Book Description

For many years Richard Hoagland alone hypothesized that sentient beings spent time on Mars millions of ye ars ago assembling behemoth structures whose ruins are still seen today. Here Hoagland redefines the solar system as a different place than NASA has presented. The book includes a new preface covering the Mars Global Surveyor photos and reactions of NASA. ... Read more

Reviews (65)

The complete history of the NASA coverup of The Face
In "The Monuments of Mars: A City on the Edge of Forever," author Richard Hoagland gives a heavily referenced history of The Face on Mars and other suspiciously "non-natural" structures and features of the Martian surface. He describes how The Face was first discovered shortly after the Viking Mission started sending back images from Mars. NASA immediate pooh-poohed the possibility of its artificial origin. The images of The Face were too startling to be ignored, though, and research by Vince DePietro, Greg Molenaar, Hoagland and others resulted in the discovery of other unnatural, pyramid-like structures located in the vicinity of The Face. Hoagland provides solid arguments for the claims he makes. Often, this slows the pace of reading this thick book. But, by taking his time in explaining his claims, he tackles many of the arguments that might arise in the reader's own mind. Hoagland's book describes how NASA has pointedly ignored evidence from noted scientists and organizations verifying the suspiciously non-natural nature of the Cydonia region on Mars that is home to these anamolous features. Finally, Hoagland documents how NASA has refused to PUBLICALLY rephotograph Cydonia and suggests that NASA may have already done so in secret. He offers that there may be dark reasons for this suspected duplicity. "The Monuments of Mars" describes an engaging (and ongoing) real-world mystery. But, it is also frustrating in that the evidence that could solve this mystery is being withheld by the very government agency that is supposed to be honestly and publicly disseminating it...

Get past the crappy writing and you're okay
Guys, Hoagland is a scientist, NOT A WRITER. This book reads like it was written by a high school dropout. Incomplete sentances about, stunted paragraphs, lots of ellipses leading into nowhere... But so what? His job is to look at stuff and figure out what it is. His brain is used to asking questions and answering them. What he's found is, at the least, very neat. At the most, it points to something new and exciting discoveries. WIthin this book, Hoagland describes how he, with the help of two sattalite imaging specialists, investigated a little photo taken from the Viking expedition to Mars. To make a long story short, it looks like a face, there's lots of other formations nearby that look similarly artificial, and Mr. Hoagland thinks that the whole picture points to some kind of prior high civilization on Mars. You judge for yourself. Read through the hopes and dreams that (unfortunately) distort what it is he's trying to get at. Look through the diagrams, the credentials of those who have worked with him on this project... put aside the aesthetics and glean out the science from the garbage. To those who say you can see mathematics in your bowl of cheerios -- does that negate the mathematics from every other source? C'Mon man, the brain is a pattern-finding machine -- that's what it's for. Because we see patterns in just about everything, does that mean there are no legitimate patterns to be found? Should we discard every pattern we don't intuitively agree with, or offends our tender sensibilities? When does a bowl of cheerios because less mathematically meaningful, than say, the circlular artwork in the Mosque? Anyway, give it a look. At 20% off, you can afford to.

Very gutsy, exhaustingly researched, a stunner...
I read some of the negative reviews here at Amazon and they all struck me as inane drivel of the highest degree. If you're going to agree or disagree with any thesis you have to show why. If all you're going to come up with is name-calling and arguments about "math in cereal" (!!!, man, give us a break) or other , even worse, "arguments" like "NASA says it aint no face and that's what i believe" you're in my mind absolutely and positively hopeless. If, in the end, NASA and any institution of that order is for you a credible source, why bother thinking? Turn your brain OFFICIALLY off and let whomever, may that be NASA or anybody else, programm it for you. Why read what Hoagland or a number of other researchers out there profess?

"The Monuments Of Mars" is a book for people who are keen of doing something rare: think for themselves. In order to do that, you need to entertain whatever available notion out there even if it totally comes in conflict with the definition of the world in your mind. Especially if such a notion is well argumentated and has been hardly refuted with adequacy.

For those not familiar with what's presented in this book, here's a very ( and i mean, very) short summary: Hoagland along with a team of scientists ranging anywhere from geologists to physicists to computer programmers who resoluted photos, to historians and other specialties, analysed a vast series of photographs taken by NASA of the Cydonia region in Mars, photos in which the infamous "Face" appears, along with other clearly geometrical features such as pyramids or the clear designs of a former city. All these features, and their undisputed geometry, one would have to be either blind not to see, or terminally brainwashed.

The only question which remained, was to first verify through statistical probability, what the odds were of these features having been made "naturally". The odds are so staggeringly low that it would be a travesty to dismiss these as natural creations. The next, and more important questions have to do with who made them and why.

Why resort to odds when we could have more and clearer photographs of these features so the matter could be put to rest? Well, that's just it (especially for the naysayers), because Nasa refuses to rephotograph the region with a high resolution camera saying there's nothing there to be seen..And that despite all the "noise" about these features. Mysterious if not downright conspiratorial? Yes, obviously and undoudtedly so.

I don't intend to go more into what Hoagland says. You can pretty much imagine in broad lines, and besides it's your decicion and your inclination whether you'll invest the effort in reading his book anyway. To me, if your inclination is beforehand negative, you would've easily fit in in a past world who thought the world is flat because the church or "scientists" say so. And i could list a high number of such embarrasing examples, there's no shortage of them nor will there ever be.

As to the book itself, it is one which is incredibly researched. The degree of scholarship in it is superb, and more importantly, it is not the work of ONE person. Hoagland did not sit down and think all this up as some would like the case to be. There's a vast array of people who worked with him from the scientific community and who agree with him. There's also a number of other resarchers who did NOT research this subject but yet came to the same conclusions with him. Sitchin would be one. Robert Temple would be another. And the list does go on you know, as any search on alternative archaelogy in Amazon or elsewhere would show you.

The fact that we know only 5000-7000 years of human history when this planet numbers over a million years of existence means that we are actually in the dark about our origins. At least as far as "mainstream science" is concerned and this is a fact they accept themselves while offering us all kinds of comical explanations and tons of "missing links" in the process. The truth might be in fact very simple, that is, simple if you actually realise that the Universe is very probably bursting with intelligent life, not only now, but for millions of years in the past, and that the chance that we, are in very intriguing ways connected with the "out there" is also nothing shocking. It only is if you allow the world in your mind to be something painfully small.

Only reading this book will more than likely not be enough to provide you with all the data supporting such theories. Yes i mean data, and not speculations. Raw data. You will need to pick up some Sitchin, some Temple, some Colin Wilson, or others. Only then will you able to form a more spherical and stronger opinion.

But if you haven't done so up to now, Hoagland's book is a great place to start.
Absolutely essential material for people not content with the hilarious version of the truth spoon-fed to us on a daily basis.

Devastating truth about the "face"
After the subsequent closer-up photos of the "face," it is undeniable that the so-called "face" is NOT a face after all. Where was Hoagland when the defining photos came out? Apparently working on the 5th edition. No wonder he wears a cape. Without it, he'd have to face the devasting truth that he is mortal after all.

1/ (Resonable Doubt)
Well.... the decision is yours. The Avebury region map overlay on Cydonia is hard to dismiss as coincidence. I just may take a visit to Stonehenge and check it out myself. The Brilliant Pebbles testing broadcast was also quite interesting. ... Read more

Book Description

Long regarded as the finest photographic lunar atlas available, The Hatfield Lunar Atlas is a model of accuracy and clarity. This new version updates some of the maps, names and technical data, but uses Commander Henry Hatfield's original - and unexcelled - photographic plates, taken with a purpose-built 30 cm reflector. The Atlas is divided into sixteen sections, each of which is made up of five or more photographic plates together with a map. Each map is based primarily of the facing plate. Where detail is lacking on this primary plate (particularly near the Moon's limb) supplementary detail is provided by one or more of the other plates in a particular section. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

It is what it is: A revised version of a 1960's classic
THE HATFIELD PHOTOGRAPHIC LUNAR ATLAS is a modern, updated and slightly revised version of the classic (~1968) AMATEUR ASTRONOMER'S PHOTOGRAPHIC LUNAR ATLAS by Sir Henry Hatfield. The original work was published just before man landed on the moon - and thus moon observation was a "craze".

This "new" version, bearing Hatfield's name, uses Hatfield's original Lunar photographs that were taken, obviously, in the 1960's.

I've read other people's reviews, most of whom complain about the quality of the photographs. These photograph's were truly remarkable in the 60's ... and 70's ... and even for the 80's into the early 90's. Are these the best photograph's for today's standards? No. But part of the beauty of this book are the remarkable vintage photographs (just as many of us marvel at the sight of vintage cars or vintage motorcycles).

Specifically, this book is a "nice" (not great) photographic atlas of the moon. The sketches are "very good" (maybe not perfect). And the book's format/layout is STILL very useful for the casual and amateur astronomer.

Yes, the RUKL MOON ATLAS is THE STANDARD. But this atlas has been out of print for several years. A copy of Rukl's was recently listed for $579 on eBay! And I've seen Rukl's sell for $100-$175 on other Internet sites.

In summary, is Hatfield's the best? No. Is it very nice? Yes. Though I'd also agree that the price for this book is a bit too high ($25 is more reasonable), when compared to Rukl's, is THE HATFIELD PHOTOGRAPHIC LUNAR ATLAS worth $35? Yes.

It is what it is: an updated reproduction of a classic. It doesn't have all of the bells & whistles a 2004 Corvette has, yet isn't it still a joy to drive a vintage Corvette? You bet it is!

Disappointing Atlas - Low Resolution Photographs
I regularly observe the moon through moderate aperture telescopes and find these low resolution images of little use. Even a three-inch refractor will show far more detail. There are better sets of photographs, covering most of the visible surface, available on the web.
However, the atlas will probably be useful to observers who are starting to find their way around the mooon's surface, as they will not be overwhelmed by fine detail.
If you want to see good quality images of the moon do not buy this book; look on the web.

Questionable Quality for the Millenium
This book of elderly, sometimes fuzzy photos and rough drawings is outrageously overpriced, even with the small Amazon discount.
Try to find a copy of the far better Rukl Moon Atlas, or write lots of letters to Kalmback to get them to reprint Rukl.
The only virtue of this book is the paucity of any Moon Atlas - a juicy opportunity for someone - Hello Msrs. Tirion, Dickinson, Ottewell, Crossen, Kepple or O'Meara?
Help, help!

Old pictures
Old pictures and quite badly drawn maps of the moon makes this book feel to expensive no matter what it costs.

Although, it gives you (as a matter of facts) very much information of the lunar surfice when it come to manmade names of the different places. Still some names misses, like the crater named after Neil Armstrong - where is it?

I also wish a book that says it is an Atlas of the moon, sold year 2001, would contain fresh photos of better quality (The Hubble Sky Telescope could maybe do something for us moonfans!) and better drawings. And why not more information about how and where the names of the places came to real and, what I really miss - pictures of parts of the earth placed on the lunar surfice to give me a view of how big the craters and the moon as a whole actually is. And why not a part in the book with pictures from the Apollo missions?! More could be done.

The one and only.
The importance of a good reference is incalculable for those who do any serious lunar observing, or for those who need to know exactly what they're looking at (or at least what they should be seeing). The Hatfield Atlas is by far the best lunar reference available. But rather than subject you to further ramblings-on about the merits of this book, I'll just state some straightforward points in simple fact:

The membership of our club includes about 140 dedicated amateur and professional astronomers. Many of us gather at our dark site facility to attend monthly star parties. If there is even the slightest moon that evening there may be a dozen or so telescopes trained on it well before dark. And those of us who do any serious lunar observing may already be consulting a single particular book which is kept on a desk in the observatory. Care to guess which book that is? "Yo, who's got the Hatfield's?".

The Hatfield Atlas is our 'official' lunar reference. Other references have been left out for the membership to browse and sample. Two of them drew favorable comments about their indices and cross references (and which are explicit advantages over Hatfield's). But as expected, we always go back to the Hatfield Atlas, and there are reasons. Plain and simple, you won't find better or more accurate renderings anywhere. If you want an exact reference, or if you need to match detail and gradations with what you see in the eyepiece, this is the book to have.

The first time one examines a reference of this quality, there is generally some astonishment at the high level of detail involved. My first inclination was to 'read' it from cover-to-cover, as one would regard a centennial issue of National Geographic. You will likely find the renderings here to be of equal or better quality and possibly more fascinating.

I highly recommend the Hatfield Atlas for both amateur and professional astronomers who have a need for the finest lunar reference available. ... Read more

Book Description

Chaisson/McMillan's writing style and pedagogically driven art program are recognized as being scientifically accurate yet accessible to non-science majors. The integrated media program contains the market's only E-book. It provides readers with innovative and interactive tools to learn and test their understanding of astronomy concepts.Topics covered include Astronomy and the Universe, Our Planetay System, and more.For one or two-semester introductory astronomy course. ... Read more

Book Description

As the definitive guide for the armchair astronomer, The New Solar System has established itself as the leading book on planetary science and solar system studies. Incorporating the latest knowledge of the solar system, a distinguished team of researchers, many of them Principal Investigators on NASA missions, explain the solar system with expert ease.The completely-revised text includes the most recent findings on asteroids, comets, the Sun, and our neighboring planets. The book examines the latest research and thinking about the solar system; looks at how the Sun and planets formed; and discusses our search for other planetary systems and the search for life in the solar system. In full-color and heavily-illustrated, the book contains more than 500 photographs, portrayals, and diagrams.An extensive set of tables with the latest characteristics of the planets, their moon and ring systems, comets, asteroids, meteorites, and interplanetary space missions complete the text. New to this edition are descriptions of collisions in the solar system, full scientific results from Galileo's mission to Jupiter and its moons, and the Mars Pathfinder mission. For the curious observer as well as the student of planetary science, this book will be an important library acquisition. J. Kelly Beatty is the senior editor of Sky & Telescope, where for more than twenty years he has reported the latest in planetary science.A renowned science writer, he was among the first journalists to gain access to the Soviet space program.Asteroid 2925 Beatty was named on the occasion of his marriage in 1983.Carolyn Collins Petersen is an award-winning science writer and co-author of Hubble Vision (Cambridge 1995). She has also written planetarium programs seen at hundreds of facilities around the world. Andrew L. Chaikin is a Boston-based science writer. He served as a research geologist at the Smithsonian Institution's Center for Earth and Planetary Studies.He is a contributing editor to Popular Science and writes frequently for other publications. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

A thoroughly enjoyable tour of our neighborhood!
This is a gorgeous and complete treatment of our solar system supported by very recent spacecraft data (Galileo, Pathfinder) in addition to the seminal Voyager flybys and Viking landings. The next edition will likely include Mars Global Surveyor data as well as findings from the Saturnian Cassini mission in 2004. The prose is much more readable than that of most college textbooks, yet coverage of the subject matter is thorough on an amateur level. The artwork and choice of photographs is exquisite and complements the text perfectly, in full color.

When I ordered this book I was hoping for a tour of the solar system in the context of the question: "What would it be like to be there?" Well, this book only partially fits that bill but to be fair, it's not designed to! It's more a technical summary of theories scientists are confident in the verity of or have evidence to support. The New Solar System is the best example I've seen of this specific type of text. And there are many others out there, most of which are either too basic or too detailed for the serious amateur astronomer.

I'm still looking for the "overactive imagination" version of this book though! :)

Gorgeous New Views and Descriptions
Three books on our solar system have appeared in the past year or so. Each has its own "flavor". I will review them in turn, but browsers should be aware of the other books, so they are listed here: See "Solar System Dynamics," C. D. Murray and S. F. Dermott, and "The Planetary Scientist's Companion," by Katharina Lodders and Bruce Fegley, Jr.

The present volume, a tremendously handsome production, is replete with gorgeous and stimulating closeup photographs of planets and their satellites. They give a glimpse of what the earth could have been like --- but thank goodness, isn't!

Many scientific theories, physical descriptions, and graphs are given describing geological and atmospheric conditions on the various solar bodies. However, they are not accompanied by a single equation. This will be a boon to some readers, but a bust to others. In my case, seeking as I was a discussion of planet formation and the Titius/Bode Law for planetary positions, it was disappointing not to find mathematical details.

But this loss is more than compensated for by the interest generated by what the book does deliver so well --- the fact that "planets are places," as Carl Sagan liked to say, and not just moving dots in the night sky. And it is inspiring to realize that ours is the first generation to get to know them intimately as a result of space probes by Russia and the United States.

I can think of no better birthday or Christmas gift for the amateur astronomer or the serious young science student than this stunning and awe-inspiring collection of photographs and scientific descriptions of the oldest objects around us, our "new" solar system.

That is not to say that the volume will not also be useful to more advanced scientists. But the scientific content is contained in detailed graphs, tables, and qualitative textual descriptions rather than in the definitive shorthand of mathematical equations. (For the latter, in spades, see Murray and Dermott).

Thorough planetology book for the non-expert public
This is a very thorough book, covering many important aspects of planetology. Its level of depth is very adequate to its intended public, that of non-expert but "science-literate" people. Although slightly out-of-date (it's been 5 years since its publication), most of its content is still considered correct. It is a shame that its Amazon average customer review has been degraded by Robert M Carto's unfortunate reviews. Unfortunate because they represent the opinion of someone who believes in the theories of Immanuel Velikovsky. Velikovsky's theories are considered unscientific by the vast majority of astronomy professional researchers (including myself) who have read them.

Fascinating tour of the solar system
I greatly enjoy reading about astronomy, especially the science behind it. I purchased and read this book because I wanted to learn more in detail about our own solar system.
This book does indeed give the reader a fascinating tour of our solar system. It explains in detail many facts and theories regarding our solar system, which would seldom be found in a more general astronomy book. Before reading this book I had no idea how fascinating our solar system is!
Specifially, this book starts out by discussing exploring our solar system, and theories about the origin. It also has chapters devoted to the sun, planetary magnetospheres, cometary reservoirs, and the role of collisions. Then it has a chapter devoted to each terrestrial planet (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars), and to the moon. It also discusses characteristics of both the terrestrial planets and giant planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune). It also discusses planetary rings, moons of the giant planets, and Pluto and Charon, and patterns and relationships between bodies in the solar system. Then it discusses comets, asteroids, and meteorites. Then it brings up the question of life in the solar system. In the final chapter it tells about discoveries of planets in other planetary systems, and discussing techniques for discovering extrasolar planets (planets which orbit other stars besides the sun).
I will caution that sometimes this book gets into very detailed science, and can be difficult to understand. I had to read many parts very carefully in order to get it. Also, it was published back in 1999, so it doesn't take into account the most recent discoveries. But nevertheless, I found the science very fascinating to learn about, and enjoyed being given a tour of the solar system through this book.
I recommend this book for everyone who wants to learn in detail about solar system.

Obsolete Edition
This was a great Fourth edition when published back in 1999. NASA and the science of astronomy have learned much since then. When the new information is incorporated in a Fifth Edition, we will look forward to the new theories and data. ... Read more

Book Description

Comet and Asteroid Impact Hazards explores the anticipated consequences of comet and asteroid impact. It presents the first computer simulations of the hazards of comet and asteroid bombardment of a populated Earth. Previous estimates of fatality and damage rates on the 100 to 10,000 year time scale are shown to be too low because they neglect rare, highly lethal outriders of the populations of bombarding objects, those with exceptional strength, unusually low entry velocity, and near-horizontal entry angles. This is the first realistic assessment of both the mean casualty rate and the expected statistical fluctuations in that rate. A breakdown of fatality and damage rates by impactor energy and compositional class suggests lessons for both asteroid search strategies and interdiction techniques.
This book is written so that anyone with college level experience in the physical sciences can understand it. It includes a disk that allows the reader to simulate impact catastrophes. It serves as a useful resource in various physical sciences courses such as astronomy, planetary science, and environmental science.

* Quantatively rigorous treatment of the state of impact hazard prediction, including stuctural blast damage, firestorm ignition, tsunami generation
* Realistic treatment of the impact on population, composition, and orbits
* Attention to economic and public policy issues of warning, interdiction, and asteroid and comet search strategies
* Comparison of simulation results to historical records
* Detailed and realistic Monte Carlo simulation software included ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Excellent Book but the Software presents a Hassle
The text is an excellent and scholarly treatment of the subject. Itis very detailed, quite factual, thoughtfully constructed and verythought provocating. It generates a lot of interest in the includedMonte Carlo impact/fatality model.

Unfortunately, the attached model program is very difficult to use. It is written in native GW-BASIC which can only be read by GW-Basic running under DOS (not a Windows shell). One needs to find a copy of GWBASIC and a DOS boot disk to convert HAZARD5.BAS to ASCII format. Once in ASCII it will run in the more common QBASIC in Windows. In short, it presents an unnecessary hassle. Indeed, there were no instructions to do the conversion and Michael Paine and his web site .... came to the rescue with detailed instructions and some refinements to the model.

Wow!
Dr. Lewis makes a compelling case for the reappraisal of comet and asteroid impacts. This book is lucid, sharp, and, well, SCARY. I strongly recommend it to all readers curious about these potentially cataclysmic events; when you understand the energy involved in one of these impacts, and the effects on human populations it becomes clear that we are currently just as vulnerable as the dinosaurs were 65 million years ago. I also recommend Rain of Iron and Ice for the popular science audience. It is an equally compelling, and also entertaining, read. Worth every penny.

Devastating impact!
Of all the hazards facing Earth, impacts are the most dangerous. Their effects can be devastating over the entire surface of the planet.

I enjoyed the comparison of simulation results to historical records and the attention to economic and public policy issues of warning, interdiction, and asteroid & comet search strategies. David Egge's paintings (in the color section) are awesome.

Keep your eye on the sky!

Simulate asteroid and comet impacts on your PC
This book by Planetary Scientist John Lewis includes a diskette with a Monte Carlo program to run simulations of Earth impacts over time. The book is basically a handbook for the software with a wide range of physical information about NEOs, impacts and effects on the human population. An excellent resource covering physics, chemistry and environment. I can recommend it to anyone studying the possible influence of impacts on civilisation. Over thousands of years airburst events like Tunguska turn out to be important sources of fatalities and yet they leave little or no physical evidence so information about the danger is unlikely to be reliably passed from generation to generation.

Note that the program requires GW-BASIC to run To run the program in a higher version of BASIC such as Quick Basic you will need to convert it from binary to ASCII format from within GW-BASIC. To do this load the program in GW-BASIC (F3 path/filename.BAS) then save it with the ASCII option set (F4 path/new_filename.BAS , A ). This is all subject to the copyright conditions of course. ... Read more

Book Description

On his historic 1962 orbital flight, John Glenn made a request to carry a camera. From that moment forward photography became a vital duty for all astronauts. In this astonishing book, National Geographic gathers the most spectacular images from 41 years of orbital photography—many never before seen—to reveal an astronaut’s view of home.

Each photograph featured in Orbit was taken by a NASA astronaut with a hand-held camera and features detail that far exceeds the electronic images sent from satellites. These photographs capture the most magnificent sights on earth: Mount Everest casting its shadow over lesser peaks, the sands of the Sahara arrayed in endless patterns, the eerily atmospheric aurora australis. And they document the effects of human negligence on the Earth: pollution, scarred forests, and topsoil washing into the sea. As Americans contemplate the U.S. space program in the wake of recent tragedy, Orbit is an excellent reminder of the magnificent achievements of space travel.

Detailed maps, ground-based photographs, and informative captions give further depth to this definitive and remarkable history of how our Earth has changed since we first ventured into space. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Another Great Space Book From National Geographic
Astronaut Jay Apt, with the help of geographer Justin Wilkinson and climatologist Michael Helfert, has assembled a book full of pictures of Earth taken from orbit. These photographs were chosen from over a 145,000 that are available from the NASA photographic library and focus on many different aspects of our planet's geology and climate. The large coffee table style format and the high quality of the reproductions allows this book bring out the stunning features of our home and is welcome addition to anyone who is interested in space photography, especially since most of the book is photographs and very little text.

The book is divided into sections covering each continent, the Pacific Ocean and the aurora. To show the range of Earth's geology and climate, each section highlights the major geological features found in each region and if appropriate mankind's influence. To further emphasis to geological diversity of the planet, occasional surface photographs that correspond to an orbital photograph are also included. For example, in the section on Africa, there are photos of the Nile, Nile cities, the Sahara desert, various coastline features and cloud formations. The only portions of the Earth not covered are the North and South Poles, since the shuttle does not fly over these regions. There is also one extremely interesting two page map spread which shows the location of each one of the 268,000 photographs taken by the astronauts.

This book is one of my favorite space photography books and I look at it often and each time that I do I always notice something different. This is a great book and well worth the price.

Home Never Looked So Good.
The book is published by National Geographic, so it goes without saying that the quality of the photographs is superb. But to look at this collection of space-born images is to never see the earth in the same way again. All the contintents and oceans are covered and even the Aurora is documented. The astronauts who took these photographs are some of the luckiest men and women on (or off) the earth, and this book will show you why.

Despite all that man has done to harm the environment, many of the photographs give you an eerie sense of what it might've been like to look down on the earth thousands of years ago, seeing only a beautiful collection of shapes, colors and clouds. Some pictures of the African desert and its coastline will leave you breathless.

A wonderful collection that beats satellite imagery any day of the week.

High flyers!
Shuttle astronaut Jay Apt, together with scientists Michael Helfert and Justin Wilkinson, has put together a wonderful book of photographs under the auspices of National Geographic, Orbit. These are all photographs taken by astronauts from the space shuttle while in orbit (with a few exceptions, historically significant photographs from moon circlings and early trips into space). Photography, interestingly enough, is never really scheduled as a shuttle activity, but rather done 'in between' the other assignments. The photographs included in this book do not come from special 'space' cameras, but rather from regular hand-held, off-the-shelf cameras that astronauts took with them.

The shuttle offers a unique platform for photography, to say the least. It has 11 different windows, and as the shuttle orbits in what one might consider an upside-down position, the windows and cargo-bay with doors open are almost always facing the earth. Astronauts take lots of film with them, and record many phenomena. This book is divided geographically, by earth region: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, Asia, the Pacific, Middle and South America, and North America. There is also a special section on the Aurora, with dazzling photographs of things that look right out of Star Trek!

The images include daytime and nighttime views, calm views and stormy views. One can see hurricanes and cyclones from high above, stretching their entire lengths across great portions of the globe. One can see the difference lighting makes in an urban area at night, the way terrain and human-engineering connect, and how much of the world seems to remain unspoilt when viewed from a distance of even a few hundred miles away.

This is a remarkable book, full of glorious photographs of the 'home world', a great coffee-table book, a great gift, and a great guide of inspiration for younger readers who might be interested in science, geography, or even becoming an astronaut.

A must for every household
Truely a magnificent piece of work to wiew the wonder of God's creation leaves you in awe of the beauty of the Earth. I pick it up regularly, for maximum enjoyment choose times where you are not rushed so you can drink in the superb pictures. A book no household can afford to be without.

Fabulous
I first heard about ORBIT while paging through a National Geographic. The images were disorienting and intriguing. Each photo challenged me to look at the planet like I never had before. "Why is that river so muddy?" "Where do those colors come from?" "How could those shapes be natural?" I would highly recommend getting a magnifying glass to best experience these pictures. They are so rich in detail that constant and close-up attention would be very rewarding. The book is divided into chapters of the continents. To look at the whole book in one sitting is so overwhelming, I would suggest perusing it a chapter at a time. ... Read more

Book Description

A comprehensive book explaining the use of the 2102D star finder, and the many applications it offers in planning navigation. Its numerous examples and diagrams make it a most definitive treatment. In addition to a description of the star finder and its basic use, the book covers: brightness and color of stars, planet identification, choosing optimum star-moon-planet combinations, choosing time between sunlines and running fixes, and emergency steering. This book is an indispensable companion to the star finder itself. ... Read more

Book Description

Why do some full moons seem larger than others? How big is the moon compared to the United States? How fast does the moon’s shadow move across the earth during an eclipse?Which month’s full moon is called by the Cheyenne, "Time when the Horses Get Fat"? What are the best internet sites for moon watchers? Answers to these questions and more—much, much more—are found in this concise, fully illustrated guide to Earth’s nearest neighbor. It will change forever the way you look at the night sky. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent introduction!
This is an excellent introduction for people who want to understand the motion of the moon across the sky. Great pictures and readable. ... Read more

Book Description

The "Indiana Jones of Astronomy" takes readers on a fascinating hunt for scientific treasures

On the morning of June 30, 1908, a comet nucleus or stony asteroid weighing 100,000 metric tons exploded four miles above the remote Siberian region of Tunguska with a force hundreds of times greater than the blast that destroyed Hiroshima. Eighty-four years later, American astronomer Roy Gallant was invited by the Russian Academy of Sciences to participate in its annual Tunguska Expedition.

Gallant was the first American to take part in the Russian investigation of the largest meteorite impact in recorded history. So inspired was he by his experiences at Tunguska that he went on to devote the next eight years of his life to investigating and writing about meteorite impact sites around the globe.

In Meteorite Hunter, Roy Gallant takes readers on a fascinating journey to the major meteorite sites of the wild and desolate Russian interior.

Reviews (1)

Traveling in Russia and Fascinating Facts about Meteorites
I am surprised to see that no one has reviewed this book until now; it's been out for about two years and the title is certainly intriguing. Anyway, this book contains a nearly homogeneous mixture of essentially two seemingly unrelated subjects: (i) traveling within Russia and (ii) information on meteorites. The first is presented as a travelogue; it includes all sorts of little details on travel problems encountered in Russia (political and otherwise), food eaten, people encountered, etc. Interspersed with this, in each chapter, is fascinating information on meteorites, i.e., their origins, types, composition, behavior upon entering the earth's atmosphere and upon impacting the ground, etc. Each chapter addresses a specific meteorite site that was visited by the author, with the exception of the last chapter which is about comets and asteroids that are out in space and that may or may not pose a threat to life (or some of it) on earth. The book is well written and should be of interest to those planning to travel within Russia, as well as those interested in meteorites; and, of course, those interested in both. I gave the book four stars instead of five because, to me, the two subject areas, which may be worth five stars each, detract from each other. For me, the parts about meteorites per se, were great (five stars); but I found the travel information rather cumbersome - hence an overall four stars. ... Read more

Book Description

Discovering the Solar System Barrie W. Jones The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK Discovering the Solar System is a comprehensive, up-to-date account of the Solar System and of the ways in which the various bodies have been investigated and modelled. The approach is thematic, with sequences of chapters on the interiors of planetary bodies, on their surfaces, and on their atmospheres. Within each sequence there is a chapter on general principles and processes followed by one or two chapters on specific bodies. There is also an introductory chapter, a chapter on the origin of the Solar System, and a chapter on asteroids, comets and meteorites. Liberally illustrated with diagrams, black and white photographs and colour plates, Discovering the Solar System also features:
* tables of essential data
* question and answers within the text
* end of section review questions with answers and comments
Discovering the Solar System is essential reading for all undergraduate students for whom astronomy or planetary science are components of their degrees, and for those at a more advanced level approaching the subject for the first time. It will also be of great interest to non-specialists with a keen interest in astronomy. A small amount of scientific knowledge is assumed plus familiarity with basic algebra and graphs. There is no calculus. Praise for this book includes: ".certainly qualifies as an authoritative text. The author clearly has an encyclopedic knowledge of the subject." Meteorics and Planetary Science ".liberally doused with relevant graphs, tables, and black and white figures of good quality." EOS, Transactions of the American Geophysical Union ".one of the best books on the Solar System I have seen. The general accuracy and quality of the content is excellent." Journal of the British Astronomical Association ... Read more

Book Description

Harold Hill's lunar portfolio is a unique collection of drawings now published for the first time. Each illustration is supplemented with notes made at the time of observation. Astronomical drawing still has an important place alongside photography in the same way that photography has not supplanted the artist in the fields of botany and ornithology, for example. Indeed, since astronomical images tend to shimmer because of turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere, drawings constructed by an artist who takes advantage of the fleeting moments of perfect vision are often more detailed than photographs. No one can fail to be impressed by the beauty and artistry of this work and, to the initiated, the accuracy and attention to detail is remarkable. This is a book for astronomers, amateur and professional alike, and for those who would simply like to know more about the moon. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wonderful, a must for anyone who enjoys the moon's beauty
Harold Hill's collection of sketches is my favorite of all my books on the moon. Hill has a wonderful sense of the aesthetics of the moon's features, and his meticulous and beautiful sketches show rare lighting conditions seldom caught in photos. More than once I've used his book as a reference to check an unusual feature I've spotted; but more often, I just browse through the sketches, sigh and wish I could draw so well. ... Read more

Book Description

On June 8, 2004, Venus will cross the sun's face for the first time since 1882. Eli Maor tells the intriguing tale of the five Venus transits previously observed and the fantastic efforts made to record them. This is a story of heroes and cowards, of reputations earned and squandered, all told against a backdrop of phenomenal geopolitical and scientific change.

With a novelist's talent for the details that keep readers reading late, Maor tells the stories of how Kepler's misguided theology led him to the laws of planetary motion; of obscure Jeremiah Horrocks, who predicted the 1639 transit only to die, at age 22, a day before he was to discuss the event with the only other human known to have seen it; of the unfortunate Le Gentil, whose decade of labor was rewarded with obscuring clouds, shipwreck, and the plundering of his estate by relatives who prematurely declared him dead; of David Rittenhouse, Father of American Astronomy, who was overcome by the 1769 transit's onset and failed to record its beginning; and of Maximilian Hell, whose good name long suffered from the perusal of his transit notes by a color-blind critic.

Moving beyond individual fates, Maor chronicles how governments' participation in the first international scientific effort--the observation of the 1761 transit from seventy stations, yielding a surprisingly accurate calculation of the astronomical unit using Edmund Halley's posthumous directions--intersected with the Seven Years' War, British South Seas expansion, and growing American scientific prominence. Throughout, Maor guides readers to the upcoming Venus transits in 2004 and 2012, opportunities to witness a phenomenon seen by no living person and not to be repeated until 2117

... Read more

Reviews (8)

Venus in Transit doesn't cast a long shadow
I read e: The Story of a Number and Trigonometric Delights from Eli Maor and found both to be well written and enjoyable. With the transit of Venus approaching, the previous experience with Eli Maor brought me to his latest book. The writing style is the same, clear, fluent, but Venus in Transit is at a different level, more superficial than any of the other two books. And a couple of statements make you wonder. On page 58 "...Venus reaches its ascending node around December 8, and its descending node around June 7, so a transit can happen only around these dates. But for a transit actually to occur, Earth, too, must cross the line of the nodes on these dates." There is an inversion here, for Earth reaches the line of nodes at the given dates, while Venus is usually elsewhere in its orbit at these dates as already pointed by another reviewer. And then on page 20 when describing Galileo's observations of the phases of Venus as the first solid proof for the heliocentric system, the author states: " Venus showed phases like the moon - a narrow crescent at the time, a gibbous shape at another, and occasionally a nearly full disk. Here was solid proof that Venus moved around the sun; for had it moved around d the earth instead, it would have shown a full disk at each opposition, when it was directly opposite to the sun [sic]." This is surprising. Venus is never at opposition with the Sun as the ancients new very well by observation. The epicycles and deferents in the geocentric system of Ptolemy had their sizes and speeds carefully adjusted to account for the maximum elongation of 47 degrees or so along the ecliptic between the Sun and Venus. And although the geocentric system could not account for a full disk because in that system Venus was always between the Earth and the Sun, the alternative system proposed by Tycho Brahe could. These two inconsistencies suggest that Eli Maor is not exactly at home when discussing planetary astronomy and perhaps this is the source of the different levels between this book and the other two dealing with mathematics.

Incomplete history, muddled science
I have read a few of Eli Maor's books. They are not great masterpieces, but they fill a niche, providing all the information I wanted and more. This one was less satisfying. This became clear on page 58, where he states that Venus crosses the ecliptic on December 8 and June 7, and transits can occur only when Earth reaches the same node at the same time. Perhaps he is using the Venusian calendar, but in our calendar Earth will be there in December and June while the location of Venus will vary.

I bought this book because the transit of Venus in 1874 was significant in the history of Campbell Island (French expedition)and Auckland Island (German expedition) in the sub-Antarctic region. There were also Americans on Kerguelen and French on St. Paul Island, and probably others. Maor mentions only the British and German expeditions to Kerguelen, where the Brits released rabbits that devastated the native vegetation. The scale of the effort is not apparent from his tale.

My second objective was to learn what other mmethods were used to measure the astronomical unit when the transit of Venus proved inadequate. Maor mentions only that a measurement of the parallaz of Mars was used, but gives no hint how. Apparently there were other methods before WWII, but they are not in this book. Too much space is devoted to failures and speculations, pleasant stories properly used as side dishes, too little to the main course.

Interesting, simple astronomy
This book traces the history of the Venus transit, which is when Venus transits between the sun and earth, thus casting the planet's shadow on the sun. Happening only every 121 years, Maor explores the lives of the many scientists that studied the Venus transit in order to come up with an estimation of the astral unit (the distance between the sun and earth...about 93 million miles), including Galileo, Hell, Copernicus, Kepler, Brahe, and more. The book is very good, and one is left marveling at astronomy and eager to the coming of the transit, but Maor is very extensive in his history at times.

A syzygy for everyone
A transit of Venus is a kind of solar eclipse in which the planet Venus, rather than our moon, crosses in front of the Sun. A century-long interval between transits makes the normal kind of solar eclipse seem like a frequent event. The transits occur in pairs separated by eight years, with over one hundred-year separations between the pairs. The last transit of Venus was in 1882. However, we can look forward to the transits of 2004 and 2012.

By traveling thousands of miles, I have been able to place myself in the path of the shadow for six total and two annular solar eclipses. With careful planning, and some last minute scurrying to avoid clouds, my success rate for viewing of the critical event is seven of eight. How ironic that today I was able to walk into my own back yard to view a partial solar eclipse under a clear cloudless sky.

By contrast with total solar eclipses, which may be viewed only within a narrow corridor, a transit of Venus may be viewed from any place on the Earth that faces the Sun during the event. Thus, simultaneous observations may be made from distant locations.

The author tells the story of the pursuit of transits of Venus by scientists whose aim was to establish a precision measurement of the distance between the Earth and the Sun. It is a great adventure story. There are the usual disasters: there are wars; ships are intercepted; natives run off with the instruments; and there are clouds. Finally, an unexpected optical effect, the "black drop", appears. In the end science triumphs, although not as expected.

We no longer need to measure the transits of Venus to establish the astronomical unit. However, our ability to calculate and predict precise locations and times for the occurrence of such events as eclipses and transits is a confirmation of the success of our formulation of mechanics and an affirmation of the scientific method.

This work is primarily a history with the basic information on the details of the transit of 2004 and very little on the transit of 2012. The reader will have to go to the web for more. However, the eastern Mediterranean looks promising for 2004, while the transit of 2012 should provide an excuse for a trip to Hawaii.

From Unobserved to Key Measurements to Celestial Joy
Whether you are interested in astronomy or not, you will find this book to be a rewarding expansion of your understanding of that important, awe-inspiring part of the scientific pantheon.

The phrase, transit of Venus, describes the process whereby Venus appears to cross the Sun during daylight hours from earth. For most of recorded history, few probably paid attention. And for good reason. You would have been blinded by looking directly into the sun except very near sunrise and sunset. And you had to know when and where to be looking because transits of Venus are rare. Besides, you could see Venus on most nights anyway.

In this delightful background preparation for the next transit of Venus on June 8, 2004, Professor Maor provides all the background you could hope for to help you understand how celestial events (especially this one) are forecast so accurately, their scientific implications, and how to enjoy them yourself.

Many famous astronomers were encouraged to enter the field by first observing an eclipse. The ability to accurately predict the timing and the nature of the event left them with awe. Perhaps this transit of Venus will be our most productive ever for generating scholars for the 21st century. Oh, by the way, if you miss this one, there's another one coming along 8 years later in 2012.

Although ostensibly focused on a type of celestial event, the book has a broader theme: How humankind can use reason to deduce new understanding of the physical world.

The book begins with the origins of modern astronomy, by describing the observations of Galileo, the conclusions about the solar system by Copernicus, careful measurements of Brahe, Kepler's deductions from those observations, and Newton's application of these lessons into his Principia. All of that work made it possible to predict transits of Venus.

Since we all can see Venus with the unaided eye (unless blind or very near-sighted), why did anyone care? The main reason was that astronomers wanted to establish the distance between the earth and the Sun. They obviously could not pace it off. How could Venus help? By measuring the duration of the transit from far apart locations of known distance, one could construct a triangle and use standard trigonometry to calculate the distance to the Sun. This point is clearly and simply described in the book. The illustrations are wonderfully done to help.

Then the author gets down to the reality of executing on that simple concept. Many problems occur. At first, not enough observers are involved. Bad weather at the time of the transit can always obscure observations. The combination of our atmosphere and that of Venus also combine to create a black dot effect that makes it uncertain when the transit begins and ends. Some observers are accused of making mistakes. Other observers notice things that are not planetary transits. Thus, the realities and challenges of experimental science are well documented.

Astronomers have better ways to measure the distance to the Sun now. As a result, the transit of Venus takes on for us a combined role of aesthetic experience and honoring of the astronomical history associated with it. Professor Maor makes a nice transition in making this point clear.

He provides many tips for watching, including where to go, and how to watch safely. He describes a potential viewing from Jerusalem. That could be combined with a very nice religious pilgrimage, if you are so inclined, for those who have not been to Jerusalem before.

I especially liked his commentaries about seeing Earth transits from Mars, and transits of the inner planets from the outer ones as our ability to pursue space travel improves.

I think the most important question that this book raises is who to have with you when you observe the transit. A young person somewhere between the ages of 6 and 16 would probably be ideal. You could probably change a life with the experience that this event provides. I suggest that you provide that young person with a copy of this book (if old enough to appreciate it on their own) or read it to them and explain its meaning (if they are not advanced enough to appreciate it unaided). Then make a date to see the following transit 8 years later with the same person.

Acquire inspiration from the heavens . . . and closeness with a young person you care about! ... Read more

Book Description

Observing the sun is one of the most interesting and rewarding facets of astronomy to which amateurs can contribute meaningful data.It is the one branch of astronomy that requires only modest equipment and that can be pursued during the day. Peter Taylor, long-time chairman of the Solar Division of the American Association of Variable Star Observers, is a keen and highly experienced observer of the Sun.In this book he explains in a clear and practical way everything that a telescope user needs to know in order to make solar observations.The book deals with such topics as the historical background of solar observing, choice of equipment for the safe conduct of solar observations, observations of sunspots, and reporting observations. New techniques, such as electronic recording and the operations of radio telescopes, are also included.The level of presentation is understandable to anyone with basic astronomical knowledge and some experience in handling a small telescope. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent for beginner solar observers
This book contains almost everything you need to get initiated in the fascinating area of solar astronomy. Beginning from a historical review, the author makes a thorough exposition of the elements of solar observation (what is to be observed, how to do it), and even proposes some interesting projects that can easily be carried out by amateurs. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A great place to start
If you're new to backyard astronomy and are seeking a guide, here's the ticket. This covers all the bases, from the moon, sun, planets, and constellations to the locations of deep-sky objects, from lunar and solar observations to how to pick and set up the appropriate telescope (good information from a man who has designed award-winning telescopes). Shaffer starts at the beginning with the basic layout of the night sky and continues into greater detail without getting overly technical or confusing the neophyte. Every topic is presented in a friendly and engaging manner, with touches of dry humor, that eases the unfamiliar into the techniques of backyard astronomy without overwhelming them. Along the way he adds details about general scientific concepts as needed (such as explaining photons and spectrums) and includes sky maps, charts, graphs and other things to help guide the reader.An altogether excellent guide.

LOOKING AT THE OUTER LIMITS
If you enjoyed the "Star Wars" and "Star-Trek" films, and your visits to your local planetarium, you're in for a treat. This book helps you uncover stars, comets, galaxies, nebulas, planets on your own time. Equipped with the maps, photographs and the space parameters given you in this book, you can step out at night in your own back yard, gaze at the sky and chart your own course. No rocket ships included. You won't need them to apply this excellent handbook to the heavens.

nice, simple, clear beginner's guide
This is one of those books from which you can take as much or as little as you want. Shaffer is not intent on making an in-depth astronomer out of everyone (although if that's what you're bound for, this book will be a fine first leg up). His presentation is clear and friendly, good for browsing, for reference, or for reading straight through. Use it however suits you.

The first three chapters cover basics -- longitude and latitude and why they matter; how to read sky maps; paths of the sun, moon, and planets; basic terms; how telescopes work; etc. These might sound like intimidating topics but they're covered in just enough depth and not a bit more (e.g. "A Very Short Primer on Light").

A nice feature is on page two, a section titled "If You're in a BIG Hurry, What to Read First" (i.e. what parts of this book).

After discussion of telescopes, including how to choose one and what to do with it, there are five chapters on sky-watching. First there's the close stuff: artificial satellites, the moon... and then there's the farther away stuff: planets, stars, nebulas, groups of galaxies.

There's a sky map for each month; the maps are easy to read. Beginner that I was, with this book I was able to identify a few stars I'd noticed several nights in a row -- turned out to be one side of Orion. The fact that what I saw in the sky was recognizable on the map here is a big plus.

This is a book that will last you long past the very-beginner stage. ... Read more

Book Description

Giant as it is, Neptune is so remote that it is below naked-eye visibility and so was not discovered until the development of the telescope. As the most distant major planet in the solar system, Neptune was the last to be visited by a spacecraft from Earth. The encounter of NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft with Neptune in August 1989 has provided a wealth of new information about the planet, its ghostly rings, remarkable satellites and environment, and has led to some amazing discoveries. This book gives the fascinating historical background to the discovery of Neptune, its satellites and rings and goes on to describe the Voyager mission in detail. This allows the reader to appreciate the dramatic leap in the knowledge and understanding of the Neptunian environment that planetary scientists found from the Voyager flyby. All the latest information is given, illustrated with the definitive pictures from the NASA mission. No more visits by space-probes to the outer planets are likely for several decades; this book therefore represents a timely summary of our knowledge of Neptune of lasting value and enjoyment to professionals and amateurs alike. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The authoritative guide to Neptune
After their superb atlases of Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus, Hunt and Moore delight us once again with an "everything we know about" book, this time on the farthest of the four gas giants, Neptune.

Even more so than its predecessors, this work is primarily based on the data returned by Voyager 2 in its August, 1989 flyby, which resulted in the discovery of the "Great Dark Spot", of new minor satellites, and gave us spectacular close-ups of the surface of Neptune's sole giant moon, Triton, and its strange "cantalope terrain". All of these marvels are reproduced in full color, making this book as visually appealing as it is intellectually stimulating. Sadly, since no further missions to Neptune are planned, this will probably be the state-of-the-art of our knowledge of Neptune for some years to come, making this book a worthy investment.

A historical overview of the discovery and telescopic exploration of Neptune and a brief technical discussion of Voyager 2's mission and the unique technical challenges it faced during the Neptune encounter complete this work. A wonderful book that should not be missing in any astronomical library. ... Read more

Book Description

What do scientists know about the Moon? What are some of the mysteries that remain to be solved? Written by an experienced and well-known lunar expert, this is a "hands-on" primer for the aspiring observer of the Moon. Whether you are a novice or already experienced in practical astronomy, you will find plenty in this book to help "raise your game" to the next level and beyond. Gerald North shares extensive practical advice and his sophisticated background knowledge of the Moon and of lunar observation. He covers the selection and construction of equipment and optimizing of existing equipment for such projects as drawing, photographing and CCD imaging of the Moon, together with analysis and computer processing images, and many other practical topics.Observing the Moon will allow both amateur and seasoned astronomers alike to immerse themselves in contemporary efforts to solve the lunar mysteries, as well as to enjoy more fully our Moon in all its magnificence. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

More a reference than a read
North's very attractive book struck me less as a "good read" than as a useful reference for the amateur astronomer. The half of the book devoted to an "A-Z" of lunar landscapes in particular is quite good for this purpose -- if you've been out viewing the moon and are curious to know more about a particular feature, both the text and photographs are of value. I agree with a previous reviewer that this would have been better as two books. The overview chapters are well written but not of much value to the advanced astronomer; the information on CCDs, software etc. is likely to age pretty quickly. The info on transient lunar phenomena is interesting but not of much use unless you have a big 'scope. Still, as a reference book for lunar features I haven't seen much else that compares with it.

Not the best Moon book!
It is difficult to know what to say about this book. The author has invested much time in preparing it, and Cambridge has done an excellent job of reproducing the many fine drawings and photographs included. Yet it leaves me surprisingly flat; I suspect this is a book which will sit on my shelf rarely opened.
The book is strangely lopsided. Its longest and best section, fully half the book, is a set of detailed descriptions of forty-eight selected regions of the Moon, selected for their topographic variety and interest. Each region is illustrated by photographs and drawings under various illuminations, and North provides descriptive text and an at-the-eyepiece tutorial. The drawings are typical of the British school of lunar drawing: meticulous pen and ink drawings which are striking to look at, but so stylized as to bear little resemblance to what one sees through the eyepiece.
This massive descriptive section is preceded by seven short chapters to provide the reader, whom North typifies as an "interested amateur astronomer who is yet to become a lunar specialist," with the background necessary to begin observations of the Moon. After an introductory chapter, there are sections on the history of lunar observation, equipment and visual observation, photography, electronic imaging, the physical nature of the Moon, and reference sources. Following the large descriptive chapter, there is a chapter on transient lunar phenomena, obviously a subject dear to North's heart. Much of this material is superficial, but it is interlaced repeatedly with rather technical sections, almost as if the author wished to show off his scientific credentials.
When I initially started to read the book, I gravitated to the chapter on reference sources. Clearly North's favourite source is Lunar Sourcebook-a User's Guide to the Moon. Unfortunately this is currently out-of-print. North lists seven books and maps taken from Sky Publishing's web site, which includes such standards as Antonin Rükl's Atlas of the Moon, and then makes an extraordinary statement: "I must admit that I have no personal experience of the adequacy, or otherwise, of any of these items." In other words, he has not bothered to consult a large part of the standard reference works for lunar observers! This was when I seriously began to doubt the quality of the research underlying the rest of the book.
Finally, there is the question of North's writing style. This is what I call the "chatty British eccentric" style, typified by the writing of Patrick Moore and Gerald Durrell. While charming to some in small doses, it definitely becomes tiresome in a long book. Then there is his constant whining about the page limitations imposed on him by his publisher, which he repeatedly uses as an excuse to flog his other book and just about anything else published by Cambridge. It took a major effort of will for me to wade through all this.
So what is an amateur astronomer interested in the Moon to do? My favourite book on the Moon, Rükl's Atlas mentioned above, is currently out-of-print, but due to be reprinted by Sky soon. It is what I always keep at hand while observing the Moon, and is well worth seeking out on the used market. I can't in all honesty recommend North's book to either a beginner or a more advanced student of the Moon.

Solid, But Far Too Compressed
North is a respected person in the amateur lunar community. Given that, I can't help but wish this book could have been somehow better.

North starts out by giving a good account of the Moon itself, dealing with such concepts as gravity, tides, phases, libration, lunar coordinates, and occultations. He then goes forward to give a short account of pioneering lunar selenography. Then he goes onward with chapters dealing with drawing the Moon through a telescope and photographing the Moon with both cameras and CCDs. All of these chapters, while good, could have been more in depth, I think.

A (very) short chapter on the Moon as it is studied from the desktop is included. This so barely scratches the surface the chapter is easy to miss.

The largest portion of the book is a chapter (over 100 pages long) on selected lunar landscapes. This is a great part of the book and North does a great job with it. It seems the only part of the book that isn't cut short due to space considerations, but here more could possibly been done.

Finally, there is a short, but good chapter on Transient Lunar Phenomena, the subject that North has been working on for some years.

In the end, the most annoying part of the book for me was North saying again and again and AGAIN that "much more could be said about this, but I'm already over the page allotment that my publisher set." In the end, due to this, "Observing the Moon" is largely an average book...that has two GREAT books struggling to get out of it.

Want a first book on the Moon? You can start with this, but it will only whet your appetite for more...which may not be a bad thing.

Mr. North, I look forward to you working on the next version of this book. However, for the next version, if possible, split it into the two great books that are struggling to get out of the book you've written: one book that is just Chapter 8 ("Selected Lunar Landscapes") and another book that is all the other chapters. ... Read more