Customer Reviews

The Astronomer's Universe: Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmos

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Everything I wanted to know about telescopes, radio astronomy, white dwarfs, the milky way, black holes, search for other life in the universe, and the history of astronomy is all in this book. It is easily read by a layman (like me). Math background not required. Great stories of discovery! Well illustrated.

Oh my god ... It's full of stars.

including

ACAMAR
ACHERNAR
Achird
ACRUX
Acubens
ADARA
Adhafera
Adhil
AGENA
Ain al Rami
Ain
Al Anz
Al Kalb al Rai
Al Minliar al Asad
Al Minliar al Shuja
Aladfar
Alathfar
Albaldah
Albali
ALBIREO
Alchiba
ALCOR
ALCYONE
ALDEBARAN
ALDERAMIN
Aldhibah
Alfecca Meridiana

I am a middle-aged housewife with a sudden, ravenous and completely inexplicable need to know everything there is about collapsing stars--this stage in their evolution, and the compact objects they form. I recently was at a friend's house and saw this on his shelf. It's FANTASTIC, and I can't wait until my copy gets here. For near-idiots like me, pictures are essential, and the illustrations in this book are superb--clear, clean drawings of all the degenerate goo in, say, a neutron star's core (I'm afraid that's the only part I poured over, but I devoured it). Included, too, is a blow-by-blow account of every ghastly step of this, the ultimate natural disaster.

There's lots more, too, but I'm an obsessive, so that's what I looked at. This is a fantastic beginning for those adults curious about the very big universe around them--the math is at a minimum, the illustrations are INTENSE, and the text is run clear through with the thrill of it all. Until I can do the math in Compact Stars: Nuclear Physics, Particle Physics and General Relativity (Astronomy and Astrophysics Library), this'll do nicely. And who cares if we now know more than is presented here? This not-too-dated book is STILL a great place to start.