The subject of this volume is two-fold. First, it gathers typical polarization patterns occurring in nature. Second, it surveys the polarization-sensitive ani mals, the physiological mechanisms and biological functions of polarization sensitivity as weIl as the polarization-guided behaviour in animals. The monograph is prepared for biologists, physicists and meteorologists, espe cially for experts of atmospheric optics and animal vision, who wish to under stand and reveal the message hidden in polarization patterns of the optical environment not directly accessible to the human visual system, but measur able by polarimetry and perceived by many animals. Our volume is an attempt to build a bridge between these two physical and biological flelds. In Part I we introduce the reader to the elements of imaging polarimetry. This technique can be efflciently used, e. g. in atmospheric optics, remote sens ing and biology. In Part 11 we deal with typical polarization patterns of the natural optical environment. Sunrise/sunset, clear skies, cloudy skies, moonshine and total solar eclipses all mean quite different illumination conditions, wh ich also affect the spatial distribution and strength of celestial polarization. We pre sent the polarization patterns of the sky and its unpolarized (neutral) points under sunlit, moonlit, clear, cloudy and eclipsed conditions as a function of solar elevation. The polarization pattern of a rainbow is also shown. That part of the spectrum is derived in which perception of skylight polarization is optimal under partly cloudy skies.

Novel instruments for high-precision imaging polarimetry have opened new possibilities, including for exploring effects in radiative scattering, atomic physics, spectral line formation, and radiative transfer. This volume gives a comprehensive and up-to-date account of this rapidly evolving and interdisciplinary field of science.

A Guide to the Solar Corona is specifically directed to the space scientist or engineer who is not a specialist in solar physics, but whose work requires a fairly detailed knowledge of the corona. It is hoped that the material may prove useful to most graduate students in astrophysics, while solar physicists may find some topics of interest and value to them. The book contains 12 chapters and begins with three descriptive chapters that provide the casual reader with a concept of the corona as it is evident through more or less direct observation. Topics covered include the development of coronal science, observational techniques, and observational aspects of the corona. The next chapter discusses methods of analyzing coronal data. Subsequent chapters present theoretical considerations as they are applicable to the corona. These combine theory with observation to provide a description of the various aspects of the corona. The final chapter is a combination of established ideas and speculation on the place of the corona in the universe.

Second edition graduate level textbook giving an up-to-date treatment of our understanding of the solar corona.

An excellent handbook on the physics of interplanetary dust, a topic of interest not only to astronomers and space scientists but also to engineers. The following topics are covered in the book: historical perspectives; cometary dust; near-Earth environment; meteoroids and meteors; properties of interplanetary dust, information from collected samples; in situ measurements of cosmic dust; numerical modeling of the Zodiacal Cloud structure; synthesis of observations; instrumentation; physical processes; optical properties of interplanetary dust; orbital evolution of interplanetary dust; circumplanetary dust, observations and simple physics; interstellar dust and circumstellar dust disks. No doubt, the text will be regarded as the standard reference on interplanetary dust for many years to come.