Customer Reviews

Cosmic Perspective, The (5th Edition)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

So far I have been very pleased with this book. It is easy to read and understand and, as far as textbooks go, fairly enjoyable (it also has helpful graphics and colorful pictures which, admit it, we all like). It does not get too far into the mathematics of astronomy but that's not necessarily a bad thing and the math examples ("Mathematical Insights") are also very helpful and easy to understand. I have never read any other astronomy textbooks but this one seems to be very good and has given me nothing to make me unhappy so far.

This book really has all the nitty-gritty aspects of astronomy. It explains the fundamentals needed to understand astronomical phenomena, such as astro-physics and chemistry, units of distance, the importance of light, etc. It also has a chapter on the history of the progress of astronomy. All this comes in the beginning, and as you study on, things get better and better.
There are also lots of nice imagery and graphic demonstrations.

The 2 stars get taken off because of Mastering Astronomy - it is really a terrible learning tool. Many of the tutorials and demonstrations leave you dumbfunded at the end, when you're supposed to know and understand the topic. Many times you simply don't know what you're supposed to do with the given tool at your disposal. Other times, the tools are not enough to even come up with an answer of prediction - you have to consult other media.

The book itself is a great learing tool (surprise surprise) - the online tool is crap.

There could not be a more well written book covering every aspect of basic astronomy. No detail has been overlooked and the language is precisely clear. As one progresses through the text, it unwinds like a well written novel, with the only difference being that it is all actual fact and not fiction. Well done!

Professor Voit, one of the textbook's four co-authors, is actually my astronomy professor at MSU. Compared to other astronomy textbooks I've purchased for previous courses, I can confidently say this is the best introductory text I've read. Though I didn't really need some of the review the book covers, if you're brand new to the subject it's very helpful in catching you up on some physics/chem basics. The diagrams are nicely illustrated and help provide a better understanding of the text. I have absolutely no complaints with this book. The software on the other hand is rather annoying and time consuming. Don't get me wrong, it goes well with the book and helps reinforce the content, I just don't care for it. The tutorials which are required homework for my course take way too long to finish, for how little work there actually is to be done. Though, it is nice that you can skip playing them and just get straight to the questions, which is what I now do.

This book will teach you about the size, age, and origin of our universe. You will learn about the creation of our solar system from an interstellar cloud, and how our planets not only formed, but why the terrestrial and jovian planets are composed differently. The text covers the various forms of light, from radio waves to gamma rays, and what kinds of telescopes are best used for viewing the various forms. You'll also discover how astronomers use emission and absorption spectra to judge distances to stars and determine their chemical compositions. In essence, the text touches on a little of everything. Even if you do not need this for a certain course and are simply interested in how we got here, from the big bang to present, this is a good read.

Got this for a science class I needed for my core classes in college, but it's a good textbook. Easy to read (well, as easy as a textbook can be) and very interesting.

The product came just like it promised. The book is absolutely fabulous and the online tools are a big help. I'm taking this class for the summer, so I need all the cramming I can get. This is my second astronomy class, and this book is just the right amount of detail (not too mathy, but lots of new information). The only thing I haven't explored is the star gazer that came with the pack. But all in all, this item was a great buy for my class.

The book is fascinating and gives a complete but simple overview of astronomy. I would recommend it to anyone interested in learning about the subject. My only problem was with receiving the order.

This is a good book filled with lots of pictures that make Astronomy more interesting.

I was worried about buying a school book from Amazon. I didn't know if it was going to be in good condition, if it was new like they said it would be and if it would come with the mastering astronomy disk like it said. There were no problems in the deliver, or from the seller. The book was excellent condition, brand new in fact. It had the required CD as well. Plus the price was roughly 30-40 dollars cheaper than thru the book store that University of Phoenix recommends. I will use this service again for future books.