Star-Hopping

Star-Hopping
Author: Robert A. Garfinkle
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 364
Release: 1997-04-13
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780521598897

Learn all about the starry skies and ancient myths through the star-hopping technique.

Star Patrol 2

Star Patrol 2
Author: James A. Connell
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Total Pages: 293
Release: 2012-02-18
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1468546457

This is a story of alien invasion set 300 years in the future. The fifteen to twenty meter diameter silver Globes were first thought to be a fleet of spaceships, but as it turned out they were creatures so different from Mankind that Humans could not communicate with them on any level. They could travel in space, and discharge destructive energy bolts that could destroy Human built spaceships. As part of their breeding cycle they infested planets with their offspring, nine foot long, voracious killing machines that devoured every living thing they encountered. The Globes soon became an unstoppable force that quickly destroyed the first two colonies they found. Although the third colony offered more resistance, it too was rapidly losing the battle for survival. Undetered, the Globes swept on and eventually reached the abundant Earth. Once there they moved in for the long haul. The early part of the story centers around a twenty-eight year old Medic fresh out from the Centaurus Colony. Samantha Wilson had taken a medical contract with the Star Patrol and arrived on the Lastchance Colony just in time to witness the first invasion. Within days she found herself alone and surrounded by lethal Slimers on a strange new world. Then came salvation in the form of the Star Patrol's Starship Orion, which, as Samantha's luck would have it, needed a Medical Officer. Samantha and Orion's crew follow the invading Globes from Lastchance and finally to Earth where Humans are totally unprepared for this new threat to their existence. Space battles with Globes, and planetary encounters with Slimers are all a part of the mix. Along the way Samantha finds lifelong friends and even love in places she never expected to be, even in her wildest dreams. Then while on a medical mission she and her Medical Technician become separated from Orion and the man she has fallen in love with. The unlikely pairing of Samantha, the doctor, and Mary Como, the soldier, acquire an ancient Starship and then find themselves on a planet hopping quest to find their missing ship and crew mates. They soon discover that even with aliens threatening mankind, there are still humans conspiring for dominance of the species. Although it is a story of alien invaders, the Earth and it's colonies, the thinly stretched Star Patrol, and human conspiracies. It is ultimately Samantha's story.

Star Patrol I

Star Patrol I
Author: James A. Connell
Publisher: Author House
Total Pages: 742
Release: 2011-07-08
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1463417489

This is a tale of alien invasion set 300 years in the future. The story centers around 28 year old Doctor Samantha Wilson. Born and raised on one of Earth's colony worlds, she has taken a medical contract with the Star Patrol on one of the most distant colonies called Lastchance. The Invaders are silver spheres averaging thirty meters in diameter, and soon come to be known simply as Globes. Sweeping in from outside of Mankind's group of colony worlds in a cluster of more than 40,000, each Globe can discharge energy bolts capable of destroying Man's largest Starships. Having never encountered another alien race, humans are not prepared for space warfare, and major war on Mother Earth is a thing of the past. Weapons of mass and even minor destruction have been nearly eliminated. The men who first encounter the Globes discover that their apparently sole purpose is to infest planets with strange deadly creatures. Named for the thick mucus they can spray at an intended victim, they become known as Slimers. Slimers are voracious, fearless, nine feet long, and thoroughly lethal. A Slimer on the attack can not be turned away and is only interested in eating, anything that moves. Samantha arrives on Lastchance just ahead of the Globe invasion. Along with the helpless colonists she watches in fear as the Slimers devastate that primitive settlement and by shear luck becomes the only survivor of the Lastchance Colony. Later rescued by the crew of the Star Patrol's Starship Orion she unexpectedly winds up as Orion's Medical Officer. Samantha's view of the Starship crew, the Star Patrol, and even the Earth people themselves, is that of an outsider. She along with Orion's crew follow the invading Globes on a trail of infested and destroyed colonies that ultimately leads to Earth herself. Space battles with Globes, and planetary encounters with Slimers are all a part of the mix. Along the way Samantha finds lifelong friends and even love in places she never expected to be, even in her wildest dreams. Although it is a story of alien invaders, the Earth and it's colonies, the thinly stretched Star Patrol, and human conspiracies. It is ultimately Samantha's story.

Star Patrol 3

Star Patrol 3
Author: James A. Connell
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Total Pages: 533
Release: 2012-05-18
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 146857440X

This part of the story begins several months after Man's colonies and the Earth itself have been invaded from outside the realm of human worlds by alien creatures called Globes. They have but one purpose, to breed. Globes are able to manipulate energy in the same way Human made machines can, allowing them to move in space and discharge that energy towards the destruction of human defenses, namely the Star Patrol's Fleet of defending Starships. Their fearless offspring, voracious, nine foot long killers known as Slimers, can infest the surface of a planet destroying and devouring all other lifeforms they encounter. With Globes and Slimers threatening Mankind with extinction they find that they are not the only enemy. Humans still conspire against their fellow humans for control and dominance. A soldier, Mary Como, a Doctor, Samantha Wilson, and the crew of the ancient Starship Pegasus were early participants of the war and although Mary, and the others were once affiliated with the Star Patrol, they have since pulled away from that organization and what they perceive to be a deep rooted corruption of the Patrol's hierarchy. However, unable to completely distance themselves, they find they are in an uneasy alliance with their former Commanding Officer, Louis Chen, "Admiral Rat". With known and unknown human forces against them, as well as Globes and Slimers, Mary feels that it might be better to be allied with the still powerful Star Patrol than to continue on their own as make believe Pirates. After a medical mission with an unexpected encounter with Slimers in the outer reaches of the solar system, Mary and her crew take over an abandoned Star Patrol Base in the North American Rockies. Settling into their new home they begin to feel some semblance of peace and quiet. It isn't long before bounty hunters, mercenaries, unexpected rescue missions, and more encounters with Globes and Slimers make their lives more than interesting once again. Now the Admiral wants them to help train commandos. One particular favor for the Admiral leads them into conflict with an old enemy, Anton Spect and his Hades Empire. At first they are unaware of the political maneuvering forming against them, but it will take all of their intelligence and cunning to overcome this latest threat. Maybe it's time to become real pirates, but even that may not be enough to save them. Meanwhile the endless War Against the Globes rages across the Earth. Some feel it's the Star Patrol's job to end that conflict, but neither the Globes, Slimers, or the Human enemies are willing to allow them enough time to act.

Astronomy with a Home Computer

Astronomy with a Home Computer
Author: Neale Monks
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2006-03-30
Genre: Science
ISBN: 184628077X

Here is a one-volume guide to just about everything computer-related for amateur astronomers! Today’s amateur astronomy is inextricably linked to personal computers. Computer-controlled "go-to" telescopes are inexpensive. CCD and webcam imaging make intensive use of the technology for capturing and processing images. Planetarium software provides information and an easy interface for telescopes. The Internet offers links to other astronomers, information, and software. The list goes on and on. Find out here how to choose the best planetarium program: are commercial versions really better than freeware? Learn how to optimise a go-to telescope, or connect it to a lap-top. Discover how to choose the best webcam and use it with your telescope. Create a mosaic of the Moon, or high-resolution images of the planets... Astronomy with a Home Computer is designed for every amateur astronomer who owns a home computer, whether it is running Microsoft Windows, Mac O/S or Linux. It doesn’t matter what kind of telescope you own either - a small refractor is just as useful as a big "go-to" SCT for most of the projects in this book.

A Twisted History: Genesis and the Cosmos

A Twisted History: Genesis and the Cosmos
Author: Charles N. Pope
Publisher: DomainOfMan.com
Total Pages: 200
Release: 2015-04-13
Genre: Religion
ISBN:

In January of 2016, Mike Brown, the discoverer of Sedna and other dwarf planets beyond Neptune and Pluto, made the stunning announcement that at least one full size planet (dubbed “Planet 9”) is still waiting to be detected in our outer solar system. Astronomers and Astrophysicists have embarked upon an intensive five-year program to scour the heavens in search of this missing corner piece to the solar system puzzle. In honor of that non-trivial pursuit, “A Twisted History: Genesis and the Cosmos” has been freshly edited and greatly expanded. It is not only a trusty bird dog to the epic scavenger hunt that is “Mission Planet 9,” but your companion in exploring the mysteries of the larger Milky Way Galaxy as well. The central figure of the Book of Genesis is not a mighty hunter (of men or beasts), but a mild-mannered cultivator of human relations and the celestial arts. It is not Nimrod, but Abraham who is reckoned as deserving of twelve entire chapters (Genesis 12 -23) and portions of two others (Genesis 24-25). He is curiously commanded to look toward the heavens and hunt for stars. In extra-Biblical tradition, Abraham is more specifically identified as the leading astronomer of his Age. With this in mind, an interpretation of the Torah from the perspective of Cosmology takes on renewed focus and significance, and especially in light of recent events. In the Book of Genesis, stargazer Abraham has a Nemesis named Abimelech. Adam is cursed with the company of an older, wiser and higher Serpent. Even more tellingly, Jacob (likened by his son Joseph to the Sun) wrestles with his slightly older, reddish and surly twin (Dwarf Sun) brother Esau. Twins are quite prominent and considered special in the Bible and Myth. Astrophysicists have also recently determined that multiple star systems predominate in our galactic neighborhood, and a number of young, developing star systems of this type are now being studied in detail. What we have not suspected is that our own solar system begun as a binary. In retrospect, it perhaps should have been intuitively obvious. There is two of everything! There are two gas giants, Jupiter and Saturn. There are two nearly identical other gas planets with extensive damage, Neptune and Uranus. There are two nearly identical rocky planets, Earth and Venus. There are two heavily damaged rocky planets, Mercury and Mars. There may even be the remains of two proto-planetary disks, those being the Oort Cloud and Kuiper Belt. How many more clues do we really need? Mike Brown and his colleagues are looking for a planet (and maybe two), but may end up rediscovering our solar system’s missing stunted twin instead.

Deep-Sky Companions: The Caldwell Objects

Deep-Sky Companions: The Caldwell Objects
Author: Stephen James O'Meara
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 577
Release: 2016-09-26
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1107083974

Appendix C William Herschel: the greatest visual observer of all time - by Larry Mitchell -- Appendix D Image credits -- Index

Star Wars Omnibus A Long Time Ago… Vol. 1

Star Wars Omnibus A Long Time Ago… Vol. 1
Author: Mary Jo Duffy
Publisher: Marvel Entertainment
Total Pages: 546
Release: 2014-01-08
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN: 1302449850

Collects Star Wars (1977) #1-27. Collecting the first twenty-six issues of the Marvel Comics Star Wars series that launched in 1977 (the same year as the first film), this first volume of Star Wars Omnibus: A Long Time Ago . . . is a must have for any Star Wars fan!

Among The Stars

Among The Stars
Author: Nick Turman
Publisher: Milton & Hugo LLC
Total Pages: 355
Release: 2024-02-29
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

Asronian, false god, murderer, death bringer. He goes by many names and has many titles, but despite them all, the Myrmidon galaxy fears only one name, Orion, self-proclaimed God of Darkness. His will is unshakable; his power is unmeasurable; his revenge is undeniable. He is the destroyer of worlds and the breaker of families, and after two hundred years of isolation, he has returned from the shadows to claim his rightful place as the one true Creator. Only the most powerful of the Ashura Order can stand against him, and utilize both sides of Source Energy, gifted by the One Infinite Creator, to free the galaxy from Orion's eternal darkness.