Drawing on the author's knowledge and direct experience of the key events in astronomy and space exploration, this book takes a sideways look at the historical reports and contemporary thought behind a range of astronomical topics. It includes a collection of essays that cover various things from the case of vanishing planets to UFOs over Selsey.

The Atmosphere of the Moon. The Man Who Discovered a Planet. Moon in Shadow. The Zodiacal Intruder. Fishing Hipparcos Down. The Past and Future Moon. Visitor to the Acres Vallis. Harvest Moons, Wolf Moons and Blue Moons. The Cosmic Zebra. Flying Saucers in Selsey. Gene Shoemaker. The Blackness of Mathilde. Hitch-Hider and Others. Ice on the Moon?. Mira Stella. The Case of the Vanishing Planets. Poetic Moons. A Lightning Decision!. The Strange Case of SS Lacertae. How the Lunar Craters Weren't Formed. The Lonely Brown Dwarf. Sister Marie and Others. To Catch a Comet. Curious Callisto. A year on Icarus. The Lighter Side of Space. Alshain. Names in the Sky. Travel to the Stars?. Ghost Moons. Ripples of Creation. "Des Res" on Mars?. The Edge of the Moon. The Sad Case of Dr Elliott. Fast Lane to Pluto. Life Can Appear but Will it!. Thatcher's Comet. Apocalypse Postponed. The Star in the East. It was in the Papers!. Caribbean Eclipse.