Reviews (2)

Pure Bliss
Brian Swimme takes you on a cosmic journey into the universe, and then, he reminds us that we are that universe. He expands our view of the world and the world within us until the two become one resonating as bliss expressed in every word. -- Samuel Oliver, author of, WHAT THE DYING TEACH US: LESSONS ON LIVING.

Had me Swimming in one epiphanny after another !
Fundamental to understanding... Everything. Dr Swimm uses very effective & evocative metaphors to help the listener envision & understand the origins of everything. The Primal fireball of universal creation comes alive & is now illuminated with a light that makes all previous understandings seem dim by contrast. A must for any mystic who seeks a more physics-founded approach, or any scientist who desires to peek into the numinous sentience of the universe itself. ... Read more

Book Description

The universe is filled with extreme events: galactic collisions, supernovae eruptions, and stellar implosions. Although not always visible through optical telescopes, these processes generate x-rays, high-energy particles that travel at the speed of light.The Violent Universe reveals how astronomers use color to understand the energy and intensity of these x-rays -- in the process transforming invisible particles into gorgeous images of the cosmos -- and how these scientists discover more about the exotic objects that produce them.

Kimberly Weaver traces the development of x-ray astronomy from the 1950s, when the first artificial satellites began transmitting information from deep space. By juxtaposing a selection of images from optical telescopes with those of cutting-edge x-ray telescopes, she illustrates the way x-ray astronomy captures energy and activity that cannot be seen in visible light.

The book is illustrated with stunning four-color images of galaxies, quasars, pulsars, and black holes captured by Chandra, an enormous x-ray satellite that orbits Earth from a distance 200 times higher than that of the Hubble Space Telescope.

The Violent Universe makes plain the amazing new astronomy that has unmasked the thunderous cosmos -- a dynamic science that daily creates breathtaking art.

Reviews (2)

One More Review: And Before the Big Bang?
If you're interested in the Big Bang, I can tell you, there is more to come. What happened before that singularity?

After the Big Bang--well, there is no better description that that written by the man who described it, who calculated all of the important equations on a slide rule! I wasn't there, but I was close--he is, after all, my father.

And, when I was ten, this very humble scientist, considered by many one of the great scientists of the 20th century, had his predictions of the cosmic blackbody background radiation confirmed by accident by two physicists working for the then Bell Labs in New Jersey. Those two men received the Nobel Prize. Not that Alpher and Herman were not nominated at times, frequently. It just so happens the Nobel is never awarde to FOUR people. Every other important Physics recognition--has gone to Alpher and Herman.

However, the most original work was from Ralph A. Alpher. A student of George Gamow, the colorful Russian physicist at George Washington University, this work was his SECOND doctoral dissertation. The solution to the problem of his first dissertaiton was published before he could defend it.

At his defense of this dissertation--there were news media, journalists, as well as his doctoral committee. It was a public event, and even the great cartoonist Herblock published a cartoon relating to the most significant cosmological PREDICTION of the 20th century, perhaps in all of Astronomy up to that time.

And that was confirmed, and as a trained scientist, I can say, that's a pretty nifty occurrence. Robert Herman, coauthor of this book, was my father's constant intellectual companion from the 1940s through the 1990s. Nonetheless, he is recognized as a coauthor, and Ralph A. Alpher would say deservedly so. I can also say, it helps to have intellectual colleagues.

I've read many, many other versions of this great story in cosmology over the years, and many of them are flatly wrong. Ralph Alpher was certainly always available to tell his story, but this book became the crowning achievement. I've read the proofs and the book itself, and I heartily endorse it, because is is a great story in science, although a bit heftier than "The Double Helix" by Watson and Crick about the race to find the code we now know as DNA.

However, on the Big Bang, there was no particular race. Yet today, we're on the verge of another great debate regarding creationism and the origin of man, and Clarence Darrow will possibly be watching in amusement. No doubt also will George Gamow. And many Nobel prize winners have had the fortunate opportunity to know my father.

Today, however, Dr. Alpher is working on that nagging question, what DID happen before the Big Bang. Being a theoretical physicist, and tending to make predictions and hypothecate (after all, the atom was long merely a hypothetical particle)...well, confirmation of what is to come may take a little time.

And, as usual, we can expect a little academic political intrigue as well. This book sets that record as clearly as anyone at the source could. And it is a work of passion, I can attest to that.

A great read for anyone who thinks about our origins and our future. Highly recommended.

The big picture of the Big Bang
Did you ever think you could see further if you stood on the shoulders of a giant? Here's your chance. These authors have been involved with cosmological investigations for over 50 years. They explain the theory of the Big Bang for the layman but with enough detail to challenge the non-specialist. (The non-specialists will probably want to skip the appendices but if one wants to get a flavor of the deep thinking involved in Big Bang research the appendices opens that door.)

The authors are not short on details and their recollection of personal experiences during their scientific endeavors makes the book most interesting. These authors are not merely reporting on what others are doing but rather reflecting on their own personal critical investigations and presenting their opinion on subsequent research endeavors. They have been observers and critics of the evolution of cosmological investigations for essentially their whole careers. Thus they have strong opinions which are expressed unambiguously. I would expect that some would disagree with their opinions but to me this clear expression of these opinions is refreshing. But to their credit these opinions are presented clearly as their opinions so that the reader can explore the issues and disagree to their hearts content.

As a non-physicist, I had read enough to understand that the abundance of the light elements was created according to the Big Bang theory during the primeval evolution of the universe. And further that the heavier elements up to iron were created in the heart of collapsing stars but had never quite understood why this was the case. The authors discussion and presentation of data on the binding energy of the elements made this reasonably understandable to me. I mention this because I want to emphasize how the authors present a broad overview of a very complex physics problem with clear discussions but in addition give sufficient data to support understanding by the layman. Thus this book is not an easy read for the layman but rather is a challenging and invigorating experience for the amateur physicist who loves to try to understand the universe we live in.

The book includes an expert review of most of the evolving developments in the field of cosmology since their seminal work in the late forties. They present a broad overview of the concept of inflation in the early universe and express their view that this remains an open question. For those interested in the "why" question, there is a brief chapter on the Anthropic Principle. But to me it seems clear that the authors are by far more interested in the "how" issues rather than the "why" issues.

This book is by far the best overview of this subject I have ever run across. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The publication over a decade ago of Stephen Hawking's runaway bestseller A Brief History of Time triggered a flood of more or less comprehensible books about the frontiers of physics and mathematics. And to judge by most of their authors, we are on the brink of finding the theory of everything, or the key to the cosmos, or some other Holy Grail of science.

Rarer are authors such as John Barrow, professor of physics at Sussex University, a genuine expert in these fields who writes coolly and clearly about the current state of play. Between Inner Space and Outer Space is a collection of Barrow's writings about the frontiers of science dating back to 1980, and is remarkable for the number of fresh twists and insights it brings to many now-familiar debates. For example, are scientists really close to a theory of everything, uniting all the fundamental forces in the universe and all the particles on which they act? Barrow shows how the quest may be stymied by fundamental limits to knowledge that have emerged from 20th-century mathematics. Are scientists really close to understanding the birth of the universe? Again, Barrow shows that a whole set of limitations--not the least of which is the fact that light travels at a finite speed--forever stops us from knowing for sure if our ideas are right. As in any collection, there is a modicum of repetition and a few ill-judged selections. Even so, any reader seeking thoughtful, sophisticated, and above all original writing about the cutting edge of physics and mathematics need look no further. --Robert Matthews, Amazon.co.uk ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Marked by Originality of Ideas
This book is a collection of John Barrow's 42 essays mostly published between 1980 and 1998, but none of the topics treated has become out-of-date. Each piece of essay makes a chapter, and all the chapters are grouped into 10 parts. A short introduction in each part clearly sets the theme common to all the chapters of that part as well as the specific subjects of the chapters.

The title of every chapter is quite attractive to those interested in the fundamental problems of physics and cosmology and in their relations to, or a physicist's view of, other disciplines of mathematics, aesthetics and religion. Barrow's writings are sometimes not easy to follow, but are marked by originality of ideas.

For example: In the chapter "Why is the Universe mathematical?" the author first mentions that the sorts of answers depend upon what we think mathematics. Then he puts a puzzle, which is more fundamental in the laws of Nature, symmetry or computation. In the final paragraphs, Barrow states that the science is the search for algorithmic compressions of the world of experience, and comes to the conclusion that mathematics is useful in the description of the physical world because the world is algorithmically compressible. I have difficulty in finding how the earlier paragraphs are related to the last ones. However, the conclusion seems to be simple and persuasive, and would be paraphrased as follows: Mathematics is useful in the description of Nature because she has the characters of orderly complexity.

Only if you haven't read other books by Barrow and want to know his ideas, this would be a good buy.

rehash of his earlier fine books
I'm a fan of Barrow's, but this book is repetitive, repetitive, repetitive. It's a collection of pieces he did for various publications and everything in it is said more clearly in Impossibility or Pi inthe Sky orothers of his stimulating books. Saveyour money and buy one of thoserather than thisdeflationary rehash. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Will our universe continue to expand 100 billion years from now? Does human life and all intelligence inevitably come to an end as the universe evolves? Could our present space be converted catastrophically into a new kind of space governed by different physical laws? Can we construct a theology of the future universe? Would the continuation of the universe for eternity be a good thing?

Nearly 400 years ago, Galileo ground the Dutch "spyglass" and looked to the stars. His discoveries raised questions about the origin of the universe—questions that today, with our high-powered optical instruments, have become even more audacious. In Rome, at the Casina Pio IV, once a summer residence of Pope Pius IV and with links to Galileo, a group of scientists and theologians recently gathered to exchange research-in-progress, ideas, and opinions about the far future.

The Far-Future Universe presents eighteen provocative essays offering speculations on various scenarios for the future, from the perspectives of cosmology, physics, biology, humanity, and theology, including:

John D. Barrow, research professor of mathematical science, who notes: "When there is an infinite time to wait then anything that can happen, eventually will happen. Worse (or better) than that, it will happen infinitely often."

Paul Davies, British theoretical physicist, who addresses the question: "Eternity: who needs it?," poses six cosmological models, and examines the implications of each for the ultimate fate of the universe.

A. Graham Cairns-Smith, honorary senior research fellow at the University of Glasgow, who considers exotic genetic materials and distinguishes between "life as we know it" and "life in general."

Other contributors consider global time, artificial intelligence, religious ideas about the end of the world, and the nature of existence. Stimulating, challenging, and exciting, these visions of the far future are a starting point for further reflection and speculation. ... Read more

Book Description

If you are interested in how researchers plan to search the heavens for signs of intelligent life, you should have this book.SETI 2020 is a new, and remarkably comprehensive study of how scientists busy with the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) should direct their efforts between now and the year 2020.Distilling the work of dozens of top SETI experts, astronomers, and technology mavens, this book gives an overview of the problem of finding evidence for extraterrestrial technologies, and how to best address it.New radio telescopes consisting of large arrays of relatively small antennas are proposed and detailed.So are new types of antennas that can survey the entire sky at once.Of particular interest is the extensive treatment of optical SETI - the search for signals beamed our way using high-powered, pulsed lasers or their equivalent.A book that's interesting for both the layman and the technically sophisticated, SETI 2020 is the definitive publication in this fascinating field. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Technically impressive, but not stirring
This book reports the recommendations of a scientific and technical working group that met periodically from 1997 to 1999 to chart the future of research and technology development for SETI, the scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence. That group was assembled and funded by the SETI Institute, the leading institution in the field. The report focuses first on strategic objectives, then on search strategies and options for new telescope and computer designs.

This document was intended to be a landmark comparable to the visionary Project Cyclops report published in 1972. Technological advances since then -- particularly in computer technology -- clearly justified a fresh review. SETI 2020 recommends broadening the frequency range of searches to include optical and infrared wavelengths, looking for both continuous wave and pulsed signals, and using multiple beams per telescope in microwave searches. The report recommends that the SETI Institute undertake the development and construction of a One Hectare Radio Telescope, and an omnidirectional SETI system that could allow continuous, all-sky coverage for the low end of the microwave window. The Working Group also endorsed some existing strategies: using systems for both targeted searches and sky surveys, and focusing on beacons.

Nearly half of this book consists of technical appendices. The most intriguing of them is Jill Tarter's review of the Project Cyclops report from the perspective of 25 years later. Not only has technological advance improved our capabilities and widened our options; we also know more about the science involved.

Those readers with a serious interest in the technical means astronomers use to search for evidence of intelligence beyond the Earth will find this book very informative. It will tell most readers all they want to know about the technology issues, though less about the science. While the language is clear and straightforward, it lacks the stirring, visionary quality of the Cyclops report. Perhaps that is a sign that SETI has matured. Or it could be the result of drafting by committee. Those readers who are looking for an introduction to SETI or a general overview of that field should look elsewhere, particularly in view of the outrageous price. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

My first step on astrophotography
For the very beginner in astrophotography( like me) it is all you need( at least for a while).Dickinson and Newton used a clear text adding their expereance. The book begins talking about the universe, then goes to the basic camera on tripod( comets, moon and Earth shine, star trails, etc). To follow the Earth's movment(for those 10 minutes exposures), I learned and built my on Star Tracker - It is very precise and useful because I could find the south celestial pole in my first try as I learned from page 70. As I still didn't buy my own "good telescope", I am not the best person to say about Part 3: Probing Deeper- through the telescope; but it covers all the inicial steps,adaptation, films and filters for lunar /solar photos.The last part tell us how to use the CCD tecnology:choosing a CCD camera,how to color the image and to process it.For the one who want more detail on digital imaging, this is not your book. Bad points are: it does not teach you where(all) the "subjects" are ,missing on CCD shoftware; almost anything on Southern emisfere sky. Good point: a lot of amateurs photos, showing that you can do it. Finally, this is a very good inicial book FOR THE BEGINNER ASTROPHOTOGRAPHER.

Practical "real-world" advice and great pictures
I really like everything about this book. It offers great, practical advice on learning how to take "astro"photos. Many beautiful pictures also. I am currently building my own camera mount based on guidelines in book. Anyone interested in astronomy and/or photography should get it!

Typo
The book is great. Terry and Jack did a wonderful job. By the way I am on page 64 with the camera tracker. I noticed a typo on this web page under table of contents. You have Sides versus prints and should be SLIDES verses prints.

Clear skies Gary Boyle Observer's Group Chairman Ottawa Centre, Royal Astronomical Society of Canada

This Is A Coffee Table Book Not An Astrophotography Manual.
The photograghs of the deep sky objects in this book are as amazing as they are gorgeous. Especially, when one relalizes that the photos were done by "amateur" astronomers. But this is NOT a practical guide to astrophotography. This is a coffee table book which is why it is so deeply discounted.

FANTASTIC, IS THE BEST WAY TO SUM IT UP
NEVER BEFORE HAVE I SEEN A BOOK SO WELL THOUGHT THRU AND SO WELL WRITTEN MR DICKINSON HAS SHOWN US AGAIN HOW WELL HE WRITES. I RECIEVED THIS BOOK AS A CHRISTMAS GIFT FROM MY PARENTS, AND I LOVE IT. IT SHOWS WONDERFUL DIAGRAMS AND EVERYTHING YOU WOULD NEED TO KNOW. THANK YOU GEOFF NASH ... Read more

Book Description

"Turn Right at Orion provides a delightful tour of the heavens, written with verve and imagination."

-Alan Lightman, author of Einstein's Dreams.

In this ingenious book, we are all aliens-reading what is in essence a message found in a bottle. Turn Right at Orion is the account of an epic astronomical journey, discovered sixty million years in Earth's future-the product of one man's amazing, revelatory, and occasionally perilous space odyssey. Astrophysicist Mitchell Begelman takes the reader to far distant shores, across a vast ocean of time, in a narrative style that zips along at just below light speed. We travel to the center of the Milky Way, witness the births and deaths of stars and of planets, and almost perish in the crushing forces at the perimeter of a black hole-and all the while Begelman explains in clear and vibrant prose how things work the way they do in the cosmos. Turn Right at Orion is a serious science book that reads like fiction. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

More authors should write science books like this!
This is a factual astronomy book written in the form of a science fiction story.

The narrator, a lone astronaut who meticulously describes his interstellar journey, begins by taking us to the giant black hole in our Milky Way's core. He then orbits the black hole in Cygnus X-1, two neutron stars in separate Crab nebulas, glides into accretion disks forming newborn planets around infant suns in the Orion Nebula, and then flies around the star Betelgeuse, a bloated, unstable, red supergiant.

His spacecraft then departs the Milky Way galaxy and enters the Large Magellanic Cloud where he's almost obliterated by a supernova. Finally, he flies to the Virgo cluster some 60 million light years from Earth where he goes into orbit around the colossal and ferocious black hole at the core of the radio galaxy M87.

This book's author, Mitchell Begelman, describes each cosmic panorama with such vivid, colorful immediacy, you feel like you're really there. I read this book over several nights at bedtime, and after falling asleep, I would instantly find myself dreaming about interstellar space flight.

What more could a book like this offer?

The name of the spacecraft in this story is "Rocinante," which is an inside joke because the author acknowledges borrowing it from the rock group Rush who in 1977 and 1978, wrote two musical scores about a lone astronaut who flew his spacecraft called Rocinante into the black hole Cygnus X-1, only to emerge from the collapsed stellar core as the most powerful god on Mount Olympus.

I wish more authors would write science books using vibrant, creative storytelling. Maybe Begelman could collaborate with a paleontologist to write a time travel chronicle that zips along 550 million years of natural history, from the Cambrian through the Pleistocene. ... Read more

Book Description

Did the Big Bang really happen?

Is space infinite?

When did time begin?

In this "superb new book" (San Francisco Chronicle), acclaimed science writer Richard Morris probes a host of far-reaching questions about the fundamental nature of the universe. The result is a masterful exploration of the newest discoveries and theories in the field of cosmology-the study of the origin, structure, and evolution of the universe. With dramatic flair and enthusiasm, he introduces us to the intriguing world of cosmic strings and quark nuggets, shadow matter and imaginary time. He brings emerging theoretical concepts into clear focus, offering keen insight into science's most puzzling riddles, the very questions that have challenged and confounded humankind through the ages. Featuring a thorough explanation of the breakthrough voyage of NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) and its effects on the Big Bang theory, this remarkable book is a fascinating journey along the cutting edge of cosmological discovery.

Praise for Richard Morris...

"Mr. Morris's genius is an ability to reveal the wonderful. —Kansas City Star

"Morris does a clearer job explaining Hawking than Hawking did." —Library Journal ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Very informative.
This book is very well written as far as scientific material is concerned. Having a very funadmantal understanding of such concepts as the Big Bang would prove to be helpful while reading, but not once was I utterly confused. The book is jam-packed with useful info and data. Kudos to Richard Morris for a fine book. ... Read more

Book Description

Long out of print, this classic book investigates the experimental determination of one of the fundamental constants of astrophysics and its significance for astronmy.The Expanding Universeoffers a unique sidelight on the history of ideas and Eddington's artistry; his evident enjoyment of writing and exposition shine through. Astrophysicists and historians of science will find that this reissue sheds fascinating light on one of Britain's greatest scientists. Sir William McCrea has supplied the Preface. ... Read more

Book Description

This advanced undergraduate text is a comprehensive and lucid introduction to galaxies for students in astronomy and physics. A careful combination of basic astrophysics, multiwavelength observations, and theoretical concepts help students develop a thorough, integrated understanding of the subject.Sparke and Gallagher provide all the necessary background astronomy and include only the necessary mathematics required to grasp the essence of a calculation or the basis for a method. They clearly explain observation and measurement techniques and critically review their limits and accuracy as well. The clear and friendly writing, thorough coverage of fundamentals, extensive up-to-date observations, and helpful problems make this an ideal student resource. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good, but not great
This book is a little dense and its homework problems are especially confusing because of the poor framework laid out to solve them. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Wonderful Illustrations and Explanations!
My copy of this book is well-loved, annotated, and flagged in many places. It is not a perfect book (see commentary in "Early China" on certain issues, such as Major's portrayal of the Xing-de text from Mawangdui) but overall it is far more information than has been available in English to a wide audience.
Contrary to the other reviewer's comments, I relished the footnotes for their explanations and areas of further study. If you are looking for one book to understand Daoism, especially the Daoist adepts at the court of Liu An, this is the book. It blows away the pop-Daoism you find in the typical feng-shui book, and sheds light on some of that practice as well.

How to read the unreadable
John S. Major takes the impenetrable Huainan Zi and penetrates it. The book is very academic and crawls with footnotes, but then I don't think there's any other way to deal with a 2,000 year old encyclopedia from a culture we know almost nothing about. If you're after cool, cosmic Dao, this ain't the book. But if you want to know how and what the inventors of Daoism were really thinking, it definitely is. ... Read more

Book Description

New highlights include aperture synthesis, Very Long Baseline Interferometry, and the further exploitation of molecular spectral lines.A new chapter is devoted to the fundamentals of a review of radio observations of our Milky Way galaxy, stars, pulsars, radio galaxies, quasars, and the cosmic microwave background.Reviews of Fourier Transform theory, celestial co-ordinate systems and a historical outline of the subject are provided in appendices. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Excellent Advanced Radio Astronomy Text
This book is a great Radio Astronomy text for the undergraduate major or the graduate level. It is a little advanced for most of my students....

Good book covering all fundamentals of radio astronomy
This is a most excellent introduction to Radio astronomy. The book is well layed out, has good explanations and provides many leads to further study. The book's contents are:

Radio telescopes as antennas. Signal detection and noise. Single-aperture raido telescopes. The two element interferometer. Aperture synthesis. The absorption, amplification, refraction and attenuation of radio waves. Galactic continuum radiation. The interstellar medium. Galactic Dynamics. Stars. Pulsars. Radio galaxies and quasars. Cosmology and the cosmic microwave background. Cosmology: discrete radio sources and gravitational lenses. The place of radio in astronomy. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Somebody please get a proofreader and a dictionary!
I looked forward to reading this book after hearing a great interview with Ellis on NPR. But getting passed the first few pages was simply too distracting to go on much further. This book is absolutely shot through with gramatical errors, typos and simple spelling inconsistencies. Please,at this point I don't even care how you spell the term "worldview". Just please spell it the same way consistently. And while we're at it, I might also mention that the letter spacing in this book is awful. Some lines appear to be one long word. Does the publisher, Boyers/Bowerdean even care about this? Or did they just drop Ellis' essays between two covers? Somebody get on the blower to London and let 'em know.

A brillant book about the implications of cosmology.
I came upon this book a year and a half ago; never have I seen such a logical presentation of the implications of cosmology, and the possible reasons for us existing, presented so well, and so eloquently. Dr. Ellis (G.F.R. Ellis) is a noted cosmologist who has cowritten with Hawking. And he delves into the possible implications of the "anthropic principle" as few scientsts have the courage or knowledge to do. A MUST read, especially if one wonders about the possibility of a purpose in Creation ... Read more

Amazon.com

As biological scientists learn more about how terrestrial life was formed, they increasingly turn to the stars to ask whether life might have evolved elsewhere. Thus far, despite a recent flurry of interest in Mars, they have found no solid evidence, but they keep looking. This scholarly book, written by a historian at the U.S. Naval Observatory, examines the long development of that quest, along with some of the philosophical questions that have emerged from it. Steven J. Dick notes that our observational abilities are both limited and biased, and that the search for extraterrestrial intelligence forces us to examine some of our own assumptions about what constitutes life in the first place. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A paradigm-setting study
This book is subtitled "the twentieth century extraterrestrial life debate and the limits of science." In fact, it is more than that. Science historian Stephen Dick describes a new paradigm of the universe that integrates biology. Where once we seemed lost in a vast and empty Cosmos, now we can credibly argue that we may be part of a living universe.

Dick sets the stage by surveying the debates over the existence of life and intelligence beyond the Earth up to the beginning of the 20th century, seeing the extraterrestrial life debate as a struggle for a world view that has advanced in stages. He connects the plurality of worlds with the decline of anthropocentrism, describing the latter as one of the major intellectual changes of the past century. He then describes how Percival Lowell's theories about Mars demonstrated the limits of astronomical observation. He goes into scientific theories about the origins of planets before discussing images of extraterrestrials in literature and the arts. Dick takes on the UFO controversy in an admirably objective way. He reviews scientific theories about the origin and evolution of life before describing the modern search for radio signals known as SETI. Dick argues convincingly that we have seen the birth of a new science: astrobiology. He concludes by discussing some of the implications of possible future contact with an extraterrestrial civilization. In his summary, he describes the triumph of an evolutionary view of the Cosmos, and the emergence of the biological universe as a worldview. This is a basic work for any serious student of the extraterrestrial life issue.

Very good history, very good science
Steven J. Dick is an historian with a broad academic background both in the humanities and in the sciences. The present book of nearly 600 pages will establish his reputation even more. Its sub-title, "the Twentieth Century Extraterrestrial Life Debate and the Limits of Science" reveals what is the book's focus, and also gives a hint of its broad philosophical scope. For though Dick's main theme is the astronomers' efforts to find out whether there is life on other heavenly bodies than our own earth, he is careful to relate it to the astronomical world-picture of the time. He sets forth in sufficient detail the arguments used to support or reject the idea of extra-terrestrial life. His presentation is clear and informative, with a minimum of technical jargon. Readers of this book will get a good grasp of the development of astronomical practice and theory after Copernicus and Newton, both in the scientific community and among the general public.

Of course the main meat of the book is the tremendous rise of interest in matters of outer space. On the unsophisticated popular level, this means mainly "little green men from Mars", fanciful accounts of Star Wars, eked lout by UFOs -- Flying Saucers. Dick's perspective includes these: he notes that many future scientists, including Carl Sagan and several future Nobel laureates, devoured science fiction of this kind in their early teens. As a serious historian, Dick tries to account for how popular culture and the scientific elite influenced each other. Positively, since public interest made it possible to raise money for building ever more sophisticated and expensive astronomical instruments and space probes, including the Hubble space telescope. Negatively, since the sensationalism of the popular press, radio and television (including Orson Welles's extraordinary radio broadcast in 1938, "War of the Worlds", and later TV dramas about space adventures such as "Star Trek", tended to hurt the reputation of scientists who participated in space projects. Dick consistently takes the view that scientific research cannot progress without the trial and error of creative hypotheses: the very essence of hypothesis testing.

True, we still do not have any proof of life or conscious intelligence on other planets than the earth, nor around other stars in our own galaxy, the Milky Way, nor in the billions upon billions of galaxies around us. But thanks to the adventurous research projects of the latter half of the 20th century, with radio telescopes and the Hubble space telescope, and also the landings on the Moon , Mars and Venus, and finally the grand, Government-supported project of SETI (Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence), where Carl Sagan was an important actor, we now know much more than we did around 1900. The quest will go on, strengthened by the arguments elaborated in the lively 20th century debates.

To complement Dick's historian's perspective, I strongly recommend "Our Cosmic Origin" by A. Delsemme, a prominent astronomer specializing on comets. His history starts with the BIg Bang, some fifteen billion years ago.

A Detailed and colorful insight on Human thinking protocols.
The Book is certainly one of a kind, in that it even when it was not the original goal of the author to follow a very detailed evolution in human thought processes throughout time..one can certainly take this aspect as a very interesting and outstanding one. By exposing the evolution of the formulation of the necessary premises upon which an extraterrestrial life was/is supposed to exist, it is showing the evolutionary steps taken by human logic until today's scientific method. Thus, starting from the "known" existing historical records of the discussions around the possibility of an exterrestrial intelligence, one can track this evolution as well as view the slow drift from a dictatorial role played by the Church and religion in philosophical/scientific debates to a totally religiously independent scientific debate held nowadays.

A sweeping history of a new worldview
In recent years, science has given us a new worldview. The universe now seems much friendlier to life than it was in the old cosmology of lifeless rocks and stars. Steven Dick captures this new worldview in THE BIOLOGICAL UNIVERSE. It is easy to understand, breathtaking in its broad sweep of decades of debate and progress, and highly relevant for understanding today's science.

Outstanding book on extraterrestrial intelligence
This book was incredibly good; in fact, surprisingly good. It's got all the trappings of an academic book--numerous footnotes, a university press publisher--but the writing style is lively and engaging. The author goes through developments in the field of ETI during the twentieth century--life on Mars, UFOs, SETI, extrasolar planets, etc--presenting the different sides of the various controversies. This may be the best book ever written on the subject. Readers should also check out Ken Croswell's book PLANET QUEST, about the discovery of extrasolar planets, a likely prerequisite for extraterrestrial intelligence. ... Read more

Book Description

This is the first comprehensive treatment of active galactic nuclei--the cosmic powerhouses at the core of many distant galaxies. The term active galactic nuclei refers to quasars, radio galaxies, Seyfert galaxies, blazars, and related objects, all of which are believed to share a similar central engine--a supermassive black hole many times the mass of the Sun. Astrophysicists have studied these phenomena for the past several decades and have begun to develop a consensus about many of their properties and internal mechanisms. Julian Krolik, one of the world's leading authorities on the subject, sums up leading ideas from across the entire range of research, making this book an invaluable resource forastronomers, physicists interested in applications of the theory of gravitation, and graduate students.

Krolik begins by addressing basic questions about active galactic nuclei: What are they?How can they be found? How do they evolve? He assesses the evidence for massive black holes and considers how they generate power by accretion. He discusses X-ray and g-ray emission, radio emission and jets, emission and absorption lines, anisotropic appearance, and the relationship between an active nucleus and its host galaxy. He explores the mysteries of what ignites, fuels, and extinguishes active galactic nuclei, and concludes with a general review of where the field now stands. The book is unique in paying careful attention to relevant physics as well as astronomy, reflecting in part the importance of general relativity to understanding active galactic nuclei. Clear, authoritative, and detailed, this is crucial reading for anyone interested in one of the most dynamic areas of astrophysics today. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Complete coverage of a fascinating topic
This book provides an amazing amount of depth on the exciting topic of AGNs. Although a bit heavy on theory at times (which is to be expected from Krolik), the book covers every topic imaginable, from black hole physics to accretion disk structure. If you work in the field of AGNs, or you want to learn more about the subject, this book is a MUST READ. However, I would only recommend it for advanced undergrads or above.

Great astrophysics by Krolik
Prof. Julian Krolik has done it again! His new book "Active Galactic Nuclei: From the Central Black Hole to the Glactic Environment" is a great reference source for astrophyisics, especially in Active Galactic Nuclei. While the reading can be a bit dense and convoluded, the topic is so involving that I couldn't put the book down. If you, like me, love Active Galactic Nuclei, then this is a MUST BUY book. Also, if you are taking one of Prof. Krolik's graduate classes at Hopkins, then I strongly suggest that you read up on his favorite topic. Anyone who buy's the book will NOT be dissapointed with it!!! ... Read more

Book Description

Only a book this big could convey the majesty of the ever-expanding universe and provide a glimpse into the ultimate limits of space. Originally published in French in 1997 and updated to include recent developments, this volume takes readers on a unique, scenic exploration of the universe. More than 200 incredible, full-color photographs gathered from the Hubble Space Telescope and the largest telescopes in the world capture the magic and wonder found in the vast expanse of the universe.In a beautiful, large format, containing many full-page color spreads, Majestic Universe allows readers to witness the birth of stars; scan the sky for extrasolar planets; venture near black holes; travel into the realm of galaxies and clusters of galaxies; gauge the vastness of space with Hipparcos; and finally wonder about the history and future of our mysterious universe.Clear, enthusiastic captions accompany each image, providing details on the great theories of the structure of the cosmos; descriptions of the latest advances in cosmology; and a trip into the past in search of the origins of the universe, of space, and of time. Majestice Universe is the ultimate "vehicle" for armchair space buffs to explore the final frontier.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. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

ABC's of the universe
The book is accessible to a novice but still presents some difficult concepts in easy to understand manner. Serge strikes a great balance in this regard ! The explanation of "Big bang" theory and the practical observations that back-up the theory is great ! The language is poetic sometimes, to keep the reading interesting and not being too dry. All in all, a good "introduction" book on Sun,stars,galaxies,clusters,big bang, and more .. There are lot of clear, full-page pictures and are well captioned.

Beautifully done synopsis for both newbie and pro
This book is a beautiful rendition of the myriad wonders of our universe; replete with beautiful full color photos of various subjects discussed: the birth of stars from nebulae; the discussion of thepossibility/probability/proof of extrasolar planetary systems, thediscussions on what happens near black holes, and the history and future ofwhat potential space exploration might bring, as well as what we might hopeto discover in the future with current astronomical projects using suchtools as the Hubble Space Telescope and the space station Freedom project.Chock full of goodness on the pictorial side, the book also explainsconcepts and introduces discussions in a manner both easy to understand forneophyte and pleasing to seasoned professional.A beautiful book andhighly recommended for both ends of the experience spectrum with astronomy. Nice coffee table book that would be sure to generate discussion. :) ... Read more

Book Description

The third edition of this successful textbook is fully updated and includes important recent developments in cosmology. It begins with an introduction to cosmology and general relativity, and goes on to cover the mathematical models of standard cosmology. The physical aspects of cosmology, including primordial nucleosynthesis, the astroparticle physics of inflation, and the current ideas on structure formation are discussed. Alternative models of cosmology are reviewed, including the model of Quasi-Steady State Cosmology, which has recently been proposed as an alternative to Big Bang Cosmology. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Be prepared to think...
Jayant Narlikar's `Introduction to Cosmology' has a simple enough title, but do not be deceived. This is a graduate-level textbook on one of the most difficult subjects around--mathematical, theoretical explorations of large-scale universal structures.

If, as Stephen Hawking once said, for every equation in the book, you lose half your readership, I would calculate (just off the top of my head) that only a dozen people have read this book! Actually, to be serious, this book presupposes a knowledge of calculus (differential equations, vector analysis, Fourier series, etc.) and assumes a fairly extensive knowledge of physics (thermodynamics, electromagnetic theory, atomic structure, fluid dynamics).

This is intended as a text book for the advanced undergraduate or graduate level student, and to that end, it has problems, most of which are computational in nature.

`It is usual to find cosmology appearing at the end of a text on general relativity, introduced more as an appendage than as a subject in its own right. Perhaps this is one reason why cosmology still stands apart from the rest of astronomy, where it really belongs. The astronomer tends to regard cosmology as a playground for general relativists rather than a logical extension of extragalactic astronomy.'

Narlikar introduces general relativistic theory as a tool rather than a subject, for use in understanding the geometrical principles applied to cosmology. He continues forward to use standard models (Friedmann) of cosmology as solutions to Einstein's equations, before progressing to discussing the physical properties of cosmology, including galactic evolution (structure, kinematics and dynamics--one could refer here then to Milhaus and Binney's work on the same), particle physics and early universe issues.

From here, Narlikar progresses to some non-standard cosmological constructions, including anisotropic cosmologies, steady state theories and cosmologies that might correspond to the Mach principle (although, as the name non-standard would indicate, these are fringe, or sometimes, older theories, which are largely discredited, but science must look to them as they occasionally give insight into observations). This, as an introduction, is not exhaustive, and does not get into cosmological models such as Alfven & Klein's matter-antimatter symmetry, the Einstein-Cartan cosmologies, or Milne's kinematic relativity, or the ideas of Segal or McCrea.

From here Narlikar ends the book with discussion of observational cosmology, exploring the implications of local observations (such as background microwave radiation that permeates the universe, a discovery of Penzias and Wilson at Bell Telephone Laboratories), the Hubble Constant and redshift issues, and quasars (do they or do they not fit standard models of cosmology and scientific principles currently known?).

`By claiming to describe the universe as a whole, cosmology transcends the realms of all other branches of science. Any conclusions about the universe are bound to be profound and hence must be drawn with caution. This caution is often missing in statements about cosmology. All too often the investigator (whether a theoretician or an observer) is tempted to mistake the model of the universe for the real thing. Categorical remarks about the state of the universe are often found upon closer examination to be model-dependent. Firm claims about observations of the universe have had to be withdrawn later when a better assessment of the observational error became possible.'

In conclusion, Narlikar gives an brief summary of the cases for and against standard cosmological models, and a glimpse into future research, which will be aided as observational tools become more sensitive.

This is a science text book, and thus is rather dry and straightforward in presentation. But as a tool for the high-end astronomer/astrophysicist, it is a valuable work. ... Read more