Reviews (3)

A Brief History of "A Briefer History..."
It is a very rare occurance for a book to come out that will make you laugh out loud as well as teach you something. It is even rarer for a book to be funnier and funnier as the reader has more and more education. From personal adds to and from chloroplasts to a "Jerry Springer"-ish script on the rise of sexual reporduction. Great book, although (and this is few and far between) some of the science seems, to this reader, to be a little suspect (such as the author's contention that everything possible will happen in the universe). All in all, a great book and a great value.

Monty Python meets Einstein
With a real gift for both science and humor, the author takes us from the Big Bang to The Internet. Many of the short sketches remind me of either Monty Python or the Farsign Theater (anyone who can describe the "birth of Netscape to the theme of the Beverly hillbillies is truely warped, or gifted.) Careful where you read this book or you will find yourself laughing out loud in airplanes, the subway, ect. After many presents that were ok-this was one of the best gifts that I ever got. An excellent purchase and a keeper. PS-Get Your Library to Order onw so you don't have to lend yours

Funny and informative -- the perfect package!
This book will appeal to scientists and non-scientists alike. The only requirement is a sense of humor -- the excessively serious-minded need not apply. The glossary is one of the best parts -- and I can't think of a single other book about which such a statement could be made. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An interesting survey of philosophical cosmology
Very interesting reading written by experts in their fields. One criticism is that there should have been more discussion of unresolved issues. ... Read more

Book Description

This is a textbook for graduate students in astrophysics. The author is extremely well known not only as an astrophysicist but also as a writer of superb talent. The presentation is clear and the book should become a favourite text for students. It deals with the matter and radiation content of the universe, and the formation of galaxies, and it gives a comprehensive introduction to relativistic astrophysics as needed for the clarification of cosmological ideas. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great Read
If you are interested in this issue, I highly recommend the book. This book is extremely thorough, so thorough it could be used as a textbook on an astrobiology class. It was written in the sixties so yes its out of date here and there, but much of the information is surprisingly current. You also get a great early taste of Sagan's writing style.

This is the first rational book to address the probability..
of life elsewhere inthe universe.

I read it first sometime in the late Sixties or early Seventies as an undergrad in engineering/physics/math. Carl Sagan created a wonderful book which has stayed with me over the course of almost 30 years now.

Tim Niles

BY FAR THE BEST BOOK ON INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE
ALTHOUGH WRITTEN OVER 20 YEARS AGO, THIS IS THE MOST COMPLETE BOOK DISCUSSING SCIENTIFICALLY THE POSSIBILITIES OF INTELLIGENT LIFE IN TTHE COSMOS. FROM THE EXTREME DIFFICULT POSSIBILITY OF LIFE BEING SPREAD FROM PLANET TO PLANET ACCIDENTALLY TO THE MORE REASONABLE POSSIBILITY OF LIFE BEING CREATED IN SITU IN EACH PLANET, OR, FROM THE POSSIBILITIES OF DIFFERENT CHEMISTRY BASED LIFE IN EARTH TO A HYPOTHETICAL LIVING BEING WHICH CHEMISTRY IS BASED IN SILICIUM FOR EXAMPLE, YOU NAME THE TOPIC AND YOU WILL FIND THAT THE AUTHORS WROTE SOMETHING ABOUT. I'D SAY THAT A CHAPTER REGARDING THE PHYLOSOFICAL / SOCIOLOGICAL IMPLICATION OF INTELLIGENT LIFE IS MISSING, BUT AGAIN THIS IS A BOOK WHO HELPS TO ÖPEN DOORS, AND I AM SURE THAT MANY OF THE BOOKS WRITTEN IN THE LAST YEARS HAVE SOMEHOW BEING BASED IN THAT HYSTORICAL AND AMAZINGLY COMPLETET BOOK.

Scientific study of finding extraterrestrial life.
This is a detailed treatment of the scientific work done in the fields of cosmology and "exobiology" (i.e. extraterrestrial life). It is written for the layman, with paragraphs written in a smaller font that hammer out the technical details.

Sagan annotates the original Russian work of Shklovskii. Sagan's annotations help clarify some of Shklovskii's work by inserting examples and 'fer-instance's, offering opposing arguments, and telling charming tales in his incomparable way.

The book has three sections. The first deals with Cosmology, which is the study of the structure and composition of the universe. The second section deals with the origins of life, how it happened on Earth, and how life might form in extraterrestrial environments, such as on other planets. The third section details the search for extraterrestrial life.

The book will give a sense of awe for the reader who may not know, for example, that there are former stars in our galaxy which are as massive as our Sun, are the size of our Earth, and that spin 300 times a second! (These are the pulsars). The book also succeeds in giving the reader a sense of enormity both in the size and the age of the universe.

There are sections in the book that you will want to ignore because they are severely outdated. For example, there are several chapters dealing with the quest for life on other planets in our solar system, such as Mars. All of the Mars pictures in the book are of fuzzy images from ground-based observatories. This book was written before Voyager, Viking, and the Hubble Space Telescope. So when Sagan asks "Are there canals on Mars?" or "Are the moons of Mars artificial satelites?", you can just skip it (there aren't and they aren't).

On the other hand there is much relevent information that deal with radio contact among galactic civilizations (if there are such civilations). Here you can see the seeds of some of Sagan's later work in "The Cosmic Connection", "Cosmos", "Contact", and well others. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A must read!
Being non-religious, this book is like the "real" Bible.A beautiful and fulfilling explanation on where we come from and our place in the universe to what we know scientifically.I believe this book approaches the true story of our existence, therefore it may be the most important book you read.

Hubert Reeves - extraordinary writer and scientist.
It is an excellent, compact source of most fascinating facts about origins of the Universe, life on Earth and dawn of humans; easy to read in the form of interviews conducted with selected top French scientists/experts in each field. Say, comparable or even better than "Origins of Existence - How Life Emerged in the Universe" by Fred Adams. And of course everybody knows Reeves classic: "The Hour of Our Delight" where he enlightens and teaches us about entropy of the Universe.
In addition, I would like to inform cosmology buffs about one less known Hubert Reeves book. It is titled "Latest News From The Cosmos" and is not available through Amazon in States (too bad). It was published by Stoddart in Toronto, Canada (ISBN 0773730141).
The uniqueness of this little (only about 200 pages, small format) nifty text lays in plethora of mathematical equations that allow us to grasp the theory of history of the Universe. Scientists observe, make experiments, and then derive formulas. These formulas allow them to forecast and predict new theories. And quite often these new theories and assumptions are being proven. This is the case of primordial nucleosynthesis and in general the Big Bang theory. I have never seen such a book - author is absolutely not afraid to present calculations!He shows with clarity how math models are applied to astronomical observations and to experiments in particle laboratories. Phenomenal! Please read it, this is awesome teaching about mathematics and its role in cosmology.

I found this book to be amazing
first and foremost this is the first book that I have read on this topic.only recently have I had the desire to learn about cosmology.it wasn't too complex to grasp so for a first time interest it was good.I definetly plan on reading this occasionally it is just a book that I loved to read and didn't like to put down.I highly recommend it.

Understandable, factual and balanced. I recommend it.
Firstly, I should correct the amazon.com Kirkus review because journalist Dominique Simonnet is a man, not a woman (and I think his name is spelled Simonnet, not Simmonet.) Secondly, I didn't really read this particular book, I read the original French version ("La plus belle histoire du monde.") That said, I thought the book was very good. It was not written for the extreme scientifically oriented audience. It was aimed at the average person who is curious about a well reasoned hypothesis for the origins of the universe, life and mankind. This book doesn't answer every one of life's questions - but I didn't expect it to. The authors go out of their way to be sensitive and considerate of other points of view. Where they don't know or can't answer a question, they simply say so. This book is understandable, factual and balanced. I recommend it to anyone interested in an up-to-date scientific perspective regarding life and it's origins. ... Read more

Book Description

Touch the Universe is an innovative and unique astronomy book. It is a combination of Braille and large-print captions that face 14 pages of brilliant Hubble Space Telescope photos with embossed shapes that represent various astronomical objects such as stars, gas clouds, and jets of matter streaming into space.

"Universally designed" for both the sighted and visually impaired reader, Touch the Universe takes readers on a voyage of discovery, starting at Earth, proceeding through the solar system, and ending with the most distant image taken by Hubble, the mind-boggling "Hubble Deep Field" photo -- the first telescope image ever to bring home to human consciousness in a deeply fundamental way the literally infinite reaches of our universe of galaxies.

As the author puts it, "A visually impaired person can still touch and smell a flower, or a tree, or an animal, but he or she could only imagine what an astronomical object is like ... until now." ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A masterpiece!
This could very well be one of the best braille books ever. As a wife to a blind man and involved with an organization that helps blind children, this is a book we all enjoy "looking at" over and over again. ... Read more

Book Description

Take the ultimate tour of the Universe! Travel through the universe from the very smallest object to the very largest. Use a cutting-edge cosmoscope to explore sun-atomic particles. Experience the greatest discoveries in the exploration of outer and inner space and interview the leading minds working in the field today. Take the ultimate tour of the Solar System! View the night sky at any time from any point on Earth. Explore all of the planets in our solar system in 3D. Build planets and create solar systems that support life. Walk through a virtual museum of 3D planetary galleries. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Informative Textand Video Clips
These comments refer only to The Universe CDROM, not The Planets.

This CDROM contains the E-text of Leon Lederman and David Schramm's 1995 edition of "From Quarks to the Cosmos".Their book describes how particle physics was brought into astronomy in the early 1980s to elucidate the Big Bang theory.Schramm the astronomer and Lederman the physicist (who both participated in the synthesis) do an admirable job of explaining their work.

The CD also contains a couple dozen Quicktime video clips of other scientists in the field describing concepts such as inflation theory (in the universe, not the economy!).I found the information somewhat more compelling than the presentation.

One drawback- since the disc was created in 1997, the video format is limited to 640 x 480, and is displayed on my 17 inch monitor in a reduced window rather than full screen.

For those looking for a deal, this same CDROM is now bundled with David Levy's book "The Ultimate Universe: The Most Up-to-Date Guide to the Cosmos" (1998).Levy, the co-discoverer of the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, provides an illustrated introduction to astronomy appropriate for the middle or high school student.Lederman and Schramm's book (and the other CDROM material) is considerably more in-depth.

Folks who enjoy Leon Lederman's work should also look for "The God Particle" his book about the search for the Higgs Boson. ... Read more

Book Description

Do you believe in UFOs or extraterrestrial beings? Ray Holm didn't until he began experiencing the feeling of a ghostly presence nearby. One day the "presence" turned into a "voice." The "voice" divulged that Ray had been chosen to perform a mission, but the mission would only be revealed after specific events happened to Ray. Then those predicted events began happening! The "voice" urged Ray to drive to Nevada, where he would meet an alien face-to-face. As Ray climbed into his car, he realized that life as he knew it was now out of control-he was going to meet an alien face-to-face, whether he wanted to or not, and then he would learn why he had been chosen. ... Read more

Book Description

Using more than 100 spectacular images from the Hubble Space Telescope,Cosmic Butterfliesexplores the beauty of the most mysterious celestial objects in space, planetary nebulae.The mystery begins at the end of the star's life, when it wraps itself in a cocoon by spilling out gas and dust.Sometime later, a butterfly-like nebula emerges from the cocoon and develops into a planetary nebula.These newly formed, effervescent structures are complemented by a kaleidoscope of colors emitted by glowing gases. Hovering in the gossamer of delicate streamers, the production of planetary nebula by a star is both its most momentous event and foretells its doom when its central energy runs out.In this extraordinary book, Sun Kwok, a leading international expert on planetary nebulae, details the discovery process of the creation of planetary nebulae and of the future of the Earth's Sun. Sun Kwok is Professor of Astronomy at the University of Calgary and a Canada Council Killam Fellow.His bookThe Origin and Evolution of Planetary Nebulae (Cambridge, 2000) is widely considered to be the definitive treatise on the subject.He serves as chairman of the Planetary Nebulae Working Group of the International Astronomical Union and has been a member of the Advisory Panel of the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics since 1993. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Excellent
I was actually not that interested in astronomy, but when a student at the astronomy club mentioned her father was writing it, I promised her I would go out and buy it, and it was one of the best choices of my life. Whether you're a relative newcomer in the field of astronomy, or someone who has studied it for years, this book will teach you an enormous amount about something so rarely visited - planetary nebula. It is such a fascinating field, I'm surprised so few books have been written about it. Never matter though - Dr. Kwok's book is by far the most informative book on this subject written, and is more than adequate for anyone who wishes to learn all they can on this.

It is beautifully illustrated, with over 100 spectacular colour illustrations, and masterfully written. If you've never picked up a book on astronomy before - fear not, it is both clear and easy to follow with the way it is written. I recommend this book to all those who are fascinated by our universe.

Planetary Nebula eye candy
If there is one book to give the amateur astronomer oohs and aahs and remain one of his/hers best books, then the jam packed images of planetary eye candy cannot be passed up! This book, written by Dr. Sun Kwok, of whom I had the unique pleasure of having speak at our astronomy club meeting, has created a great book, filled with eye popping imagery and informative text on the creation and formation of planetary nebula.

The text includes chapter after chapter on the beginings of planetary nebula formation, through the AGB stage, into proto-planetary infancy and finally into mature planetary nebula. The result is a colorful display of the awesome fury, if not death throe end, to a star in the december years of its life.

Dr. Kwok is both informative and a master in his field. His research is into the organic make-up of Planetary nebula. Could these deep sky wonders harbor within them the beginings of life, especially on earth, from the death of a star and its cataclysmic end? Read this book and find out. ... Read more

Book Description

The distribution of elements in the cosmos, a result of the many processes in the Universe's history, provides a means for studying the Big Bang, the density of baryonic matter, nucleosynthesis, and the formation and evolution of stars and galaxies. This textbook, by a pioneer in the field, forms a lucid, comprehensive introduction to the interdisciplinary subject of galactic chemical evolution. The author carefully explains a broad spectrum of exciting astrophysics, from thermonuclear reactions, abundance measurements in astronomical sources, cosmological element production, stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis, to light element production by cosmic rays and the effects of galactic processes on the evolution of the elements. The reader is then equipped to develop an intuitive and analytical understanding of results from numerical models and real observations. Simple, elegant derivations for key results are provided throughout, together with problems and helpful solution hints. This long-awaited textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to the broad subject of galactic chemical evolution for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, and an invaluable overview for researchers. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Best book on the subject?
This may not be the best book on any of the topics covered. The exception is the chemical evolution of galaxies, a subject, on which this book is the best by default, being the only one! It a subject far from my areas of interest.

So why five stars?

One reason is that this book, when covering "well known" subjects like cosmic nucleosynthesis or supernovae, stresses simple analytical arguments over numerical simulations (which are also shown). Analytical arguments are always better than just staring at plots of computer simulations, because they give insights that the simulations cannot provide.

The second reason is, basically, the price of the book. The Cambridge University paperbacks on astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology are priced so low, compared to ordinary graduate-level textbooks, that I feel guilty giving any of them a less-than-five-stars rating. I also feel guilty about not buying them when I run into them in bookstores. Buy all of them, please, so they will keep coming! ... Read more

Book Description

Does life exist elsewhere in the universe? Recent discoveries have made it more likely than ever that we will know the answer to this age-old question in our lifetimes -- and that the answer most likely will be yes. No longer a subject relegated to the fringes, the search for extraterrestrial life is now a mainstream scientific pursuit. In Other Worlds, Michael Lemonick introduces us to the pioneering researchers who are using brand-new technology to explore the universe, looking for elusive signs of life.

Within recent years, tantalizing suggestions of extraterrestrial life have materialized, including new data from Mars and discoveries about Europa, one of Jupiter's moons. Lemonick describes these remarkable breakthroughs, including the very recent discovery that there are more planets outside our solar system than in it -- an idea that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

Other Worlds takes us inside the observatories, from the world's most powerful telescopes, situated at the top of a volcanic mountain in Hawaii, to the giant radio antennas in a bucolic West Virginia valley, used to listen for alien signals. It is in these places that scientists like Paul Butter and Geoff Marcy analyze the data that led to their discovery of new planets trillions of miles away, and where astronomer Seth Shostak helps run Project Phoenix for the SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) Institute. Even NASA has now begun its Origins Program, hoping the search for extraterrestrial life will do for the agency what the mission to put a man on the moon did in the 1960s.

Michael Lemonick has been called "an inspiring explainer of some of the most mind-expanding ideas in contemporary cosmology" in the Los Angeles Times and "[one of] the best of today's astronomy popularizers" in The New York Times Book Review.

Lively and anecdotal, Other Worlds is a fascinating look at one of the most compelling areas of scientific research today and the scientists behind it, as well as a thought-provoking reflection on how the search for extraterrestrial life affects the way we regard our place in the universe. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Learn how new planets are being found
The classic Drake equation is an estimate of the number of civilizations there are in the galaxy, and for years, all but one of the terms was based only on speculation. For some of the terms, it was reasoned, but for others the value was the wildest of guesses. The formula is N = R * F(p) * N(e) * F(L) * F(I) * F(c) * L, where N is the number of civilizations, R is the rate at which Sun-like stars are formed, F(p) is the fraction of those stars that form planets, N(e) is the number of planets per star that can support life, F(L) is the fraction of planets where life emerges, F(I) is the fraction of such planets where intelligence emerges, F(c) is the fraction of such planets where the inhabitants develop interstellar communication and L is the length of time that the civilization actually communicates. Originally put forward in 1961, there was little improvement in the understanding of the parameters for decades.
However, all of that began to change in the last few years as advances in instrumentation is allowing astronomers to detect bodies revolving around stars. The preliminary results, which are withstanding intense scrutiny, are twofold. The first is that many (perhaps even most) stars have bodies revolving around them and the second is that the definition of planet is a vague one. Quite naturally, the first such bodies discovered are rather large and probably fit the definition of a star better than that of a planet. Nevertheless, such bodies appear to be very common and are being found in unexpected places. The people conducting the searches, the mechanisms being used and the conclusions to date is the main theme of the book.
I was aware of some of the results, but had no knowledge as to the specific tactics being used in the search for "planets." The descriptions in the book are understandable to anyone with a basic knowledge of the physics of light. I was captivated by the search strategies and was very impressed by the ingenuity of the astronomers. A second theme is the search for radio signals from other civilizations. While this section was interesting, I found myself surprised that the SETI@Home project was not mentioned. This is a collaborative effort where people donate the idle time of their computers to process segments of data captured by radio telescopes. As someone who has donated almost eight years of computer time to the project, to me it would have been a natural program to mention.
There is no question that the resolution of the question concerning the existence of civilizations on other planets is one that will forever alter the human condition. If we are indeed the only intelligent species, then the only thing that will prevent us from taking over the galaxy is us. However, if we are not the only one, then most likely there are a very large number and we most likely are insignificant in the eyes of some other species. In this book, you will find an understandable explanation of much of the recent work, nearly all of which makes it seem more likely that there is life elsewhere than on Earth.

I just hope we keep searching
This starts out rather excitingly, as though a kind of science drama, but dissipates into a not bad book about how the recently discovered planets around other stars were discovered. Lemonick, a Time science writer, tries to make the characters come alive, and they do to some extent, although this is no novelistic work. Lemonick emphasizes the equipment, telescopes, etc. and the techniques used. He does a good job.

The material on the Mars rock brings us up to date, circa 1997 or thereabouts: they've proved nothing, yet my guess is that we will find that microscopic life existed on Mars three and a half billion years ago. When this happens it will be a big media event, yet it will mean little to the average person. When INTELLIGENT life is found on other planets in another solar system, if that ever happens, it will be a big time media event and will have an EXTRAORDINARY impact on the culture of this world. My guess, after reading this and several other books on extraterrestrial life, is that life is common, but intelligent life rare; consequently, considering the amazing distances in interstellar space, I don't expect any kind of contact in my lifetime. In fact a half life for contact time (just a stab) might be a thousand years or more, assuming that intelligent life exists in, say, every hundred million star systems. Question: will we last a thousand years?

Lemonick celebrates the Drake equation (N=R* Fp Ne Fl Fi Fc L) where N is the number of detectable civilizations, R* the rate at which Sun-like stars form, Fp the fraction of stars that form planets, Ne the number of planets per solar system hospitable to life, Fl the fraction of planets where life emerges, Fi the fraction of life bearing planets where intelligence evolves, Fc the fraction where the inhabitants develop interstellar communication, and L the length of time such civilizations continue to communicate.

Well, they might add "Fw," the fraction that are willing or care to communicate.

As far as just the bare existence of extraterrestrial life is concerned, it might be that we would not even recognize the life forms if they tapped us on the shoulder since they might take a form that is pure energy or pure something else we know nothing about. It's not far fetched to say they might be invisible to our eyes.

The material about Europa and the possibility of life under its frozen surface in a great ocean is interesting. Lemonick says (and we've read this elsewhere) that it is now believed that life probably did not originate in wading pools as has been long thought, but probably deep under the ocean protected from the constant bombardment of comets and meteorites, nourished not by the sun but by heat escaping from the inner earth. This seems highly plausible to me because of the recent discoveries of strange life forms deep in our oceans where the animals live on bacteria nourished by heat vents several miles deep. I still like the panspermia idea from Hoyle and others that life originated outside our solar system. For some reason Lemonick doesn't seem to put much stock in this.

The Process of Discovery: Struggle and Success
Are Earth-like planets a rarity in the universe? Is our Solar System, with its 9 peaceful planets in circular orbits, some fluke or a godsend among the 100 billion stars in our Milky Way Galaxy? Is intelligent life in the universe such a rarity that we may be cosmically alone?

Mike Lemonick has produced a book that is exquisitely accurate and humanly compelling about the discovery of alien worlds around other stars. The book captures the difficulties of forging ahead toward new scientific techniques that often lead to failures. But in this case, Lemonick describes how several astronomers worldwide pushed forward despite those obstacles. Ultimately, these astronomers captured the most sought-after discovery in astronomy: the first true New Worlds, outside our Solar System.

Lemonick reveals the quirky personalities of the astronomers who made the 10-year trek toward these discoveries. Along the way, this book describes the chances that Earth-like planets may lead to life elsewhere in the universe. The book beautifully explains the ultimate human exploration: travelling to the new worlds in search of our biological roots out among the stars.

This book is a great read, and will stand as a historical benchmark about a great moment in scientific discovery.

Has there been a better science writer?
Finally. Somebody who knows how to write about complex scientific issues in a way that even scientifically-challenged readers like myself can understand. Mr. Lemonick knows how to make science interesting and fun. As a college student who spends most of her time doing required reading, it's seldom that I read a science book unless it's assigned. But this book caught my eye as I walked past it. The more of it I read, the less I was able to put it down and had to buy it. Great, great book! (And wow... smashing cover, I might add. Way, way cool.) Oprah... if you're out there... you've got to get this guy on your show. I know you're hung up on the "feelings thing" but aliens have feelings too you know. ... Read more

Book Description

"The Universe and Beyond is a celebration of the human spirit of exploration. It is a majestic voyage to the most distant realms we can imagine. Prepare yourself for a great adventure." - Edward G. Gibson, Astronaut, Skylab 4

The Universe and Beyond is a factual, up-to-date guide to the universe, written by bestselling astronomy author, Terence Dickinson. This book includes the most recent astronomical discoveries and events using imaginative astronomical illustration in addition to dramatic photography from the Hubble Space Telescope, space probes and the largest observatories on Earth.

This fourth edition has been carefully reviewed, revised and brought up-to-date with new text and photographs. The chapter on cosmology is significantly expanded to include new information about the origin of the universe and the large-scale structure of the universe. Also included are over thirty new photographs of planets, nebulas, galaxies and galaxy clusters.

Every major topic of astronomy is described clearly and concisely. The Universe and Beyond addresses the questions that arise most often from those with a fascination for the night sky. Brimming with color illustrations, the book includes the Cassini-Huygens mission.

Other topics include: - Overview of the universe - The solar system and nearby worlds - Planets of other stars - Galaxies and black holes - The search for extraterrestrial life - How the universe will END

- Telescopes for the twenty-first century.

The astronomical resources include books, associations and web sites. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Fantastic Pictures, Average Text
The photos in this book are beautiful, large, clear, sharp, and on nice paper in a large book. This book is worth getting if you want an overview of the cosmos, from the solar system out to remote galaxies, and you have no other book on the subject. However, if you already have a book that covers this subject matter (such as a introductory astronomy textbook), don't get this unless you see it and are hooked on the beautiful photographs. Not a masterpiece like Dickinson's "Nightwatch" or "The Backyard Astronomer's Guide", but a good effort to cover a broad subject. After I got the book, I gave it to my sister, who has no other astronomy books except H.A. Rey's "The Stars". She likes it. But I bet it's halfway due to the stunning photos! (Also, the illustrations in this book and almost all of Dickinson's books are top-rate, both beautiful and educational --pretty much among the best I've seen).

Great book overall!
Well laid-out book with awesome pics and logical flow. Definitely a professional work. It does not get very deep in explanations but there is enough material for a novice to get started. Overall: VERY GOOD!

A good general text for the beginning astronomer
A friend and I are taking an intro to astonomy course and this is one of the recommended texts.I can certainly see why.It's a very clearly written work with a heavy emphasis on planetary and solar astronomy and a lucid discussion of stellar objects visible with personal telescopes, subjects that the noviate astronomer is most likely to find of interest.The author also dedicates two chapters to the subject of theoretical astrophysics at the very basic level of cosmology, ie) the theory of the origin, the possible ultimate destiny of the universe, and the liklihood of the existance of coevil universes parallel to our own. Dickinson also throws his lot in with those who would believe in UFOs, to the extent that while he doesn't believe in the sightings people report--however well meaningly--he does believe that intelligent life is out there and may well already know of our existance.He gives a thorough and lucid outline of why he believes this to be the case.He also summarizes the SETI project and the ultimate change in position on this topic of high visibility astronomers like the late Carl Sagan, Iosif Shklovskii, and Ben Zuckerman.A very interesting book, and one that whets the appetite for further information.

Easy to read review of cosmology and astronomy
Easy to read, modern review of cosmology and astronomy.Contains some of the best produced astronomical illustrations. Terence Dickinson is an astronomy writer. He received the 1992 Royal Canadian Institute's Sandford Fleming Medal for achievements in advancing public understanding of science.

Outstanding
Excellent, highly readable book about the various aspects of the universe. Presented with fabulous photos, images, and illustrations. An absolutemust-have for anyone interested in astronomy.So fantastic, it will eveninspire those NOT interested in astronomy. Suitable for elementary schoolkids (for the photos) on up.Dickinson has an absolute talent for writingabout astronomy in a clear, concise way without talking down to you orrelying on too much technical jargon and does all that and makes itfascinating too.Wonderful. ... Read more

Book Description

Distance determination - finding out how far away, and thus how old, different astronomical objects are - is an essential and currently highly topical subject in astronomy. A great deal of progress has been made during the last part of the 20th century. Measuring the Universe provides a unified treatment of the various techniques used for distance determination. It begins by describing methods to measure distances on Earth then gradually climbs the "distance ladder" to enable us to estimate the distance to the farthest objects, ending with a discussion of particle horizons within an expanding and inflationary universe. Aimed at first-year undergraduates of astronomy and astrophysics, the book emphasizes general physical principles rather than mathematical detail. The text is enhanced and complemented by the use of many worked examples, and questions and problem solving exercises at the end of each chapter. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Insightful history and logical progression
Many books present a current scientific world-view, as though nearly immutable. By contrast, Webb's book covers much of the history of cosmological distance measurement, including errors and changes-of-mind.

Webb's book proceedes in a very good, logical, historical order of measurements: the Earth, the Solar System, nearby stars, more distant stars, the Galaxy, the Local Group, more distant galaxies, the universe, yielding the current standard models.

It covers well the successive improvements and changes in theoretical models, as they adapted to fit new data. It is always insightful to see what people could do with fairly minimal data, and where they seemed to go wrong, and how those errors were later corrected.

This offers an especially good reminder that much science is a series of successive approximations, although sometimes a modest improvement of data accuracy may well overturn an existing theory.

It also emphasizes the dependence of the distances to further objects on relationships with nearer objects. Figure 11.6 seems an especially nice summary of the inter-relationships among the various measurement techniques.

Readers without some college-level math and physics background may find it a bit heavy-going. However, each chapter tends to be useful, with less math up front, so that one need only go as deep as is comfortable.

Webb is also to be complimented for at least mentioning dissenting views, such as those of Fred Hoyle or Halton Arp (as in "Seeing Red - Redshifts, Cosmology, and Academic Science").

All-in-all, this is a good book that ties together many problems and measurements in a coherent way. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Jesper Hoffmeyer is on to something significant. Whereas semiotics is often a dull analysis of formal symbols, Hoffmeyer's biosemiotics is a lively natural history of signs that interprets evolution as a continuous advance in semiotic freedom.All living things, according to Hoffmeyer, are constantly reacting to their environment by interpreting the signs in their own unwelt,, or interior representation of the surrounding world.Freedom and chaotic self-organization thus become the hallmarks of all life.Based on sound research and written in a delightfully accessible style, Signs of Meaning in the Universe should be interpreted as an advance in both philosophy and science. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

J. Hoffmeyer's "Signs of Meaning in the Universe"
In the preface Hoffmeyer's writes:

"The semiosphere is a sphere just like the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and the biosphere. It penetrates to every corner of these other spheres, incorporating all forms of communication: sounds, smells, movements, colors, shapes, electrical fields, thermal radiation, waves of all kinds, chemical signals, touching, and so on. In short, signs of life.... We tend to overlook the fact that all plants and animals - all organisms, come to that - live, first and foremost, in a world of signification."

Hoffmeyer observes that the process that gives birth to these communications cannot be explained in mere mechanistic terms that remove the subject. The concept of "not" is fundamental to communication, and this "not" sets up an exclusion that permits a frame of reference. Speaking of birth of the universe, Hoffmeyer writes on page 3 that: "... this nothing exploded and became something.... so far so good, but why was the matter not evenly distributed? Why is the same amount of matter and energy not found everywhere throughout the universe?" It can not be the case that cosmic evolution unfolded only as a by-product of cosmic expansion.

And on page 5 Hoffmeyer writes: "If we then ask what this nothingness is or was we are actually denying our denial and to some extent re-creating the universe. Nothing becomes not not- something which, it follows, must be something.... only by being conceived of can nothingness exist."

On page 8 Hoffmeyer reviews French psychoanalyst Jacque Lacan's work on childhood development, and writes: "this process (development) also involves an alienation or denigration of the child's self, since its self is just what it does not encounter, but an image of itself reflected in the other. So we see a fundamental split in our perception of the self, the egocentric interior and the not-self or "outside". Though Hoffmeyer does not say it, this is the same split that has brought us Descartes dualism, and Teilhard de Chardin's within and without. But Hoffmeyer does indicate that: "... it is this spit, this fundamental yearning, that endows the world with signification, that makes us desire it. ... So the not-rule is the very first requirement for making any sense of this world. And if we then look more closely at what lies behind this not-rule, we will see that we are dealing with something quite fundamental." Hoffmeyer presents a Gestalt diagram to make his point, showing a white circle on a black background. Hoffmeyer writes: ".... the boundary is not part of the world unless someone chooses to picture it." Looking at the same Gestalt diagram I can ask my own questions: Are we the inside looking out? Or are we the forgetful outside looking in? These questions are symmetrical and cannot be answered directly. If these questions cannot be answered how can we be so sure that mind is contained in the brain? Or for that matter can we be sure that Teilhard's interior is not really the forgetful without, and this his exterior not really the all-knowing within? Nevertheless, I agree with Hoffmeyer that it is here we find conflict and the creativity that springs forward. And it is on this background, this not-something that we find the birth of the universe and the answer to the first ready-state (see Chapter 6 of David Albert's book "Time and Chance").

In Chapter 2 Hoffmeyer takes up the topic of forgetting. He writes: "not everything is remembered, only those things that are of significance. .... Inheritance testifies to the past ... Every single life-form in existence today has, lodged inside its genetic material, the sinuous trail of its evolutionary past harking all the way back to the dawn of life - while it is itself busy incorporating the experiences of today into the future.... forgetting holds the key to life's knack of incorporating the present into the future.... living systems carry out a selection process, forgetting somewhat more of what is unimportant than of what is important." And speaking of DNA, Hoffmeyer refers to it as a code description of the self, and only the fertilized egg is capable of reading/translating this code and building an organism.

To his credit, Hoffmeyer writes much (starting on page 16) on the work of C.S. Pierce: "The great thing Pierce perceived was that any form of logic which is based on two-factor, dyadic, relations is too limited.... it cannot be made to branch out. ... A network can be arrived at by combining three-factor relations, triads... Valid thought always presupposes a relation between three things.... This could be, for example, cause and effect plus the observer who connects these two."

To connect Pierce's three factor sign relations to a DNA strand, Hoffmeyer writes on page 20: "Embryogenesis, or ontogenesis, is a sign operation in the sense that a one-dimensional DNA inscription containing - as mentioned above- a coded version of its parents is converted into a three-dimensional organism of flesh and blood. The genome (the sum total of an individual's genetic material) is therefore a sign vehicle, or even better: a set of sign vehicles, referring to the construction of an organism, the ontogenetic trajectory. The question is, for whom? Who, in this case, is the someone who can interpret the sign?... It is the fertilized egg cell which is responsible for the deciphering or interpretation. As the egg gradually interprets the genome it splits up into billions of cell lines, becoming, in other words, an organism."

The DNA is therefore incomplete in a cause and effect world of one-way dyadic transitions. There needs to be something that interprets and represents and object of some kind, and this is minimally a three-way interaction.

In Hoffmeyer view these three-way interactions are everywhere, and he provides many examples in his book ranging from biology to consciousness. I would also point out that insistence on a one-way chain of mindless transitions cannot explain the origination problem of mind, and it ultimately leads to a meaningless search back to the beginning of time in a futile search to find the answer to David Albert's ready-state paradox. To his credit Hoffmeyer makes mention of Gödel and his incompleteness theorem, and including the issues of a deeper subjectivity and self-referral. But what Hoffmeyer is describing is Panpsychism, though he does not mention it as such, and he gives not mention of the works of early philosophers beyond Pierce. A.N. Whitehead's process metaphysics is strangely missing from the references. I found Hoffmeyer version of reality to be less agreeable with the atheistic panpsychism supported by D.S. Clarke (see "Panpsychism and the Religious Attitude"), though Hoffmeyer says little about the issue of a God.

Here are some of Hoffmeyer's closing remarks:

"From a biosemiotic point of view life is not something that ever has a beginning."

"Evil, too, presupposes an ability to empathize."

"The tendency to make mistakes lies at the root of all true development in this world."

"Signification and fallibility being two inseparable sides of the same elementary phenomenon."

"We wish to live in the present, yet we carry the traces of the past within us. In some respects these traces stretch back over fifteen billion years and, in their inner form, our cells contain information that is at least three billion years old. The arches and vaults of the brain harbor memories going back hundreds of millions of years. And half a million years ago humanity's existential drama was started to take shape."

I am happy to give Hoffmeyer's book a strong recommendation for reading.

inventive, interesting signs<-->meaning<-->observer
_signs of meaning in the universe_
jesper hoffmeyer
translated from the danish by barbara haveland

The first question ought to be, what is it about? what is the genre? It's science, it's philosophy. The word pathfinder, speculative, thoughtful, leading-edge come to mind. The flipside of the book is lack of detail, lack of explicit substance and explanation. He defines new words, gives a hint about what he is thinking, then moves on in a few paragraphs, which leaves the reader gasping for breath and more. Yet you understand that here is a deep thinker, a considerable intellect that has something important to say, something i am interested in, yet it is hard to follow and even harder to grasp. Mostly due to lack of detail, lack of specificity, lack of metaphors and things that would lead the reader in a ever-tightening spiral around the ideas, to eventually get to the point that the writer has reached. Don't get my feeling of missing something put you off, the book is worth the reading.

But again what is it about?

He introduces several specific, but odd terms. The biggie is semiotics and a series of derivatives. All built on a triad of: primary sign, the object, the interpretant (pg20ff) to which he credits the philosopher Charles S. Pierce. The example he uses is that the fertilized egg takes DNA and uses it to create the "ontogenetic trajectory"; as he puts it, the machinery of the egg takes DNA and decipers or interprets it to form the being, the embryo. From here he builds a concept of a semiosphere which is the sum total of all the signs and the significance they represent for living things and their environment. One extended example from biochemistry is very good, and illustrates the value of his ideas, chapter 6 and the discussion of receptors on cell surfaces. He could easily write a whole book with this chapter as a guide, and signal theory and signal transduction and the main theme, as handled by his semiotic triads. But unfortunately he doesn't and leaves the reader, at least me, asking for more detail and specificity.

The second term he introduces is umwelt which he credits to Jakob von Uexhull, which he defends as ecological niche as the organism itself apprehends it. pg54 The two terms kindof dance through the book, covering especially the topic of the evolution of human beings with attention to human self-awareness and/or consciousness until he reaches the topic of ecology. This is his planned destination for the book, it becomes apparent that his major concern is to allow the reader to review his travels in the field and understand that the semiosphere is a way to introduce morality and responsibility into human affairs and our relationship with the biosphere and the creatures that inhabit it. This is neat, for it is historically his intellectual journey, from the first glimmer in Pierce's triad to the things that push the evolution of human beings, to the full blown human responsibility to living things. That is why the book seems so sketchy, so bare of detail and examples. He desires us to follow his adventure but not distracted by the particulars but in a position to see the big picture that the semiotic viewpoint can yield.

But all the while there are literally dozens of places where he starts topics that would make for another book in themselves. For example, he shows that DNA is digital, organisms are analogy, he calls this code duality and it is the topic of chapter 4. Another place i screamed for more detail was near the end of chapter 6 where he is talking about neuropeptides and the way the immunological system interacts with the nervous system, amazing and thought-provoking stuff, the basis for another really good book, i think.

Its a good book, buy it and get out your yellow highlighter, because you will need to review this book several more times before it really sinks in.

biochemistry and information theory by dynamite philosopher
signs of meaning in the universe_
jesper hoffmeyer
translated from the danish by barbara haveland

The first question ought to be, what is it about? what is the genre? It's science, it's philosophy. The word pathfinder, speculative, thoughtful, leading-edge come to mind. The flipside of the book is lack of detail, lack of explicit substance and explanation. He defines new words, gives a hint about what he is thinking, then moves on in a few paragraphs, which leaves the reader gasping for breath and more. Yet you understand that here is a deep thinker, a considerable intellect that has something important to say, something i am interested in, yet it is hard to follow and even harder to grasp. Mostly due to lack of detail, lack of specificity, lack of metaphors and things that would lead the reader in a ever-tightening spiral around the ideas, to eventually get to the point that the writer has reached. Don't get my feeling of missing something put you off, the book is worth the reading.

But again what is it about?

He introduces several specific, but odd terms. The biggie is semiotics and a series of derivatives. All built on a triad of: primary sign, the object, the interpretant (pg20ff) to which he credits the philosopher Charles S. Pierce. The example he uses is that the fertilized egg takes DNA and uses it to create the "ontogenetic trajectory"; as he puts it, the machinery of the egg takes DNA and decipers or interprets it to form the being, the embryo. From here he builds a concept of a semiosphere which is the sum total of all the signs and the significance they represent for living things and their environment. One extended example from biochemistry is very good, and illustrates the value of his ideas, chapter 6 and the discussion of receptors on cell surfaces. He could easily write a whole book with this chapter as a guide, and signal theory and signal transduction and the main theme, as handled by his semiotic triads. But unfortunately he doesn't and leaves the reader, at least me, asking for more detail and specificity.

The second term he introduces is umwelt which he credits to Jakob von Uexhull, which he defends as ecological niche as the organism itself apprehends it. pg54 The two terms kindof dance through the book, covering especially the topic of the evolution of human beings with attention to human self-awareness and/or consciousness until he reaches the topic of ecology. This is his planned destination for the book, it becomes apparent that his major concern is to allow the reader to review his travels in the field and understand that the semiosphere is a way to introduce morality and responsibility into human affairs and our relationship with the biosphere and the creatures that inhabit it. This is neat, for it is historically his intellectual journey, from the first glimmer in Pierce's triad to the things that push the evolution of human beings, to the full blown human responsibility to living things. That is why the book seems so sketchy, so bare of detail and examples. He desires us to follow his adventure but not distracted by the particulars but in a position to see the big picture that the semiotic viewpoint can yield.

But all the while there are literally dozens of places where he starts topics that would make for another book in themselves. For example, he shows that DNA is digital, organisms are analogy, he calls this code duality and it is the topic of chapter 4. Another place i screamed for more detail was near the end of chapter 6 where he is talking about neuropeptides and the way the immunological system interacts with the nervous system, amazing and thought-provoking stuff, the basis for another really good book, i think.

Its a good book, buy it and get out your yellow highlighter, because you will need to review this book several more times before it really sinks in.

A must read on biosemiotics
This book is neccesary reading. The thoughts and topicsdiscussed in this book are fresh, and opens your mind for a new way ofseeing the world. The danish original is very hard to read. If only the author had made richer use of metaphors, the understanding of this book would be better - faster (Like Dawkins/selfisg Gene) However I would highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Book Description

What has the Hubble Space Telescope revealed about our universe?How should one select and use binoculars and a telescope? What are the simple tools available to measure distances and locate objects in the sky?Night Sky, an Explore Your World ™handbook, answers these and other question, providing a captivating blend of information and entertainment about the awesome wonders of the universe.

Incorporating the Discovery Channel's unique, authoritative approach and acclaimed visuals, Night Sky goes beyond traditional guides by combining field identification techniques with fascinating background information and practical hands-on advice. Organized in a clear, accessible style, beautifully illustrated with more than 300-full color photographs and illustrations, and packed with the most up-to-date information by expert meteorologists, this comprehensive handbook offers weather buffs a wealth of information in a single portable source. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent Astronomy Guide/Hand Book
This 1999 handbook is so well done, there's no close second. The VERY BEST PART is that next to many of the charts are FULL COLOR pictures of the messier object within that chart. With each chart (I counted 93?) is a detailed description of the constellation and the objects of interest that it contains. Although I don't like the binding, this book is so well done, so colorful, so detailed in what it contains (I counted 144 NGC objects), that I'd add this to your MUST have book list (but not to be your ONLY book). You will not regret the purchase of THIS book. This book is a good reference, yet can be read like a novel. The beginner who reads through this book will no longer be a beginner. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A great way to learn about the neighborhood
This is a wonderful book full of explanations, photographs and maps.There's a bit of history about the Milky Way Galaxy's discovery followed by descriptions of our Galaxy and the surrounding neighborhood, the "Local Group."The book starts outward and moves in toward the galactic center, describing the various spiral arms along the way.It contains great maps and excellent descriptions, particularly of our very local part of the Galaxy.It's not a difficult read, though a little previous reading in astronomy wouldn't hurt.Definitely a great resource for amateur astronomers and those with just a passing interest.This is not a new book, and I'd love to see a newer edition.

Excellent introduction for someone curious about our stars
Reading this book rekindled an old dormant interest in "reading" the night sky. This book, if carefully read, presents galactic structure are we currently know it in a way that truly make one rethink the night sky and truly begin to understand what one is seeing. I have to agree with several prior reviews: this is the kind of book that can expand one's mind. I went so far as to duplicate the color maps and laminate them so that when I star gaze, I can refer to the maps and place objects in our Orion Arm, Perseus Arm, or Sagittarius Arm. The explanation of Gould's belt made me appreciate again the splendor of Orion in the winter sky. This book is well worth the price and read. It can be casually read, but careful reading and study pay big dividends.

superb reading and pictures, no bla bla
a superb book for amateur-reading . Beautiful colourful pictures of our galaxy. A 'road-map' on a scale you've never seen ! It tells you more about our home-galaxy, distances, objects, and the location of our own star (the sun) than whatever astronomical photographs may. I was very sorry to reach the last pages.

An armchair astronomer's dream.
An extraordinary book that fits all those bits and pieces together to orient you into our galaxy.Distances become second nature, you come to see the sky in 3 dimensions.Beautiful photgraphs and diagrams. This book will make your mind grow ... Read more

Reviews (13)

The adventure of cosmology.
Smoot's book chronicles the excitement, frustrations, and adventure of the work of science, focusing on his careful efforts and eventual triumph with the COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer) satellite project. Stephen Hawking calls Smoot's observations "the scientific discovery of the century, if not all time". The reader easily comes to identify with the author and his work -- "In the predawn darkness, not far away, fifteen years of work were sitting atop many tons of high explosives. If it blew to bits, what would I do? ... I had seen the [Delta] rocket close up, and had been aghast at how decrepit it looked, rusting here and there... Our professional life's work was on top of that thing. We didn't say a word, only silent prayers."
The author explains well the theories, predictions, discoveries, and conundrums of cosmology. The explanation of Guth's inflation theory is particularly lucid. In summarizing the startling discoveries of recent astrophysical observation, Smoot reposes in the wonder of the created order with these words: "[Steven] Weinberg muses... 'The more the universe seems comprehensible, the more it also seems pointless.' I must disagree with my old teacher. To me the universe seems quite the opposite of pointless... The more we learn, the more we see ... there is an underlying unity to the sea of matter and stars and galaxies ... we are learning that nature is as it is not because it is the chance consequence of a random series of meaningless events; quite the opposite."

A Clear Explanation of Spacetime
I enjoyed this book for not only the adventure of discovery involved with the COBE project, but also the clear explanation of the history of cosmology and the concept of the expanding universe and spacetime. Before I read this book my idea of the "Big Bang" was matter flying out in all directions from a giant explosion. The concept of spacetime means that space was being "created" with time. A difficult concept to grasp that is not well treated in most high school text books. I found Dr. Smoot's story most interesting and I gained an appreciation of the subtle and difficult nature of modern scientific research.

History of Discovering Cosmic History
"Einstein, who was devoted to a rational explanation of the world, once said: 'I want to know how god created the world. I want to know his thoughts.' He meant it metaphorically, as a measure profundity of his quest." - George Smoot

Wrinkles in time, written by George Smoot and Keay Davidson, is an excellent book if you are interested in cosmology like me, or if you are looking for something to read about how the 'big bang hypothesis' was proved into theory, especially if you are in favor of it.

The first part of the book had beneficial knowledge about particle physics. It included different types of dark matter such as baryonic, non-baryonic, cold, hot, etc. It explains the physical, chemical, and nuclear phase transitions of matter, which goes from solid to liquid to gas to plasma and then protons. In this part the author also explains theories such as the big bang theory, predictions, discoveries, and mysteries of the cosmos.

To me the first part was also more exciting than the second part where George Smoot is on a 'journey of exploring the Cosmic Background History'. This is the part where the author pursues the 'holy grail of science' and at last is allowed to send up his satellite whose data is unbelievable so he goes on an expedition to Antarctica to collect data from the South Pole by his own hands. At last George finds his reason for himself rejecting the data. The book ends with him going to the press to reveal his data and final conclusions.

Feels like an eternity
The book covers the last 14 billion years or so, and sometimes it feels like it. It is a bit long-winded and certainly contains a lot of info that I doubt people really want to know. There are some compelling sections - like the U2 flights and the creating of COBE - but all in all Smoot repeats himself too much, and spends too much time on trivialities.
A worthy read for those interested in cosmology, but not a stocking stuffer for the casual reader!

Essencial cosmology book - for cosmology lovers.
I cherish books about cosmology, especially chronicling the most important discoveries about the Universe.
We have had currently three major important milestone developments, changing our perception of the space:
--In 1981Alan Guth introduced rapid, early inflation theory. It was crucial theory explaining why it is natural for the Universe to be expanding close to the critical rate today.
--Scientists were able to obtain a background measure at all in the Universe, using COBE satellite. In 1992 George Smoot announced existence of primordial seeds of modern-day structures such as galaxies, clusters of galaxies, and so on. Later these infrared readings were called "face of God".
--In 1998, acceleration of visible space expansion was officially acknowledged as a breakthrough of the years. The observations confirmed Alan Guth's inflationary theory. Robert Kirshner- supernova guru from Harvard, is one of the most important scientists studying this "cceleration" phenomena.

George Smoot's books belongs to this category of essential "collectors' items". Reader will learn first hand how COBE project has been completed and its results confirmed by measurements of Milky Way's radio emissions taken at the South Pole. Book delivers substantial amount of basic information about Universe as well. As for today, it is a bit of outdated info, but author's writings about personal life, work and experience are still worse of perusal.

Alan Guth's "Inflationary Universe" and Robert Kirshner's "Extravagant Universe" will be two other milestone books being written by directly involved scientists. ... Read more