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Norton's Star Atlas is the most famous astronomicalreference in the world, having guided thousands of professional andamateur stargazers in their search of the night skies. The 1998 editionis completely revised and expanded, with maps drawn to standard epoch2000.0, using computer techniques to achieve unprecedented accuracy.You'll find every object visible to the naked eye, as well as starclusters, galaxies, and other celestial objects. Norton's alsoincludes indispensable observation hints and technical explanations,with pointers to other information sources. Whether you're using atelescope, binoculars, or just your eyes, Norton's is your guideto what's up there. --Therese Littleton ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Room for improvement, but excellent nonetheless
Norton's has weaknesses which other reviewers have pointed out, to be sure, but a tremendous advantage is its layout of the star charts. Unlike most other charts out there, it shows huge swaths of the sky (60 degrees north to 60 degrees south, and well over 4 hours in RA) just as you see them when you're out in the dark trying to get oriented in Deep Heaven. Other charts show little chunks of sky--Norton's shows just what you see in a great wide band from well behind the zenith to further south than most of us will ever see.

And as someone else pointed out, the reference material interleaved between the sky charts, though not exhaustive, is very useful. I use Norton's constantly along with the Sky Atlas 2000 and Burnham's Celestial Handbook (and websites to update Burnham's data), and the combination of the three is perfect for most of my own observing. I have dozens of other books on my shelves but these are the ones I rely on.

For teaching astronomy I substitute the Audubon Field Guide to the Night Sky for the Sky Atlas and Burnham's, and my students love it because Norton's helps them find their way around the sky and the Field Guide description of the constellations tells them about what they see. If I were stranded on a desert island (hope, hope) and couldn't take my beloved and well-annotated Sky Atlas 2000 and Burnham's, I'd take Norton's and the Audubon Field Guide as a very good substitute. I always recommend Norton's, the Audubon Field Guide, and binoculars to beginners--the Sky Atlas 2000, Burnham's, and a telescope can come later (or sooner, for the passionate).

Ignore 1 Star reviews
Just because this book isn't "pretty" is a lame reason not to buy it.The star charts are not meant so much for telescopic work as to give you a naked-eye reference.Sometimes, not having a million stars crammed onto two pages is nice.No self-respecting astronomer (apparently the 1 stars aren't) would be without this book.Heck, even the editor of Sky & Telescope uses it...

As another point, the star charts only comprise about 15% of this book.The "Reference Handbook" is where this is a gem.The lists of objects to view interspersed between the star charts are invaluable as are the 100+ pages of astronomical information.If you skip this book because two reviewers gave it one star (while the others gave it a 4 or 5) you don't deserve it.Sure, the information concise, but when you're out at night, reading through fluff isn't what you want to do...

This is probably a book to buy after you've stuck to the hobby for a year and know yo're hooked :)

Clear skies!

PS Never trust people who only buy things based on how "pretty" they look...

Aged like a fine wine.
Norton's simply keeps getting better.Earlier editions nurtured multiple generations of amateur (and not so amateur) stargazers.This latest edition is a concise, complete atlas AND reference.The Sky Atlas 2000 orCambridge Star Atlas are also fine road maps to the skies.An even betterbargain is the Bright Star Atlas 2000 (Wil Tirion did all three and is topsas a celestial cartographer), but all lack the wealth of other referenceinformation that is contained in Norton's.

The style is definitly in theSgt. Friday mode: "Just the facts".But there are so many ofthem!Page after page of succinctly written information on practicalastronomy, the solar system, moon, deep-sky objects, etc.

For anevening looking at the heavens, if you don't want to carry around the locallibrary, this one volume easily suffices.

Just say No to this relic
Forget this lame outdated atlas.For a beginner's atlas, try Wil Tirion's "The Cambridge Star Atlas" instead.This includes a similar limiting magnitude of stars, but plots many more deep sky objects (andgives many common names as well, completely lacking on Norton's maps). Thegraphics and printing are much cleaner in Tirion's tome, and deep skyobjects are color-coded.

The moon atlas in Norton looks like a badphotocopy of a photograph.And Norton's star charts go right into thegutter.Just try to get a look on Map 5/6 at delta Orionis (thewesternmost star in Orion's belt).The Reference Handbook in Norton is OK,but beginners should try Terence Dickinson's "Nightwatch" and"The Backyard Astronomer" instead.Sure, Norton was great forits time, but who wants to drive a Model T today?

The best beginner's star atlas
Norton's was the first star atlas I ever used, 42 years ago, and it is still the atlas I go to for a general orientation to the sky.Over the years the maps have improved in quality, and the text has been brought upto date.It is one of the top two or three books I recommend to beginnersin astronomy. ... Read more

Book Description

Foreword by David Koch of NASA's Kepler Mission

Isaac Newton said that if he had seen farther than others, it was because he was standing on the shoulders of giants: Nicolaus Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Galileo Galilei, and Johannes Kepler. James A. Connor focuses on one of those giants in his fascinating and largely untold story of the "Protestant Galileo," Johannes Kepler. Set against the backdrop of the witchcraft trial of his mother, Kepler's Witch vividly brings to life the tidal forces of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, submerging us into these turbulent times, revealing not only the surprisingly spiritual nature of early modern science, but Kepler's role as a neglected hero of conscience.

The doorway into Kepler's life and times begins with the sensational witchcraft trial of his elderly mother, Katharina, an eccentric woman who, like Kepler, was too smart for the world she lived in. The story is filled with crooked judges, sadistic bailiffs, and nasty neighbors bent on the destruction of this single, half-mad old woman. Using never-before translated transcripts of the trial, Connor explains that witches in the seventeenth century were the terrorists of their day. Tragically, thousands of people -- mostly women -- had gone to the stake by the time of Katharina Kepler's trial.

Johannes Kepler's life thus became a pilgrimage, a spiritual journey into the modern world through disease and horrible injustice on the eve of Europe's terrible and bloody Thirty Years' War. Kepler was concerned with more than scientific discoveries and achievement -- he fought for peace and reconciliation between the Christian churches, even when it nearly cost him his life. Exiled twice by Catholic princes and excommunicated by his fellow Lutherans, he was unbowed in his scientific and moral vision.

Besides the witchcraft trial records and testimonies, Connor has translated many of Kepler's diary entries and correspondence into English for the first time. With a great respect for the history of these times and the life of this man, Connor's unforgettable story illuminates Kepler, a man of science, as well as Kepler, a man of uncommon faith and courage.

Reviews (6)

Excellent Reading
Kepler's Witch is excellent reading. It is a well researched and poignant account of a man of science who suffered much with the deaths of members of his family, his mother's trial as a witch, and financial anxiety, and still maintained his faith in both his religion and his science. This book is a great read for those people who don't read history.

The Humor - The Wit - and How Fascinating the story is told
I picked up this book for two reasons: One - it was recommended to me by a friend that teaches Mathmatics; and Two - the cover of the book sparked my interest. As I started into the writings, I felt the beginnings of the passion that I felt in my University Days when I stumbled onto new knowledge and new possibilities in learning. I loved the first week or two of every semester, because most of my class choices were stimulating and exciting (I got my degree in Science - Biology, Agriculture - and most of my core Science classes thrilled me, especially in the beginning.) That's what this book feels like - finding yourself immersed in subject material that you never thought about and knew nothing of. Oh, I remember Math lecturers talking about Kepler, but his was a name that you tried to remember for an exam and you try to tie together what theories he was known for, and you don't really understand or care or know anything about Kepler the Man. This book opened up a lot of interest for me. I know that I now want to read more about the Reformation, the Counter Reformation, German History, and definately more about Kepler's role in today's ongoing sciences - Astronmy, Optics, and Calculus. Excellent book! worth Reading. Stimulating without being pretentious and the author has a sense of humor that bleeds through out the story. Thanks for a good read.

Unique discussion of early 17th century Europe
Reading this book gave me a very clear picture of just how inseparable religion and politics were in 17th century Europe. Ditto for astrology and astronomy. And like Gail Reid-Gurian noted in her review, I got a similar sense of just how little things have changed over time. Indulging in superstition and gossip are still favorite pastimes today. One noteworthy change for the better is the reduction in infant mortality. I lost track of the number of children and family Kepler lost to illness, there were so many.

I especially liked the personal letters of Kepler that were placed at the beginning of each chapter. They lent a perspective that can be gained no other way.

On a lighter note, I chuckled out loud over the image of King Friedrich and Queen Elizabeth forgetting the baby back in the castle as they fled an invading army and sent a Baron running back to retrieve the infant. What a story! This is a very worthwhile read on many levels.

a brilliant book
Jim Connor has written a brilliant work of history, biography, and politics. Before I read the book, I had heard of Kepler but knew little about him. Now, I feel like I've gotten to know one of history's most important figures. Especially compelling for me was my eerie sense as I read the book that a lot of Kepler's life-issues are going on today, as if Connor had written contemporary history. Kepler could have lived in 2004, with our intrigues, our witchhunts, and our confusions about who we are and who we hope to be.

Excellent
Kepler is one of the giants of science. Newton stole the idea of gravity from him ( just like he stole calculus from liebniz, nevermind) anyway. This book doens't really have much to say about his sceintific achievment but is a facinating acount of his life and the times ( early 17th century, the thrity year war) surrounding them.
The only weakness to this book was some heavy reptitition. The same incident described in exactly the same way over and over.
In summation, it won't advance your understanding of the science he deveoloped, but it has some interesting insights in to the life of the scientist during the reformation. Enjoy ... Read more

Book Description

This is a modern textbook that guides the reader through the theory and practice of satellite orbit prediction and determination. Starting from the basic principles of orbital mechanics, it covers elaborate force models as well as precise methods of satellite tracking. Emphasis is on numerical treatment and a multitude of algorithms adopted in modern satellite trajectory computation are described in detail. The accompanying CD-ROM includes all source codes written in C++ and relevant data files for applications. The result is a powerful and unique spaceflight dynamics library which allows easy software extensions by the user. An extensive collection of Internet resources is provided through WWW hyperlinks to detailed and frequently updated online information on spaceflight dynamics. The book addresses students, scientist working in the field of navigation, geodesy and spaceflight technology and satellite engineers and operators focusing on spaceflight dynamics. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Superb textbook on Maths of Satellite Orbit determinations
Satellite Orbits, Models, Methods and Applications is a great reference on Satellite orbit computation/determination. Chapters include; 1. Around the world in hundred minutes 2. Introductory Astrodynamics 3. Force Model 4.Numerical Integration 5. Time and Reference Systems 6. Satellite Tracking and Observation Models 7. Linearization 8. Orbit Determination and Parameter Estimation 9. Applications + Apendices and list of symbols.
This book's emphasis is on the mathematical methods and algorithms used in modern satellite trajectory computations. It also contains extensive list of WWW URLs on spaceflight dynamics.
Hardcover book measures 24 X 16 centimeters, contains 370 glossy pages with a dozen of color photos in the first chapter but lots of graphics ( Ground projections of satellite orbits, perturbations of satellite orbits, orbit determination analysis, ' ) and comes with a CD-ROM on the applications usable in Win98 / NT4.0 or Linux SUSE 7.2.
Excellent textbook designed for post-graduate students and engineers working in the field of spaceflight dynamics, navigation and geodesy.
Philip CORNEILLE

Excellent software
The sections dealing with orbit estimation are very sketchy. Needs to filled out with specific and detailed computational algorithms (e.g. Escobal).
Excellent! software, however.

Outstanding book
This book is a very thorough review of Orbital Mechanics. Current, up to date material that goes from the basics to graduate level. Outstanding CDROM has a lot of source code and compiled applications. The best book I've come across on this subject, highly recommended.

The best book in the field of numerical astrodynamics so far
This book gives a very good overview of numerical orbit determination methods. I would recommend it to anyone who has the basic knowledge of astrodynamics and is interested in orbit determination. It deals with different force models, numerical integration methods, time and reference systems and filter methods. Every chapter has exercises at its end. These exercises are extremely helpfull for understanding the theory of this chapter. The CD-ROM accompanying the book is absolutely great. It contains all source code (C++) for the different exercises in the book. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Discovering the essential universe
Dear!
I'm studying in Astronomy in this book now with the subject is : "Topic in science"
I read that book and see many interesting things that I haven't know yet. But in my university, they just offer me the copy book, I met a lot of troubles with photographs and trouble. I love astronomy, I'm IT (information technology) student. But if I just study astronymy in this book within 2 months, and I have to buy the original ones with the high price (dollar amount).
It's too high for students paying it. But if we just study from a copy and only see black and white pictures, it's so boring when studying the interesting subject like astronomy.
So, I'm going to withdraw this subject although I really love and want to understand deeply about it but without the color book.
finally, can you give me a advice for staying or get away from that. ... Read more

Book Description

"A fascinating and useful handbook to both the science and science fiction of extraterrestrial life. Cohen and Stewart are amusing, opinionated, and expert guides. I found it a terrific and informative piece of work–nothing else like it!"
–Greg Bear

"I loved it."
–Larry Niven

"Ever wonder about what aliens could be like? The world authority is Jack Cohen, a professional biologist who has thought long and hard about the vast realm of possibilities. This is an engaging, swiftly moving study of alien biology, a subject with bounds and constraints these authors plumb with verve and intelligence."
–Gregory Benford

"A celebration of life off Earth. A hearteningly optimistic book, giving a much-needed antidote to the pessimism of astrobiologists who maintain that we are alone in the universe–a stance based on a very narrow view of what could constitute life. A triumph of speculative nonfiction."
–Dougal Dixon, author of
After Man: A Zoology of the Future ... Read more

Reviews (3)

This will sell many titles!
Apart from being mis-titled for North American readers, this is a mind-expanding view of "what's out there" - or might be. Released as "Evolving the Alien" in the UK, this book examines numerous and too often poorly considered suggestions about how life might evolve in other places.

Note "places," since Cohen and Stewart don't limit their conjectures to planets alone. Noting the impact of H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds" as a starting point for how we think about life elsewhere, Cohen and Stewart divide the book between evidence from hard science and the conjectures of "SF" [speculative fiction] authors. Including themselves. In their view, both exobiologists and novelists have been remiss in considering how alien life might evolve. They do a comprehensive job, presented with the kind of wit expected of collaborators of Terry Pratchett of Discworld fame.

Recognizing they are entering a relatively unexplored area, they abandon old terms like "astrobiology" or "extraterrestrial life" to suggest a new, all encompassing term - xenobiology. They condemn outright the narrow views expressed by some scientists, notably Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee in "Rare Earth." Cohen and Stewart argue that limiting life to DNA-based forms is far too restrictive. Different environments are capable of producing life in ways "we can't even imagine." Magnetic fields in suns or neutron stars, silicon-based chemistry, unusual energy uses are all part of the panorama nature has in its recipes in making life start. Our localized experience is too limited, they argue, and we should look further with more open minds.

Those who have attempted a more open view have traditionally been limited to writers of speculative fiction. Cohen and Stewart sprinkle the text with examples of this genre, accompanied by an analysis of what is right or wrong with the ET life presented. "Science fiction" might just as easily be labelled "fictional science" in the eyes of these authors. Too little attention has been given to environmental complexity by the legions of writers seeking to entertain readers with simple plots and much action. Among that phalanx, however, there are some writers who strive to bring reality to the fictional worlds they create. Jack Cohen has been called into the story-building process as a consultant by several authors. The result, once the dust had settled, was SF with a reality check. The authors give accounts of some of
these efforts and the resulting books should be sought out and compared to those less favoured by the authors of this book.

Jack&Ian [as they style themselves] have provided a rich trove of ideas for nearly everyone. Scientists can gain fresh areas of research to consider, while fiction readers may find a whole new list of interesting readings. The book isn't footnoted, but there is a divided bibliography of "Popular Xenoscience Reading" and "Technical Xenoscience Reading" at the end. If you fail to find new concepts to consider here, you haven't tried.

It Isn't Easy Bein' Green
Jack Cohen and Ian Stewart are interesting thinkers and writers in the guise of Jack&Ian, and What Does A Martian Look Like? is a very good, thought provoking read. This book takes an optomistic view of the possibilities of life and intelligence elsewhere in the universe and proposes a broad xenoscience as an antidote to what Jack&Ian see as the narrow view of astrobiology. Rare Earth by Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee comes in for the most criticism [not for the writing, but for the opinions], being one of the most popular books on astrobiology in the last few years. Stewart and Cohen do their best when they discuss their ideas in the context of science fiction stories and hit bottom when their criticisms of mainstream astrobiology begin to sound petty. Fans of mainstream SF should be prepared for the dressing down of their favorite aliens. If it'll hurt your feelings to find out that aliens probably won't look humanoid, do not read this book. Although not a perfect book, What Does A Martin Look Like? [especially if paired with the book Rare Earth] will take the reader's thinking to the far corners of the universe.

Good, but not great; Schmidt's book is better
Setting aside that the authors take an unfair swipe at the Waldahudin from my Hugo Award-nominated STARPLEX as being too like Earthly fauna (getting their facts wrong while doing so, and not discussing the very alien Darmats [dark-matter aliens] and Ibs [gestalt organisms] from that novel), this is still a pretty good book, although the dogmatic tone gets tiresome awfully fast. In a way, Stewart and Cohen should be praised for using so many examples from science fiction, but, at the same time, they give very short shrift to the notion that some SF writers might be using aliens for literary/metaphoric purposes, rather than just as high-school-biology-class exercises in designing lifeforms. Stanley Schmidt's ALIENS AND ALIEN SOCIETIES is a better book (even if Stewart and Cohen's acknowledgement of its existence seems mostly limited to a petty critique of its cover art, incidentally -- although they don't mention this -- by Hugo Award-winner Bob Eggleton). ... Read more

Book Description

Merely a decade ago there were no known planets orbiting sunlike stars outside our own solar system. In the past ten years, however, fast-paced developments in astronomy have revealed over 140 extrasolar planets--with more discoveries surely on the way. Though it will be years before we have direct images of these far-flung worlds, this lavishly illustrated book gives us an idea of what they might look like. A fascinating exploration of the cosmos written for a wide audience, Infinite Worlds brings together Lynette Cook's internationally renowned astronomical artwork, the latest and most dramatic images from the world's top observatories, and up-to-the-minute scientific findings on subjects ranging from the big bang and stellar evolution to a possible universe filled with countless planets and life forms.
The newly discovered planets are boggling astronomers' minds with their bizarre characteristics, including an unimagined diversity of sizes and orbits. In Lynette Cook's scientifically based illustrations--many newly created for this book--we glimpse the landscapes and atmospheres that might adorn these planets. Ray Villard's text elegantly describes the state of astronomy today, imagines where it will take us in the coming years, ponders the chances of success for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), and explores the survivability of life in an evolving and accelerating universe. ... Read more

Book Description

This unique and informative text describes how stars are classified according to their spectral qualities and temperature.James Kaler explains the alphabet of stellar astronomy, running from cool M stars to hot O stars, and tells the story of their evolution.Before embarking on a voyage of cosmic discovery, the author discusses the fundamental properties of stars, their atomic structure and the formation of spectra. Then, Kaler considers each star type individually and explores its spectra in detail.A review of unusual, hard-to-classify stars, and a discussion of data related to the birth, life and death of stars round out the text.This book is an important resource for all amateur astronomers and students of astronomy. Professionals will find it a refreshing read as well. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Very engaging and makes a good reference too
"Stars and their Spectra" is overall a significantly better read than Kaler's earlier work "Stars", which touched on many topics but didn't dive into any of them satisfyingly enough. This book delivers a thorough yet introductory coverage of the science of stellar spectroscopy. As an added bonus, it's very well-written and is great fun to read cover to cover. Kaler clearly harbors great enthusiasm for this subject, particularly when he discusses extreme stars like supergiants and white dwarfs.

Kaler spends the first eighty pages or so covering the basics of how stars work, spectral theory, and history of the modern scheme of spectral classification (OBAFGKM, easily remembered by the popular mnemonic Oh Be A Fine Girl Kiss Me). The meat of the book comes next: a chapter devoted to each letter of the sequence, starting from the cool M stars and working up to the ultra-hot O stars. Here Kaler goes into significant detail on the defining characteristics of each class and how those characteristics manifest themselves physically. We learn how dwarfs, giants, and supergiants may share a spectral class but are fundamentally different (the giants and supergiants almost always aged into that spectral class from a different one). A wealth of other information on each class is presented. We finish up with stars that don't really appear on the regular H-R diagram, such as white dwarfs and neutron stars. Kaler also gives a nice overview at the end of how stars journey along the H-R diagram, changing spectral classes as they age and their internal fusion engines deplete their fuel.

I see stars of a myriad of different colors through my telescope. A few are stunning and a great many come in attractive pairs or multiples. Yet visually they're all points of light with little meaning. It was fascinating to see how much can be learned from analyzing the detailed characteristics of a star's light by dispersing it in a spectrograph. Due to the advancements in this science and the aggregation of data points on the modern H-R diagram, it is often possible to guage a star's size, age, chemical composition, and distance solely from the qualities of its light.

I sell most books after I read them but this one's a keeper and has a permanent spot on the shelf!

How to make astrophysics interesting and comprehensible
If you think that star spectrography is an obscure and boring field of research reserved to people with a Cambridge degree, well, you're wrong, and here's why. "Stars And Their Spectra" is yet another marvelous book by James Kaler one of the leading (and still the most underrated!) divulgator of stellar astronomy. It's the natural follow-up of "Stars", Kaler's book on the birth, evolution and death of (guess what?) stars. It explains how the light coming from objects distants thousands of light-years (or more) does contains a wealth of informations on the nature of those little points of light in the night sky. The classification of spectral data, the nature of emission and absorbtion lines, the whole array of concpet behind the analisys of stellar light, it's all presented in a clear manner, with great examples and the right amount of illustrations. Moreover, Kaler it's a divulgator but a scientist too, and he never insults the intelligence of the reader trying to banalize the subject matter. Based on a series of articles appeared on "Sky And Telescope", "The Stars And Their Spectra" will make turn you instantly in an amateur spectrographer...

Superbly done
As an amateur astronomer I simply cannot beleive I have gone so long enjoying astronomy without coming to grips with spectra. While the concepts are generally known this book takes the general reader step by step through probably the most important pillar of modern astronomy, analyses of light.

The book requires no advanced mathematics (if it had I wouldnt have understood it) and sticks to good solid concepts.

While it is accessible to the general reader Kaler pulls no punches even when you wish he had, insisting on parsecs instead of lightyears for example. However the joy of him pulling no punches is you are left with a good grounding with which to move onto other works or even do some spectroscopy yourself as I did.

I would commend other astronomy enthusiasts or lovers of space science to get to grips with how we determine the make up of stars and other objects, this is the book to do it.

An excellent introduction to the spectral sequence.
I have found this book an excellent introduction to the study of stars and in my opinion it can be addressed to a very wide audience including non-expert. The reasons are the following: 1-) It keeps a very basic level in its explanations and throughout the whole book. 2)- It starts of with basic nevertheless fundamental definitions to the understanding of the development of the subject. 3)-It focuses on CONCEPTS which I find essencial in any first encounter with a new subject specially in scientific fields. This is unfortunatelly rarely found within the literature in the field of Physics. 4)- It provides plenny examples to ilustrate the explanations provided and then compares them with available experimental observations. 5)- It is one of the few books which has been able to succesfully avoid the overwhelming ussage of formulae while still addressing the subject in full extent at its introductory level. This is very encouraging for the beguiner as well as for the general audience since it brings closer a field which it has always been basicaly restricted to the expert, thus hindering the spread of scientific knowledge.

I would definetely make use of it in an introductory stellar course, as a base for an undergraduate level course inside or out the field of physics. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Very fun book, but somewhat lacking in depth
Michael Hanlon has written a book which captures the excitement of getting Galileo to Jupiter. This includes lots of engineering and management fixes to keep things on track, as well as the euphoria when everything finally works, esp. with the atmospheric probe and the Jupiter orbital insertion. He also describes very well the neat science learned while in orbit, esp. the Europa ocean debate.

My only problem with the book is that it's kind of at the PR-level of knowledge. That is, if you were following along with the mission, then there's probably not a lot new to learn here. (If you weren't following along, then feel free to disregard this review! :-) There are some interesting new tidbits, like the proposed work on an underground lake in Antarctica, to prepare for a drilling mission on Europa.

Troubled travels
Journeys of exploration have always been risky ventures. When the trip involves several years over millions of kilometres, the odds of unblemished success grow enormous. Engaging in such a venture in the realm of space, almost beyond the reach of human control suggests hazards beyond imagining. This book describes such a venture, perhaps the most ambitious ever undertaken. That the measure of success achieved was so great is a tribute to all those who planned and implemented it. Michael Hanlon gives us a ringside seat in his portrayal of the journey of the Galileo Mission to Jupiter. Although not a participant, he ably captures the dedication and skills of the Mission Team. Further, he's able to place us in the space vehicle as it traversed one of the most bizarre journeys ever undertaken.

The Galileo Mission was spurred by the preceding Pioneer and Voyager missions of the 1970s. These four robots cruised through the outer solar system, returning stunning views of the largest planet and its associates beyond. In doing so, they raised numerous and unanswerable questions about our neighbours in space. Unlike the previous probes, Hanlon takes us through the planning that led Galileo's flight to Venus, back past Earth to its final destination far out in the solar system. The efforts put into the flight brought Galileo to within 5 km of its intended position when it arrived at Venus - a staggering achievement.

All the planning and engineering couldn't prevent problems, however. NASA's attempt to open the main transmitting antenna failed when some minor pins failed to release. When Galileo arrived at its primary destination, the antenna looked like an umbrella wracked by high winds. NASA used other methods to maintain communication, resulting in the stunning images seen here. It was a frustrating experience for the mission team, yet Galileo added a treasure house of new information about our neighbours in space.

We are so accustomed to the notion that we are the sole home of life, that the problems surrounding Galileo's termination render this issue the most bizarre of the trip. Europa, the ice-coated satellite of Jupiter, may contain living organisms in its hidden sea. In order not to contaminate that life, if it exists, Galileo had to be purposely sacrificed. Hanlon describes the options and why each was considered worthwhile. Galileo went to explore the Jovian system and was still transmitting images as he completed this vividly descriptive work. He is to be commended for a gripping account. We may be the only life in this group of planets, but Galileo's records give us a major argument to continue our search for life elsewhere. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

The Inside Story of Nasa's Mission to Jupiter
The Worlds of Galileo tells the story of the American space probe that, five years ago, began studying Jupiter and its moons. The history of the NASA probe, Galileo, and its long space odyssey to the most dramatic corner of the Solar System is an account of a unique journey. Packed with first-hand testimonies from the men and women who made it happen, we go behind the scenes to learn just how many times the project was saved from disaster before its ultimate triumph. Illustrated with over one hundred color images straight from the NASA archives, the book reveals the harsh beauty and remarkable landscapes of the Jovian system.

Excellent!
In 'The Worlds of Galileo', Mike Hanlon, one of Britain's leading newspaper science editors, relates how NASA's Galileo spacecraft overcame a series of severe problems and went on to revolutionise our understanding of the Jovian system.

Drawing upon interviews with the key participants, Hanlon explains the project's origin in the cash-strapped 1970s, the political travails of the early 1980s, and the redesign in the aftermath of the Challenger accident. After the spacecraft's epic voyage out to Jupiter, he focuses upon the astonishing 'fire and ice' moons of volcanic Io and Europa, where there appears to be an ocean beneath a thin shell of ice.

Hanlon handles the geological discussion with ease, so this is a highly readable account. Certainly, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, who contributed the foreword, was impressed. Finally, St Martins Press is to be congratulated for having produced a very handsome volume with colour imagery throughout. ... Read more

Book Description

The Observer's Sky Atlas contains star charts and information for all those who observe the night sky with unaided eyes, with binoculars, or with small telescopes, and also for those who just wish to look at constellations and interesting objects. Equally useful for the beginning observer and the old hand, the atlas presents:

( a short introduction into observing the sky and a thorough description of the star charts and tables;

( clearly arranged charts of all the stars (up to 6th magnitude) visible with the unaided eye;

( enlarged chart sections (including all stars to magnitude 9) for binocular observation, highlighting 250 interesting nebulae, galaxies, and stellar clusters;

( a catalog of more than 1000 objects that takes into account the far-reaching measurements of the Hipparcos Satellite published in 1997;

( tables of predicted separations of binary stars through the year 2015.

The Observer's Sky Atlas is an indispensable and handy companion for every observer and has already appeared in four languages. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

A must-have sky atlas for the small scope user
Talk about complete information in a small package! This is it! I was amazed at the amount of GOOD, useful information packed between the 134 pages of this thin, almost-pocket-sized handbook. The black-and-white star charts to magnitude 6 are excellent, with magnified views to magnitude 9 as seen through a small telescope. Each chart covers a small, manageable area of the celestial sphere, with 24 charts (one for each hour of Right Ascension)for the Equatorial/Ecliptic region, 12 for the Northern sky, 12 for for the Southern sky, and one each for the poles. Vital, easy-to-read information on bright stars, variable stars, multiple stars, clusters, nebulae, and galaxies is included. The introduction is concise, but very thorough. I highly recommend this atlas for use in the field by any amateur astronomer.

Added 10/23/2003: I Added thumb-index tabs to the three index pages; "Nebulae" (including Messier and NGC objects), "Stars" (by name), and "Constellations". I also tabbed each section, noting charts numbered N1, E1, E12, and S1 to help me flip quickly to the right page. It make the book more useful on a dark, cold, dewy night under the stars.

IF YOU BUY ONLY ONE STAR ATLAS, GET THIS ONE!
Looks small and unimpressive, but WOW! By far the most useful single sky guide I've found. What makes it special? First, the trick of showing additional detail and fainter stars for only selected areas of the sky, along with full-sky coverage of brighter stars...if you use binoculars or a telescope to hunt down faint objects, you will see lots of faint stars too, and showing them on the charts is a big help to orient you. Second, the scaling of the charts and of the plotted stars is unusually well matched to what you actually see through binoculars or a telescope at low power, making it easy to match your eyepiece view to what the chart shows. (Indeed, I find it superior to either the Sky Atlas 2000.0 or Uranometria--much larger and more expensive charts--in that regard.) Third, the format of listing interesting objects with associated data on pages facing each map is very useful and convenient. Fourth, the inclusion of hundreds of NGC objects besides the full Messier list makes this a reference that a beginner will not soon outgrow, and a veteran will continue to find it useful through the years. Fifth, the information regarding the types of instruments needed to view each object (small binoculars, large binos, small scope, medium scope) is the most accurate and practical I've seen. Sixth, it's so portable you can take it out on every viewing session--it even fits into a binocular case. Downside? Only that so few dealers carry it! ...and you've found one here. Good work, Amazon.

This little Star Atlas is Top Notch!
I like this Atlas because it is handy and complete, in a small package. Whether I am using my 10" Dob reflector telescope, or my 7x50 binoculars, this Atlas is with me.

One problem I had when I started in the hobby of astronomy was finding star charts showing dim stars to "steer" or star-hop my telescope by. The charts showing very dim stars are expensive and too detailed. Less-expensive and more popular star atlases were not detailed enough to find my way among the stars.

This Atlas solves the problem by offering, right on the chart page, a handy, detailed inset showing the dimmer stars in the immediate area of many objects sought out by star-gazers.

Give this Star Atlas a try; it is simple to use, handy in size, and accurate. It will enhance your star-gazing experience. Thank you, E. Karkoschka!

The most useful reference I have ever purchased!
This little gem comes with me to every observing session. It is very easy to use it to star-hop and identify faint fuzzies with my 8" dob. The information and layout is extremely reader-friendly and has good visibility under a red light. The pages are organized so that it is easy to find the section of sky you are interested in very quickly. A lot of dew has formed and dried on its pages, and I hope to use it for years to come!

The best of both worlds
I shopped & researched long and hard before I bought a new star atlas. I paged through every one I could find, but I had never seen this one in-person. All of the glowing online reviews sold me - and I ordered it. Initially I was disappointed. However, the more I looked through it - and evaluated its contents - my opinion change for the positive.

It's handy & convenient (small sized & nice for use at the scope). It details stars to magnitude 6 (naked eye limit is 5.2 - 6.0). The book includes detailed insets on each chart detailing stars to magnitude 9 (a magnitude limit only found in the "big boy" atlases). And I found the data tables - opposite each page's chart - concise yet informative.

Drawbacks: sometimes it's too small (one cannot get a "regional feel"). Sometimes it's annoying that a constellation or "region" of the sky is split over two different charts (because the charts are organized in "sidereal time", e.g. Andromeda is Chart "N0" but Pegasus is chart "E23"; Ursa Major is chart "N8" and "N10").

Is there a perfect star atlas? Unfortunately, "No". But this little guide has a little of everything for the amateur astronomer. If you're comet hunting, well ... buy an atlas like the Herald-Bobroff . But for the armchair astronomer up to the amateur with an 4"-8" telescope, this little atlas fills a niche that wasn't completely filled before it came along. And when used with other aids in the field - like a good planisphere for that "regional feel" - it's extremely valuable.

Some of you very serious observers might need another, larger atlas for reference and/or desk use. However, you can't go wrong with this little book. Call it a professional atlas that's been on a strict diet. Lean & mean. Someday you might find this little book on one of those "sandwich commercials" - look out Jared :))

P.S.: This atlas deserves at least a 4-star rating; it could easily be a 5-star rating depending upon the user's need(s). ... Read more

Book Description

There is deep mystery and profound satisfaction in finding your position on earth by reference to the sun, moon, and stars--not to mention profound relief when the GPS receiver stops working in mid-passage. That is why knowledge of celestial navigation is still a rite of initiation, and its practice still a favorite pastime among serious cruisers.

That this edition of Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen should appear 44 years after the first British edition and 27 years after its first publication in the U.S. is eloquent testimony to the author's clear, concise explanation of a difficult skill. Through those years, Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen has been the best-known, best-loved primer on the subject throughout the English-speaking world. It successfully teaches sailors who have been demoralized by bigger books. It remains "the famous little book" on celestial navigation.

Among other changes, this edition substitutes the Nautical Almanac for the Air Almanac, discusses the "short" tables based on H.O. 211, expands the discussion in a few areas, fine-tunes it in others, and shows how to advance a line of position for a running fix from sun sights. The only mathematics involved are straightforward addition and subtraction.

Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen has spawned many imitators over the years, but it's still the best--with this new edition more than ever. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Straightforward
This book is exactly what I expected it to be and exactly as advertised. Its short length makes it useful for quick reference. It is clearly written.

Small book packed with information
I was concerned that such a small book (just over 100 pages) could contain enough information about celestial navigation to make my sextant useful. I shouldn't have been. The book is bypasses hype, lore and commentary and deals strickly with the topic at hand. It can be tough going but the book is written clearly enough so as not to be confusing on such the subject.

I was plotting my position within days
I thought it was going to take years to learn celestial navigation. After reading Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen I was plotting my position within miles of my known position in just a few days (I was using a plastic sextant Mark 15). The first 22 pages of reading requires a lot of thought and time to absorb the information but after one understands the main concepts the rest of the book becomes easier to follow. I highly recommend this book.

Good, but produces questions
Overall, the book does a good job explaining how to navigate by the sun, moon and stars, but it does leave some questions unanswered and makes jumps without explaining how the jumps were made. For example, on page 31 the author writes "Against the LHA of 348 (degrees) we read Hc: 15 (degrees) 16', d60 Z169 (degrees)", but does not tell you why you use row "12" in the table. Is it because 360-348=12? You are left to guess.

Where Am I?
Having struggled with the arcane mechanics of celestial navigation for the past three years it was an immense relief to discover a tome that could lead me through both theory and practise in less than 80 pages! Ms. Blewitt's matter of fact approach to the complexities of sun and star sight reduction etc. is refreshing indeed. For anyone contemplating offshore navigation of any type, this book is worth a dozen night school courses. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Does the weather get warmer in summer because the Earth moves closer to the sun? That many people believe this is a perfect example of common sense leading to scientific misconception, the kind of misconception Neil Comins strives to set straight in Heavenly Errors. Comins is particularly eager to stamp out errors about astronomy, his field, and in his book he explores--and corrects--1,500 "commonly held" astronomical beliefs. Along the way, he investigates the nature of misconceptions, how and why we acquire them, and how to guard against them. He identifies external culprits, such as science fiction films, the Internet, and advertising, and examines how the psychological traits that help humans survive are poor tools for understanding "the real nature of the universe." A writer and teacher, Comins can clearly explain astronomicalconcepts to non-scientists. This book, however, seems geared to freshman astronomy students, and not to the general science reader. --J.B. Peck ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Explains how science really works
Comins (physics and astronomy, Univ. of Maine) provides an informal and engaging discourse on the misconceptions that hinder people from fully understanding the natural world and from discriminating between fact and fraud in everyday life. He uses astronomical examples to illustrate the differences between how nature actually works and how people tend to perceive how it works. Drawing on his experience teaching large science classes, he ruminates on why it is that students enter college with deep-seated misconceptions that prove difficult to correct using traditional lecture-style teaching. The book has a few minor shortcomings worth noting. Some chapters ramble a bit off subject. Much of the posited causes of misconceptions about nature are subjective or anecdotal, not necessarily backed by rigorous research conducted by learned specialists. Chapter 6 contains an unabashed pitch for the author's own elementary astronomy text. Quibbles aside, Heavenly Errors is an interesting new look at how humans perceive nature. Science teachers may find useful the Web-accessible database that Comins has compiled over the years, as well as some of the teaching strategies he describes. Interesting reading for anyone interested in science teaching or public outreach and useful for undergraduate seminars. A good primer on critical thinking and how science really works.

Really wanted to give it 3 1/2 stars--better than middle
Considering the misinformation of the general public on astronomical matters (and matters in general), this book casts a welcome light on some of them. The author, further, has a web site listing even more misconceptions, given by students in his classes as well as contributors from his web site audience. The author also delves into the Why of how these misconceptions have arisen in people's minds.

The book is not perfect, and in fact could lead to the furtherance of some other misconceptions. For example, he lists a flat No to the question of whether black holes are black. A correspondence with the author indicates he was thinking of small black holes--with considerably less mass than the moon. Such small black holes would indeed glow, via Hawking radiation, but larger ones would indeed be black by anyone's standards, including those multi-solar-massive ones hypothesized to be at the centers of galaxies. However Prof. Comins' reply did rid me of my misconception that it is only for a short period of time that small black holes glow.

Alluding to the fact that the moon keeps the same side toward the earth all the time, the book states that in the lunar sky, the earth "won't budge, no matter how many days, weeks, months, years, or decades you watch it". In actuality, due to the eccentricity of the moon's orbit and the tilt of its axis relative to its orbit, the moon's center librates as seen from the earth, and as seen from the moon, the earth moves in the sky with a range of 16 degrees East-West (8 degrees either way from center) and 13 degrees north-south. As a result the earth could get to be 20 degrees from where you first saw it. That's 10 earth diameters, or 40 earth-viewed full moon's width, so it really more than "budges". Prof. Comins explains in correspondence that he "chose to be glib about this point because it would take quite a lot to describe issues related to libration from scratch with only a small gain in insight by the general reader." Yet one of his listed misconceptions was of the center of mass of the moon's core being at the geometric center of the moon; that difference is only about 1/2 mile, out of the 2000-mile lunar diameter.

In the book, Prof. Comins states that it is never safe to look directly at the sun without a proper solar filter. He doesn't exempt looking at the corona during totality of a solar eclipse. In his correspondence, he states "Concerning looking directly at the Sun during a total eclipse, it is definitely not safe to do so. A close friend of mine lost a significant amount of his vision doing so. Looking directly at the corona during a total eclipse is still extremely dangerous. Keep in mind that the Sun is in totality for only a matter of minutes, and as soon as it comes out, its brightness is dangerous." While I can understand the impact of personal tragedies, it's also true that people travel thousands of miles to view totality directly. I have done so four times and viewed the totally eclipsed sun with the unaided eye and even through a telescope. And to do so, one cannot have a filter, and my eyes are unscathed, as are those of many hundreds, or thousands, who go on eclipse cruises and expeditions. They have accurate predictions of the timing and accurate timers, and call out to all to "look away" at the appropriate time. As the NASA web site on eye safety during solar eclipses states: "In spite of these precautions, the total phase of an eclipse can and should be viewed without any filters whatsoever. The naked eye view of totality is completely safe and is overwhelmingly awe-inspiring!" ... Read more

Book Description

This fascinating narrative recounts the history of astronomy and, with more than 100 full-color illustrations, it shows readers how to find the planets and constellations in the night sky. In ancient times, people thought that the Sun, Moon, and stars were gods. They recorded their movements and imagined that the stars made pictures in the sky. The Greeks and the Romans related these "pictures" of animals and men—or constellations—to their legends. They also identified planets and named them for their gods—Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter. Their observations marked the first step in the development of astronomy, which today is a sophisticated science.Modern astronomers have followed the tradition of naming heavenly bodies after ancient gods. For instance, the solar system's outer planets weren't identified until after the telescope's invention, but with their discoveries they were named after Uranus, a Greek god of the sky . . . Neptune, the Roman god of the sea . . . and Pluto, the Roman god of the underworld. The author recounts the legends connected with many constellations, including Aquarius, Aries, Cancer, Orion, and others. This beautifully illustrated book helps readers navigate their way around the night sky as they learn the significance of heavenly bodies' names. Color photos and illustrations throughout. ... Read more

Book Description

Detection of Light provides a comprehensive overview of the important approaches to photon detection from the ultraviolet to the submillimeter spectral regions. This expanded and fully updated second edition discusses recently introduced types of detector: superconducting tunnel junctions, hot electron bolometer mixers, and fully depleted CCDs. It also includes historically important devices such as photographic plates. Material from many disciplines is combined into a comprehensive and unified treatment of the detection of light, with emphasis on the underlying physical principles. ... Read more

Book Description

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Reviews (30)

The God Particle Review Of Adam (jason)
"The God Particle" was a truely intriging experience. The author Leon Lederman goes through an exilerating history of particle physics starting with the first theorists imagining the indivisible a-tom. In the begining it goes through a historical preview of the particle theorists and experimenters from 600 BC to the present. Including Aristole, Plato, Democritus and many others. It includes arguments on what,how and were the God Particle lies. The comprehensive theories, crazy as they may be, of today. There is also discusion about a new machine being built that may uncover the infamous God Particle, the Superconducting SuperCollider. Unfortunatly there was no rock hard evidence was found to prove the great mass giving particle, but there is hope. One of the books major strengths was its ability to really inform you everything about the people the author talks about. It grabs you with the interesting facts and unbelievable details. "The God Particle" challenges the greatest minds of the world. Will it be found? Will it give us a unified field theory that will end human suffering? Not one person on this earth knows, yet is explained well in this book. I give it ***** stars.

Ride along on a 2500 year quest
Dr. Lederman takes the reader through the history of the search for the smallest building block(s) of the universe, from the thought experiments of Greek philosopher Democritus through today's superconducting supercolliders. Along the way he never fails to entertain with his wit.

When I wasn't laughing out loud or bugging my wife by reading her funny snippets, I was wishing I had read this book BEFORE college (where I took four freshman/sophomore level physics classes to satisfy the science requirements for my engineering degree.) After reading this book I understand much more about subjects I allegedly "learned" in college, including the model of the chemical atom, what a quark is, etc. I also feel better about not liking the "hand-waving" involved in quantum physics. (If nothing else, at least I'm in good company with Einstein.) In addition, the insight into how science was and is actually practiced is fascinating.

I am giving this as a present to my college-bound nephew!

A very good book
It is indeed a very good book. It's too bad that the super collider was not built in Texas, but progress continues nonetheless. This book gives a history of the exploration into particle physics, with much wit and humor. For anyone interested in science, this is a good book to read.

Amazing Book
As hard as it is to believe that a book about physics
could be riveting, I was unable to put this book down once
I started reading it. If you have even the least bit of
interest in how the universe is put together, you'll find
this book facinating. Leon Lederman is a master at relating
physics to laypeople in a way that they can understand.

Decent Physics Book
This book is a good physics book, however (there's always a however)if you know anything about particle physics or quantum theory it probably is not worth reading. The book is very slow moving. Taking a painfully long time to explain trivial concepts and when it finally gets interesting there is a lot of hand waving involved. If you know absolutely nothing about physics, then read this book. If on the other hand, you got a well rounded education then I would have to suggest a different book. ... Read more

Book Description

A brief glance at the night sky reveals a remarkable fact about the Universe:it is extremely patchy.The light we see on a moonless night comes from bright specks we call planets and stars.Between the stars we see blackness. Most of astronomy, not to mention geology, biology, and all humanistic studies, is concerned with what happens in and on these bright specks.Yet these lumps and specks, which include the Earth, the Sun, the planets of our solar system, and all the stars together occupy less than one billion billion billionth (10-27) of the total volume of the Universe. It is astonishing to think that the interstellar medium within our Galaxy, the Milky Way, is anything but empty space.But in most of the Galaxy, the density of interstellar matter is thousands of times lower than that of the best vacuum produced on Earth. In fact, there is enough interstellar matter in the Galaxy to make ten billion stars the size of the Sun.In this excellently crafted book, the author gives full treatment to the nature of the stuff between the stars and to the methods that astronomers use to study it. He explains where the matter came from in the first place, how it collects together in clouds and clumps, and the way in which new stars and planets form from material in space. Through his descriptions we see the matter as glorious gas clouds, such as the Orion Nebula, shimmering in rich hues of red and orange.Telescopes reveal inky black clouds, the molecule factories in which new stars and planets are made. Radio, infrared, and ultraviolet telescopes have given astronomers stunning new images of interstellar matter.The Fullness of Space is written for the general reader interested in science.It assumes no scientific or mathematical background, and the only equations in the whole book are found in the appendices. It is beautifully illustrated with many of the finest photographs available of dust clouds and bright nebulae.Readers from high school age to adult will find this an enriching and rewarding book.Gareth Wynn-Williams was educated at Cambridge University and held a teaching position there and a fellowship at the California Institute of Technology before accepting a position as Professor of Astronomy at the University of Hawaii.He has written popular articles on astronomy for Scientific American, New Scientist, and Physics Bulletin. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Matter of Great Astronomical Importance
This wonderful book has been written for amateur astronomers (and for more advanced students of astronomy) who would like to learn about the matter that exists in interstellar space.This sounds like a rather dry subject, but think of how many times you have looked at astonishing pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope and wished that you had a better understanding of what you were seeing? Note that the majority of these pictures are not of the planets or stars, but are of regions of interstellar space inside galaxies, both ours and others: in short, they show the incredible material, with strange, interesting shapes and beautiful colors, that exists between the stars. If these pictures arouse your curiosity, then this is your book!

In his preface the author, a widely published and respected astronomer, states that "he would like to think that anyone with an interest in the Universe and an appreciation of logical thinking can follow the story laid out...".He would also "hope that the book will be of some use to serious students of physics and astronomy as a broad introduction to the range of interstellar phenomena that are currently accessible to professional astronomers". Both audiences have been well served; in particular those students who like to see the broad picture before they immerse themselves in details will find the book enormously useful.

The first three chapters are written for those new to the subject, and are an excellent introduction and preparation for what follows (it is assumed that the reader knows some elementary astronomy). In these chapters the author examines the nature of light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation and describes how they interact with the different particles (electrons, ions, atoms and molecules) that exist in interstellar space.This is particularly important since, as we will learn in the rest of the book, our information about interstellar space comes from the whole spectrum, from gamma rays, through X-rays, visual light, infrared, and radio waves.

In the next six chapters the author gracefully describes each of the atoms, ions, molecules, elements other than hydrogen, interstellar dust, and cosmic rays that pervade interstellar space and shows how they interact with electromagnetic waves to produce the data which we measure.It is quite a list, yet the author (who loves his subject and is very much at ease with it) has no problem maintaining our interest.On occasion he briefly mentions a topic, saying that we will learn more about it later.We often peek ahead.

A useful feature in each of these chapters is a short description of the various telescopes etc. that are used to obtain information about the particles being described.We learn just enough to satisfy our curiosity and to appreciate how the data is obtained.

The next three chapters "pull it all together" by discussing the origin, evolution and fate (it may well disappear in a few billion years, and then you will be sorry that you did not learn about it) of interstellar matter. The final three chapters round out the book by briefly describing interplanetary and intergalactic material.

There is virtually no mathematics in the text, however for those who are interested, thirteen appendices give a little algebra on a variety of subjects.Once again, the appendices are beautifully written; you learn just what you need to know.

Those who read this wonderfully informative book will learn, in a very painless way, about masers, radio telescopes, cosmic rays, the birth of stars, the galactic magnetic field, bubbles, tunnels, magnetic pressure, frozen flux lines, stellar outflows... the list goes on and on.And, to their great satisfaction, they will now know much more about what the astronomers are saying about those fascinating Hubble pictures (not to mention their X-ray, radio and infrared maps).

Not a bad achievement for two hundred pages! ... Read more

Book Description

The Big Bang, the birth of the universe, was a singular event. All of the matter of the universe was concentrated at a single point, with temperatures so high that even the familiar protons and neutrons of atoms did not yet exist, but rather were replaced by a swirling maelstrom of energy, matter and antimatter. Exotic quarks and leptons flickered briefly into existence, before merging back into the energy sea.

This book explains the fascinating world of quarks and leptons and the forces that govern their behavior. Told from an experimental physicist’s perspective, it forgoes mathematical complexity, using instead particularly accessible figures and apt analogies. In addition to the story of quarks and leptons, which are regarded as well-accepted fact, the author who is a leading researcher at the world’s highest energy particle physics laboratory also discusses mysteries on both the experimental and theoretical frontier, before tying it all together with the exciting field of cosmology and indeed the birth of the universe itself.

The text spans the tiny world of the quark to the depths of the universe with exceptional clarity. The casual student of science will appreciate the careful distinction between what is known (quarks, leptons and antimatter), what is suspected (Higgs bosons, neutrino oscillations and the reason why the universe has so little antimatter) and what is merely dreamed (supersymmetry, superstrings and extra dimensions). Included is an unprecedented chapter explaining the accelerators and detectors of modern particle physics experiments. The chapter discussing the hunt for the Higgs boson, currently consuming the efforts of nearly 1000 physicists, lends drama that only big-stakes science can give. Understanding the Universe leaves the reader with a deep appreciation of the fascinating particle realm and just how much it determines the rich beauty of our universe. ... Read more

Book Description

In this tour de force of the ultimate and extreme in astrophysics, renowned astrophysicist and author J. Craig Wheeler takes us on a breathtaking journey to supernovae, black holes, gamma-ray bursts and adventures in hyperspace. This is no far-fetched science fiction tale, but an enthusiastic exploration of ideas at the cutting edge of current astrophysics. Wheeler follows the tortuous life of a star from birth to evolution and death, and goes on to consider the complete collapse of a star into a black hole, worm-hole time machines, the possible birth of baby bubble universes, and the prospect of a revolutionary view of space and time in a ten-dimensional string theory. Along the way he offers evidence that suggests the Universe is accelerating and describes recent developments in understanding gamma-ray bursts--perhaps the most catastrophic cosmic events of all. With the use of lucid analogies, simple language and crystal-clear cartoons, Cosmic Catastrophes makes accessible some of the most exciting and mind-bending objects and ideas in the Universe.J. Craig Wheeler is currently Samuel T. and Fern Yanagisawa Regents Professor of Astronomy at the University of Texas at Austin and Vice President of the American Astronomical Society as of 1999. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

How stars work
I found this book a complete surprise. From the title, I expected only a story about explosions and collisions but this book is much, much more. It provides really brilliant descriptions of how all kinds of stars evolve and how they regulate their energy production. After reading this book I fully understood why aging stars produce more energy but are cooler than they were in their youth. A minor complaint might be that the content is not well organized. A typ