Book Description

The CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) has revolutionised optical astronomy during the past 20 years, and specialised astronomical CCD cameras are now even more affordable, colour is standard, and they provide spectacular results.Digital Astrophotography: The State of the Art, provides some examples of the best images, and gives readers hints and tips about how to get the best out of this extraordinary technology. Experts in CCD astronomy from North America and Europe have contributed to this book, illustrating their help and advice with many beautiful colour images – the book is in full colour throughout. Techniques range from using simple webcams to highly technical aspects such as supernovae patrolling. Computer processing, stacking and image-enhancement are detailed, along with many hints and tips from the experts. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Extensively revised and updated, this new edition of David A. Rothery's acclaimed geological guide to the outer solar system includes results and close-up color and black and white images from the 1995-1999 Galileo mission to Jupiter and from the Voyager space probe. Rothery, a noted planetary scientist, explains the geological aspects of the major satellites of the outer planets, from Jupiter to Neptune to the Pluto-Charon system. In particular he shows how tectonic and volcanic processes, driven by heat from within, have shaped the rigid outer layers of these planets. Rothery also discusses the similarities and differences among these planets, and reveals how they resemble Earth-like planets. This fascinating book is written in an introductory style ideal for first- or second-year college courses. Amateur geologists and astronomers will also find its insights rewarding. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Geological Processes that Shaped the Outer Planet's Moons
Though the number of pages in this book may seem a bit small to provide a good explanation the geological processes that shaped and are still shaping the moons of the outer planets, the author does an excellent job of doing just that. Excluding the Moon and the two small satellites of Mars, this book covers all the planetary satellites (moons) of our solar system. The book does include the latest findings (as of 1999) from the Galileo space probe.

The first quarter of the book describes in quite some detail, at least for the non-geologist, the different theories that have been used to classify these planetary bodies. The remainder of the book, excluding the conclusion section, is divided into three parts: dead worlds, recently active worlds and active worlds. Each of the moons falls into one of these categories and a detailed description of each moon is provided in its corresponding section. Each section also includes high resolution Voyager and Galileo photographs and shade relief maps.

After finishing this book, I came away with the idea the solar system is a very geologically diverse place and there is a lot we don't know. Even the author, in several places was willing to admit to that. ... Read more

Book Description

One of the most recent and exciting branches of astronomy, helioseismology—like its terrestrial counterpart—studies why the surface of the sun vibrates like a bell.Over the past three decades astronomers have gained spectacular insights into the structure and composition of the sun's interior, transforming the way we understand stellar matter. In Sunquakes, Jack B. Zirker tells the story of this new science and explains the physics behind these illuminating vibrations.Zirker recounts the discovery of solar oscillations in the early 1960s and international efforts throughout the rest of the decade to explain this phenomenon. By the mid-1970s, scientists working independently in France, Germany, Japan, and the U.S. had developed a new theoretical model of the sun that postulated the existence of trapped sound and gravity waves as the cause for the roiling of the sun's surface. Using solar oscillation data, scientists derived for the first time the thermal and dynamic properties of the solar interior and revealed its complicated rotation patterns; even such astronomical mysteries as the deficit of solar neutrinos were solved.

Describing the competition and cooperation between astronomers, particle physicists, and other theorists to the technological innovations that makes solar observation more and more precise, Sunquakes provides professionals and nonscientists alike with an absorbing and accessible guide to the field of helioseismology. The book concludes with an account of recent efforts to probe the interiors of stars far beyond our own solar system. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Detective Story of the Sun
"Sunquakes" is a very well-written and interesting book, that I, as a lay-person with respect to astronomy, had no trouble understanding. I hadn't realized just how much information can be extracted essentially from vibrations that bounce around in different materials. I was glad, however, that I had read the previous book, "Journey from the Center of the Sun", so that I was up on the different layers in the Sun. However, even more interesting than the actual science, was the detective story as one scientist would see some strange anomaly and not be sure whether it was just a fluke or really a clue to a completely new phenomenon. In particular, the dance between observers and theorists showed how real science is done: one person would see something but not understand what caused it. Then a theorist would create models and postulate some explanation. Observers would then try to invent ways to prove or disprove these explanations. In fact, I hope there is a sequel or update over time: some loose ends to this detective story are still dangling. ... Read more

Book Description

Scientists have only recently come to believe that the presence of ice is widespread in our solar system. Focusing on the occurrence and significance of water ice, and ices formed by other materials, this volume considers the implications of the reservoirs of water ice for the presence of life elsewhere in our solar system, and for habitability by human explorers who may venture to these distant worlds in the future.Pat Dasch is a consultant in the space industry specializing in policy and public outreach issues. She has written, published, and broadcast on a wide variety of space-related issues for the past twenty years. From 1997-2001 she served as Executive Director of the Washington, DC-based National Space Society. ... Read more

Book Description

Galileo Galilei’s earthshaking book, Sidereus Nuncius (The starry messenger), was a definitive moment in the Renaissance’s departure from ancient cosmology and its assumptions. Entering the debate between the astronomies of Ptolemy and Copernicus, Sidereus Nuncius provided rich and detailed evidence for Copernican heliocentrism. That evidence came from a telescope that Galileo modified and improved for his lunar observations and with which, most significantly, he also discovered four moons circling Jupiter. Sidereus Nuncius contains an introductory passage about the telescope, a section on Galileo’s lunar observations, a description of how the planets and the fixed stars appeared through his telescope, a daily log of sightings of Jupiter and its satellites, and a brief conclusion in which Galileo contended that his discoveries answered some of the objections to Copernicus’ theory, promising that the reader could expect more news from the heavens soon.

The age of the telescope began modestly with a patent application in 1608 for a three-powered spyglass, filed with the Dutch Republic by a spectacle maker from Middleburg, Hans Lipperhey. News of the device traveled quickly to other parts of Europe, and when Galileo heard about it in the spring of 1609, he built his own instrument, a three-powered spyglass with a convex objective lens and a concave ocular lens that he bought in a spectacle-maker’s shop. By the end of August, he presented an eight-powered telescope of his own devising to the Venetian senate. By November, Galileo had fashioned a twenty-powered telescope, and with it he undertook to observe the Moon, discovering that its surface was rugged and mountainous rather than perfect, as would befit a heavenly body according to classical cosmology. Galileo began writing up his lunar research in January 1610.

Commentary by Albert Van Helden, searchable English translation and Latin live text. ... Read more

Book Description

Stargazers who may have missed the last total solar eclipse of the 20th century this past summer have just been given another chance to observe this "once in a lifetime" occurrence. Inside Glorious Eclipses they will find startling images and rich personal accounts that fully capture this event and other recent eclipses. The book will also insure that readers will not miss another eclipse in the next 60 years!Specially designed in a beautiful, large format, the volume portrays eclipses of all kinds--lunar, solar, and those occurring elsewhere in the Solar System and beyond. Brunier and Luminet have gathered together all aspects of eclipses, and carefully selected a host of lavish images.The authors detail the history of eclipses, the celestial mechanics involved, their observation, and scientific interest. Personal accounts of recent eclipses are also included as well asall relevant information about forthcoming eclipses up to 2060. Complete with NASA maps and data, Glorious Eclipses is the ultimate source for all those interested in these remarkable (and rare) celestial events. Serge Brunier is chief editor of the journal Ciel et Espace, a photo-journalist, and the author of many nonfiction books aimed at both specialists and the general public. Jean-Pierre Luminet is an astrophysicist at the Paris-Meudon Observatory and director of research at the Centre pour la Recherche Scientifique.He is the author of many popular astronomy books, including Black Holes (Cambridge University Press, 1992). ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Beautiful eclipse photography
I have an extensive collection of eclipse books, and this one really stands out in the crowd. For one thing, it's easily the largest-format eclipse book I've seen; I'd call it a coffee-table book. But what is really striking are the beautiful photographs. The reproduction is outstanding, and the large size makes the photos particularly vivid.

I haven't read the text yet, and so I can't comment on it, but the overall impression is that this book is a must-have for anybody interested in the beauty of total solar eclipses. ... Read more

Book Description

The solar system has always been a messy place in which gravity wreaks havoc. Moons form, asteroids and comets crash into planets, ice ages commence, and dinosaurs disappear. By describing the dramatic consequences of such disturbances, this authoritative and entertaining book reveals the fundamental interconnectedness of the solar system--and what it means for life on Earth.

After relating a brief history of the solar system, Alan Rubin describes how astronomers determined our location in the Milky Way. He provides succinct and up-to-date accounts of the energetic interactions among planetary bodies, the generation of the Earth's magnetic field, the effects of other solar-system objects on our climate, the moon's genesis, the heating of asteroids, and the origin of the mysterious tektites. Along the way, Rubin introduces us to the individual scientists--including the famous, the now obscure, and the newest generation of researchers--who have enhanced our understanding of the galactic neighborhood. He shows how scientific discoveries are made; he discusses the uncertainty that presides over the boundaries of knowledge as well as the occasional reluctance of scientists to change their minds even when confronted by compelling evidence. This fresh historical perspective reveals science as it is: an imperfect but self-correcting enterprise.

Journeying to the frontiers of knowledge, Rubin concludes with the exciting realm of astrobiology. He chronicles the history of the search for life on Mars and describes cutting-edge lines of astrobiological inquiry, including panspermia (the possible transfer of life from planet to planet), the likelihood of technologically advanced alien civilizations in our galaxy, and our probable responses to alien contact.

Authoritative and up-to-date but also entertaining and fluidly written, Disturbing the Solar System will appeal to any reader who has ever picked up a rock or gazed at the moon with a sense of wonder.

Reviews (3)

A wonderful history of the Earth and the Solar System
This is a marvelous and wide-ranging book. It is written at a level that is accessible to high school students or precocious elementary/middle school students. However, it also satisfies the needs of a senior scientist (namely me) who wants to review current knowledge in this area. The book covers the history of the Solar System, including the formation of the Earth and the origin of the Moon. Current knowledge of asteroids and meteorites, the latter one of the author's specialties, is summarized accurately without boring the reader to tears. The story of giant impacts and mass extinctions, as in the demise of the dinosaurs, is well told. The author carefully explains the evidence that certain meteorites found on Earth were blasted off the Moon and that other meteorites are from Mars. The discussion of the controversy over possible life forms in Martian meteorites is up to the minute. The book concludes with a summary of current thinking about alien life forms and the possibility of life elsewherein the Universe. In the preface, the author states his intention to show that science is an imperfect enterprise. He succeeds admirably, presenting a balanced view of current controversies.

Excellent First Book from Meteoriticist Dr. Rubin
Dr. Alan Rubin's first book covers an extremely diverse (but interrelated) range of topics, including solar system evolution, orbital resonances, mass extinctions, asteroids, meteorites, tektites, craters, volcanism, plate tectonics, magnetic pole reversals, planetary rings, moons, comets, the evolution of life, and even the Drake Equation and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.No matter how broad your background might be in astronomy, physics, chemistry and biology, you are still likely to find a few topics or theories in this book that you've never been exposed to before.

For me, I'd never made the connection that domesticatable animals might be a requirement for a technologically advanced civilization.And while I'd read a number of books (both fiction and non-fiction) suggesting that life might not have evolved if it weren't for our planet's large moon, I had not previously read that the Moon stabilizes the tilt of the earth's axis.I knew about the Moon's role in nutation of the earth's axis, but was not aware that French astronomers had recently performed a computer simulation of what would happen to the earth's axis over time if the Moon were absent.(Gravitational interaction between the planets and earth's equatorial bulge would cause the obliquity of the ecliptic to vary chaotically over relatively small time periods -- millions of years.Such unstable seasons would lead to extreme global climatic fluctuations, making it much more difficult for life to establish itself.)

As you might expect, there are many dozens of photographs, diagrams, graphs and illustrations scattered throughout.Indeed, this is the first book I've ever seen that contained pictures of the plaque aboard the Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft, the pictogram sent out by the Arecibo dish back in 1974 toward M13, photographs of crater chains on Callisto and the Moon, and a table of all the magnetic pole reversals -- all in one place.It will make a nice reference book whenever I need to find something fast.

There is a fairly extensive 18-page glossary covering most of the technical terms in the book, and there are also 10 pages of chapter by chapter references for additional reading.Rubin obviously spent a lot of time putting all of this together.

Of course, in any technical book there are bound to be typos and errors, though I found very few.Page 94, for instance, has a confusing phrase "...gravitational resonance between the Moon and the debris disk..."I believe he meant ~earth~ and the debris disk.The most glaring mistake I found is that Figure 11.2 on pg. 164 is misidentified as being a partial eclipse of the earth when it is merely a crescent earth.There are a couple of minor errors in the glossary -- see if you can spot the problems with the definitions of arcsecond and parsec.

Overall, the book is well-written in plain English that you don't need a PhD is astrodynamics to understand.I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to expand their appreciation of just how fortunate we are to be alive on this little blue ball.

Best Science Book In A Long Time
I really enjoyed reading this book and I compliment and commend the writing style of Alan Rubin in "Disturbing The Solar System".

It is rare to find books on science written in such readable and understandable prose.It was quite a pleasure to read this book!

It is also my opinion that most authors of science related publications could learn something (and probably sell more books!) by observing Mr. Rubin's writing style. ... Read more

Book Description

The Cambridge Photographic Guide to the Planets includes a broad selection of the latest images of the planets, moons, comets, and asteroids of the Earth's Solar System. Beginning with a comprehensive introduction to the planetary system, its origin and its evolution, physicist Frederick Taylor devotes each chapter to a different planet or Solar System body, with a thorough presentation of its moons and rings, and incorporates images from planetary missions and explanatory captions.Having worked with NASA and the European Space Agency on missions to Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, and Titan, Taylor offers an unusually experienced perspective in this comprehensive reference.Frederic W. Taylor is Halley Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford and a Distinguished Visiting Scientist in the Earth and Space Sciences Division at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology.His research interests include the physics of planetary atmospheres; experimental methods for studying atmospheres; and the theory of atmospheric radiation and atmospheric molecular spectroscopy. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

For anyone wanting to learn more about celestial objects
The Cambridge Photographic Guide To The Planets by Fred Taylor (Halley Professor of Physics, University of Oxford, and Distinguished Visiting Scientist, Earth and Space Sciences Division, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology) is a truly gorgeous book filled from cover to cover with full color astronomical photographs taken of planets, moons, and other heavenly bodies in our solar system. The descriptive text is scholarly, yet completely accessible to non-specialist general readers of a wide variety of educational backgrounds. The Cambridge Photographic Guide To The Planets is a splendid volume for anyone wanting to learn more about the celestial objects that are neighbor to Mother Earth, and would make a prized and appreciated addition to any personal, professional, academic, or community library astronomy collection. ... Read more

Book Description

A NASA space scientist maps out the coming solar cycle -- and its catastrophic potential to disrupt worldwide power and communications systems. He includes a history of the record of auroral sightings, accounts of communications blackouts from the 20th century, industries sensitive to solar storms, and radiation and health issues.

Reviews (4)

Not what I expected, but not bad
When I saw the title of this book, I had images of butterfly diagrams, an adequate amount of astrophysics and space physics, etc. However, the book's subtitle, "Learning to Live with a Stormy Star" was a much better clue as to the book's contents. Although some stellar/space science is briefly discussed, the main theme of the book is centered on sociological hardships, financial losses, research budgets, business interests, etc., all pertaining to our periodically stormy sun. Especially highlighted are: the survival of expensive satellites in space during less than ideal space weather, the sociological effects of their loss and the effects of this weather on power grids on earth. But my unfulfilled expectations and resulting disappointment should not result in a poor rating for this book. It is well written, very informative and seems to thoroughly cover, I think, what it was apparently intended to cover - hence my rating of 4 stars.

Vital, but strangely incomplete
I am recommending this book to everyone. I am quite convinced by Odenwald's data and studies I have encountered prior to this epochal book that our goverments need to take seriously what the good doctor is warning us about. The threat of unprecedented super-solar flares and Coronal Mass Ejections from our unsteady star, ones that could blank out power-grids, destroy communications satellites and possibly fry increasingly vunerable microchips is something every thinking person should consider.
Nevertheless, despite the five star rating I gave, I was appalled at the meager three-page index, the (in a few places) inaccurate bibliographyand the many errata, typoes and copy-edit mistakes in the text.Everyone who buys or reads this book needs to heed this caveat and go to the website; and there are useful updates as well.
Nonetheless, I see the need for urgency in rushing it into press, but do not see why a Ph.D (who probably finds his lay contacts amusing) and a respected publisher like Columbia University Press would allow errors that are usually -- allegedly -- reserved for the much reviled and controversial Print On Demand books. I urge Dr. Odenwald and his publisher to provide us with a revised edition (with, important material to make the 23rd Cycle even a greater book and more complete than it currently is) as soon as feasible.

Good introduction for general science readers
Interesting topic, though I judged the coverage to be uneven. Readers wanting an update about solar physics will be disappointed by a lack of details; but this can be supplemented by a visit to NASA’s solar physics Web pages.... Policy-makers should be impressed by the real and potential economic fallout from massive solar plasma discharges; but some of Odenwald’s detailed examples illustrate a coincidental rather than true cause-and-effect relation of solar events to Earth-based calamities. The Exon Valdez disaster is discussed at length before being dismissed, and is referenced later. Several pages detail inconveniences due to a power blackout in the D.C. area which had nothing to do with unusual solar activity. I found these references obtuse — I would have greatly preferred to see more information about the sun.

Still, the book’s final chapter is particularly illuminating, detailing current activities and difficulties for space weather researchers seeking project funding in competition with higher profile but much less utilitarian activities such as cosmology. This is followed by several interesting “notes” which provide a few more details about certain chapter topics. The last few pages quote astronomers describing stars seemingly similar to our sun which periodically emit massively greater plasma discharges, enough to literally fry our little world in an instant. Why is our sun different? This is really getting interesting! You turn the page, and that’s it — end of story.

Odenwald’s intent is to increase awareness about real and potential economic and personal safety issues related to variable solar activity. His book serves as a useful starting point for interested general science readers. Those seeking in-depth coverage of this topic will need to look elsewhere, starting with papers and documents listed in the lengthy bibliography.

Interesting Book About Our Sun and its Effect on Earth
If I could give this book three and a half stars I would, but since I think some people could find it more interesting than I did, I gave it four starts.

This book describes the sun's eleven-year cycle of highs and lows in sun spot activity.While the mechanism, which produces these sun spots, is not well understand, what well known is that the sun produces vast amounts of high energy particles (radiation), both continuously and in bursts which ultimately affects the Earth's magnetic field and life on Earth.The book focused on how past solar magnetic storms have affected the power grid system and the geostationary satellites.Finally, the author makes some predictions on the upcoming solar maximum in the year 2001 and its potential for life on Earth.I should point out that the author is an astronomer and makes his predictions based on data and past experiences and not is some doomsayer trying to make a quick buck.

There are also several extremely interesting chapters on the effects of solar magnetic storms on the modern day life.One chapter shows that in 1989, a solar magnetic storm shut down a good portion of the Canadian electrical power grid, leaving some people without power for several days.The chapter on the effects of radiation on the human body was very enlightening.For example, this chapter shows that living in high altitude location like Denver was similar to receiving several chest X-rays a year.Also, radiation from cosmic sources was significantly greater than that received from living next to a nuclear power plant.

One area that was overlooked in this was the effect of sun spot activity on global warming or cooling.It is well known that a mini ice age that occurred several centuries ago coincided with a lack of sun spot activity. ... Read more

Book Description

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the history of ideas about the sun and the stars, from antiquity to modern times. Two theoretical astrophysicists who have been active in the field since the early 1960s tell the story in fluent prose. About half of the book covers most of the theoretical research done from 1940 to the close of the twentieth century, a large body of work that has to date been little explored by historians.

The first chapter, which outlines the period from about 3000 B.C. to 1700 A.D., shows that at every stage in history human beings have had a particular understanding of the sun and stars, and that this has continually evolved over the centuries. Next the authors systematically address the immense mass of observations astronomy accumulated from the early seventeenth century to the early twentieth. The remaining four chapters examine the history of the field from the physicists perspective, the emphasis being on theoretical work from the mid-1840s to the late 1990s--from thermodynamics to quantum mechanics, from nuclear physics and magnetohydrodynamics to the remarkable advances through to the late 1960s, and finally, to more recent theoretical work. Intended mainly for students and teachers of astronomy, this book will also be a useful reference for practicing astronomers and scientifically curious general readers.

... Read more

Book Description

Both tantalizingly similar to and eerily different from our planet, Mars has fascinated the scientific mind and the popular imagination for hundreds of years. Thanks to robotic exploration missions by NASA over the past 20 years, we now have an increasingly sophisticated understanding of our neighboring planet, and a multitude of images to help fill out the portrait. In Visions of Mars space imaging specialist Olivier de Goursac takes us on an extraordinary visual tour of Mars through a selection of dazzling photographs, which he has processed to an unprecedented level of realism and detail.

This amazing group of images, almost all previously unpublished, captures vast sandy plains, ancient lakes, deep canyons, the highest mountains in the solar system, polar ice caps, and other remarkable aspects of the planet's dramatic landscape. The book also includes a summary of the data that has been gathered about the planet up to this time. An awe-inspiring book, Visions of Mars is sure to be both an education and a revelation for all. AUTHOR BIO: Olivier de Goursac is a space imaging specialist who has worked with NASA/JPL's Mars mission scientists since the Viking missions of the 1980s. Today, he generates superb Mars images from his home base near Paris. He is a coauthor of The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Space and a contributor to Le Figaro, the major French weekly. James B. Garvin is a Mars specialist who has just been named Chief Scientist of NASA, which he joined in 1984. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In 1841, while browsing in a Cambridge bookshop, a young English student named John Couch Adams happened upon a perplexed remark in an astronomical report on the erratic behavior of the planet Uranus. A gifted mathematician, Adams set about arriving at an explanation, commenting to a fellow student, "You see, Uranus is a long way out of his course. I mean to find out why." Eventually, he did, using not direct observation but, controversially, mathematical modeling of a sort that has become commonplace today. Adams's work, built in a close race against rival French scientist Urbain Le Verrier, eventually established that Uranus's path was influenced by the gravitational pull of the then unseen planet of Neptune; Standage credits both Adams and Le Verrier with its discovery.

Drawing on long-forgotten archives, including a scrapbook by the author of the remark that fired Adams's imagination, science correspondent Tom Standage serves up a fine tale of discovery. His story begins with the earliest scientific descriptions of Uranus, an annoyingly wayward planet whose "position in the sky obstinately refused to match up with the position predicted by theory"--the classical theory, that is, of a regular, clockwork universe, which obtained in Adams's day and would not quite be laid to rest until Einstein's time. Standage's story continues to the present, an era when astronomers are, it seems, discovering new planets at every turn. Thanks to Adams and Le Verrier, Standage writes at the end of this graceful book, "Uranus lit the way to Neptune--and Neptune now points the way to the stars." --Gregory McNamee ... Read more

Reviews (8)

INTERESTING VIEW
The field of science has long been a habitat for entrenched older types who do not want to shake the fundamental assumptions of its own field. It takes visionaries to do such a thing. The Neptune File chronicles the attempts and successes of planet hunters who had to work against the inertia of the belief that were no other planets to be found beyond Jupiter and Saturn. It begins with the discovery of Uranus by William Herschel in the 1700's and all the skepticism he had to fight against. Once it was accepted as a fact, it opened up a new can of worms because the orbit of the planet did not make sense. It seemed to be irregular, as though some force was operating on it, a force with enough mass to cause that might just be another planet, so the whole thing starts over again. Of course, we would find that there was another planet, Neptune. This book tries to show how much adventure, luck, and just plain persistance leads to great scientific discoveries. Some of the scientists are motivated by fame, others by simple curiosity. It does start to drag by the end, but for the most part is an engaging and entertaining read.It also shows how one discovery settles nothing, but simply leads to more.

Needed a Different Focus
In 1846 German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle discovered the eighth planet of the solar system, Neptune. However, the actual sighting of Neptune was not the most significant aspect of the planet's discovery; that claim goes to the mathematical accomplishment of two men who led astronomers in the right direction.

Those two men were John Couch Adams and Urbain Jean-Joseph La Verrier. Working independently Adams and La Verrier had calculated the approximate location of the as yet unknown planet. They hoped to solve the mystery of Uranus's irregular orbit by proving that a planet farther out was affecting its orbit. Astronomers had been trying to explain the orbital discrepancies for decades since William Herschel discovered the planet in 1781.

It was La Verrier who had told Galle were to scan the skys for the planet. When Galle reported the finding he rightfully assigned the true discovery of the planet to La Verrier. Unbeknownst to La Verrier though was that an obscure Cambridge University graduate had determined the new planet's location nearly one year before him. That graduate was Adams.

The controversy that ensued over who said what and when they said it should have made for riveting reading. Instead, Tom Standage's retelling of the drama in "The Neptune File: A Story of Astronomical Rivalry and the Pioneers of Planet Hunting" is about as exciting as my three paragraph summation. Standage gives a good account of the background to the controversy and presents the views of the major figures involved; but, he presents it in such a way that it seems no more interesting than two people arguing if a six-pack of soda counts for one or six items in the express lane.

Perhaps the actual event was no more exciting than Standage's recount. If so, then why bother rehashing it. The import of the work done by La Verrier and Adams is felt even to this day. They had discovered a planet without having seen it with their eyes. They proved that it was possible to discover planets via mathematical computation alone. This opened up the whole cosmos to planet hunters since an actual planet need not be seen.

Standage does come at the story from this angle later in the book. However, it was too late to save it by this point. Had Standage focused on modern day planet hunting and how it relates to the work done by La Verrier and Adams instead of on the supposed controversy surrounding their work, this would have been a far more interesting and informative read. Of course the title would have had to have been different as "The Neptune File" is what the British Royal Astronomer George Airy called his file containing all of the information regarding Adams's work on calculating the existence of the then unseen planet. However, I would trade a good title for a good book any day.

History of mathematical planetary astronomy
I devoured this book in three big bites. From the shockingly superior optics of William Herschel to the elegant mathematics of John Couch Adams to the extra-solar planets discovered in the late 1990s to the techniques being now developed to find planets orbiting other stars -- its all fascinating. In the end, most of what you thought watching Star Trek had taught you about distant worlds is sacked. "The idea that planetary systems around other stars will be broadly similar to our own solar system is no longer tenable. Indeed, as more planets are discovered, it is our solar system itself that starts to seem more and more unusual."
If you don't read science books and don't know why anybody would, this book might change your mind. Highly recommended.

Terrific Discovery.(And I'm talking about the book!)
I actually picked up this book in a used bookstore and read the back cover.The facts surrounding the discovery of the planet were new to me.(Kind of embarrassing really that I had never heard it before.Remind me to contact the secondary school I attended!!)In any event, I was enamored by the discriptions on the back cover and bought it for around four or five bucks.I read it in less than a day, which for me is an extreme rarity.I usually spend my time in the "shallow end" of the literary pool, reading books that can only be described as "easy" reads.This is one of the most entertaining books I've read in years.Unfortunately, I lent the book to someone who had more of a background in astronomy who must have known the book's true value and I haven't seen the book (or the guy) since.So I'm back here to purchase another copy.This time I am much more certain of my investment.

Great story but not much new info...
The story of the discovery of the planet Neptune is one of the most fascinating in the era of modern astronomy. Kepler's laws of planetary motion and Newton's unprecedented mathematical description of the law of universal gravitation allowed predictions of planetary positions to an accuracy of arcseconds.

In view of this successful mathematical description, Uranus' misbehavior was so bad that it was proving to be a continual embarrassment to astronomers, and the drive to find a solution was strong in the early to mid 19th century. The story of Adams in England, Le Verrier in France, and Galle in Germany has been told many times, and will be familiar to fans of the history of astronomy. Standage's retelling of the story is a good read, but probably adds little to Grosser's 'The Discovery of Neptune' (1962). An interesting facet Standage adds to the picture has to do with the title of his book. The 'file' in question belongs to George Airy (a notoriously fastidious record keeper). It contained correspondence, news clippings, etc., on the issue of the discovery of Neptune. Conspiracy theorists abounded in the years after the discovery, and some made the claim that Airy was in cahoots with Le Verrier in suppressing Adams' work to ensure that the credit would go to the Frenchman. Apparently Airy's file disappeared at some point during the last 20 years or so, renewing the conspiracy theorists' energies. Standage informs us late in his book that the file eventually turned up among the papers of a recently deceased former astronomer of the Greenwich Observatory. Examination of the file proved that there was no collusion.

This incident deserves further mention. Standage does not name the astronomer who had the file, nor the circumstances under which it was 'borrowed.' Nor does he elaborate on what was found there, other than exonerating Airy of the charge of conspiracy to suppress Adams' findings. Just who did have the file, and for how long? My own brief research revealed that an historian of science named Dennis Rawlins has written several articles about this situation, claiming a cover-up on the part of English astronomers, and alleging that the Neptune file contains a copy of Adams' original paper in which his position prediction is off by more than 12 degrees, and that a faction of 'Cambridge' astronomers is conspiring to keep the contents of the file suppressed.

I contacted two historians of science, one at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and one at Harvard. Neither knows of any evidence as to the truth of these allegations, and both attest that Rawlins tends to gravitate toward farfetched notions that mainstream science regards with suspicion. In fact, Rawlins doesn't publish his papers in mainstream journals, but in his own self-published journal 'Dio.'

At any rate, Standage's treatment of the issues was disappointingly brief and left me wondering if he was unable to dredge up any additional info himself.

Standage doesn't end the story with the discovery of Neptune and the international fallout over credit that ensued. He goes on to add the modern planet seekers, those who look for - and find - planets around other stars. Their challenge may be technically greater - to discern the minute wobbles of distant stars and infer the existence of planets, but they also have superior tools. Standage draws the parallel between their task, and the way Adams and Le Verrier inferred the existence of Neptune mathematically long before it was seen by astronomers. The comparison is perhaps valid, but the modern search for extrasolar planets certainly carries none of the intrigue of the Neptune story, where the search was carried out with paper and pencil and little more.

Standage's book is a good read, particularly for those unfamiliar with the details of the story. However, I would still recommend Grosser's book as the better account (minus the modern info), but I would even more highly recommend Richard Baum and William Sheehan's excellent 'In Search Of Planet Vulcan: The Ghost In Newton's Clockwork Universe,' a book which retells the Neptune story, possibly better than either Grosser and Standage, and adding the historical context of the planet Vulcan search as well.

I was frustrated upon finishing this book. I wished Standage had done the digging necessary to really tell the story behind the "file." Hopefully more will come to light of the contents of Airy's Neptune File, and will be published in some still unwritten account. ... Read more

Book Description

Paolo Ulivi provides a well-paced, rapidly moving, balanced, even-handed account of lunar exploration as a popular history. He covers the unmanned programmes, e.g. Ranger, and other American probes in the late '50s and in the later chapters he looks at recent lunar exploration and future plans for the same. It's a book that will be perfect for an enthusiast or someone coming to the story for the first time, as it does not include excessive technical depth. Uniquely drawing on recently declassified documents, detail of Chinese lunar exploration projects is provided, as well as nuclear lunar weapons of the '50s developed by the super powers, Soviet Russia and the United States. ... Read more

Book Description

Co-authors Morrison and Owen are leading researchers in planetary astronomy today, and this book reflects their expertise and excitement for the subject. Drawing on recent findings, this authoritative, up-to-date book gives a straightforward account of our solar system. Written in an informal style with minimal use of mathematics, this book is ideal for beginning non-science readers.Since publication of the previous edition of The Planetary System, the pace of planetary exploration and new discoveries has accelerated. Also, the new multidisciplinary field of astrobiology has emerged and now provides a fruitful perspective for the study of the origin, evolution, and distribution of life within our solar system and other planetary systems. As scientists who have participated in the definition and development of astrobiology, Morrison and Owen have integrated these new perspectives, as well as many other discoveries, into this new edition to make it once again undisputedly the most authoritative, up-to-date, and exciting planetary book available.For anyone interested in astronomy or planetary astronomy. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Stars and Galaxies and Nebula, oh my!
I bought The Planetary System for an Astronomy class and enjoyed the text immensely. I think Morrison and Owen should have added a few more explanations of events/heavenly bodies in a few places but overall this is a great book for introducing astronomy and definitely kept my interest! The cdrom that comes with the book "Voyager Skygazer" turned out to be fabulous fun although a little distracting when I discovered that I was able to track satellite orbits as well as the night sky events with its help.

Unbelievably boring
This book is very clear, but it is quite boring. I have to read it for an astronomy class and the hundred dollars I spent on it has been wasted. All the concepts are very clearly explained through pictures, examples from real life and diagrams, but this textbook still sucks nonetheless. IF you know that you have to purchase this textbook for a class, pray the class isnt as dull as the reading ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Very nice book
I have read this book first time very long time ago. It was one of my first books about the planets. Since that time I was returning to it several times. I is ilustrated with very much pictures and drawings about the planets and satelites of the Solar system including the Earth. The Earth described on the same way as other planets.

The book contains all necessary data young astronomist must have including the introduction to cosmology and astrophysics. The most attractive is the chapter about the Saturn and its rings.

I'm expecting new edition of Whipple's book with new discovered facts about the Solar system. ... Read more

Book Description

Focusing on the Galileo Mission, the story will relate this remarkable spacecraft's protracted gestation and the ordeal of its long haul out to Jupiter and its ultimate triumph: 5 years exploration within the Jovian system. The story spans a full quarter of a century, drawing on the press conferences, technical papers and essays of engineers and scientists involved in the mission which provide a real sense of participation as the discoveries poured in - it will bring the mission of the Galileo spacecraft to life and provide a more engaging account than would simply be achieved by recounting scientific results. The book will conclude with a snapshot "look ahead" into the Cassini flyby of Jupiter in December 2000 shortly after publication - the book released to coincide with this media event. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A marvelous story
This book takes you on a ride with the famous robot spacecraft Galileo. Although the first couple chapters describe the spacecraft and deal briefly with the administrative headaches and unfortunate events that led to the greatly delayed launch, the bulk of the book literally follows the robot around as it makes its 6-year interplanetary journey and subsequent groundbreaking observations of remote Jupiter and the Galilean moons.

Despite communications being severely hindered by the early loss of the high-gain antenna, Galileo was still able to send back lots of high-resolution pictures of the Jovian system as well as tons of readings from other instruments. Many of these pictures are printed in this book. The previous reviewer was correct in stating that the pictures on the Internet look better due to more dramatic image scale, but this is a paperback book and the pictures had to be shrunk to fit in. Nevertheless, many of the photographs are stunning, especially of Europa and Io, the two moons closest to Jupiter.

The story really sheds light on how much was lost due to the failure of the main antenna, because instead of a few high-resolution shots of selected areas of the surface like we got, all four moons would have been covered in glorious detail. Anyway, it's still remarkable what the programming team was able to achieve with data compression.

Also, the accounting of the numerous radiation-induced glitches and resets suffered by Galileo helps us understand how incredibly hostile Jovian space is. If a well-shielded electronic device encounters so many problems with radiation out there, how much worse would it be for living creatures??

Overall, a fantastic telling of an incredible story, somewhat accessible to the layman but especially so to the amateur astronomer or space science enthusiast.

The cover is not everything...
I bought this book because I have made generally good experiences with books in this series, however, I was deeply disappointed by it. David Harland tries to cover the whole of the Galileo mission, but overall, I consider the book a failure. If you want to read a 500p+ NASA press release, this book might be for you. If you want a summary of the Galileo mission, without many repetitions, with factual scientific information on a popular level, however, this book is not for you. Many things, for example the cause for the Galileo launch delay and many important scientific results, are never really spelt out, the illustrations (all in black and white, by the way, despite what the cover might imply) are all the same JPEGs that you can get cheaper from NASAs web-site, and without the strong JPEG aliases that suggest that somebody tried to compress them even more, and I just could continue with that. This is unfortunate, however, since seldomly an author has attempted to cover the results of a space mission as important as Galileo, in such a detail. Because such an attempt is laudable, I give the book 2 stars instead of one.

Brilliant account of one of Nasa's finest hours
At last ... someone's written the full story of this amazing mission. The story of Galileo - a true space odyssey for 2001 - is long and complex, involving much trial and tribulation. Harland has decided to concentrate on the discoveries rather than the drama - the failed antenna, launch delays and uncooperative tape recorder - although he does cover these topics well and with authority. This book comes into its own with the description of the often mind-boggling discoveries made at Jupiter, and the lesser-trumpeted but equally-impressive observations made at Venus, the Asteroid Belt and of the Earth-Moon system. I particularly liked the account of the kamikaze Jupiter Atmospheric Probe - the little package of instruments despatched into the atmosphere of the giant planet itself and which, despite all the telecoms foul-ups, still managed to send back reams of priceless information to earth from the interior of a gas giant! And all this, with 1980s technology. Thee is full coverage of the discoveries made at Europa and Io, the ''sexiest'' part of the mission. The account of the geology of Io is particularly good, and the chapter dealing with Europa is as up-to-date as could be hoped for. Harland does not ignore Callisto and Ganymede either - these moons have not had the coverage of their more glamorous siblings - yet under their icy crusts there may lurk, as Harland says, dark oceans. Jupiter itself gets a good show here, with an in-depth account of the bizarre meteorological processes operating on this photogenic planet. Some of the more ''obscure'' stuff is covered in detail too. Tis is Harland's forte - covering the nitty-gritty of a space mission, the often arcane details that other accounts leave out. Thus we learn all about Jupiter's complex magnetic field, the tiny moonlets some of which are smaller than cities, and some fascinating stuff about interplanetary dust. This is a good read, quite technical at times but there is a substantial glossary at the back for those of us who have difficulty distinguishing out faculae from our calderas. Buy this book if you are interested in space. Brilliant.

Jovian Sojourn
In the author's preface to his latest book, JUPITER ODYSSEY: THE STORY OF NASA'S GALILEO MISSION, renowned science writer David M. Harland notes that while the NASA History Office will publish the "official" history of the Galileo Project in 2003, he is only providing an account of the spacecraft's journey and its scientific discoveries. After reading the book, though, one might well conclude that Harland is being too modest and that he has accomplished much more. Like his previous book, EXPLORING THE MOON: THE APOLLO EXPEDITIONS, Harland does not merely chronicle a highly successful scientific endeavor, he also adds his considerable knowledge of planetary science to the task of interweaving an interesting narrative with a highly readable interpretation of the science results; in this case, from Galileo's exploration of the jovian system, as well as from the many targets of opportunity en route to Jupiter. From the inception of the Galileo Project in the mid-1970's, through its repeated launch delays (culminating in a launch in 1989), through the end of its primary and extended missions at the turn of the century, Harland literally traces the circuitous, politically volatile, and often star-crossed journey of this highly successful robotic explorer. Unlike his colleagues in this genre (e.g. Henry S.F. Cooper, Eric Burgess, Jeffrey Kluger, etc.) Harland provides more than just a serial history. In addition to first-person accounts from many of the key scientists and engineers on the mission, he draws on a plethora of primary sources that include formally published, peer-reviewed science papers and conference proceedings to give the reader a very thorough lesson on the Galileo Mission. The book is abundantly footnoted and richly illustrated with hundreds of images, many of which have been composited and mosaicked by the author from original datasets. A minor drawback is that the illustrations are all black and white, but Harland does provide full references so that one may access the original data in the Galileo archives, which are fully accessible via the Internet. I highly recommend JUPITER ODYSSEY to all readers, beginner to advanced, all of who will surely gain new insight into one of the most successful interplanetary missions ever flown. ... Read more