Cosmological Enigmas: Pulsars, Quasars, and Other Deep-Space Questions [Hardcover]

Mark Kidger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 2007 | ISBN-10: 0801884608 | ISBN-13: 978-0801884603 | Edition: 1

The universe is big. Really big. And it gets bigger every day. In Cosmological Enigmas, Mark Kidger weaves together history, science, and science fiction to consider questions about the bigness of space and the strange objects that lie trembling at the edge of infinity.

What are quasars, blazars, and gamma-ray bursters? Could we ever travel to the stars? Can we really expect aliens to contact us? From the profound (what evidence do we have to support the big bang theory?) to the bizarre (can there be more than one universe and, if so, how many dimensions does it possess?) to the everyday-yet-profound (why is the sky dark at night?), Kidger explains not only what we know but how we came to know it. Reflecting on how stars shine and what may lie beyond the edge of the universe, Kidger takes us on the ultimate cosmic journey.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The ideas of the sciences flow together smoothly, interwoven with personal reminiscences and observations. Highly recommended.

(Choice 2008)

Provides an excellent introduction to the rapidly changing fields of cosmology, stellar astrophysics, and galactic studies.

(Marc Rothenberg Magill Book Reviews 2008)

A mix of standard astronomy lessons and some wonderful analogies, bring concepts that can be truly mind boggling closer to home... Kidger's explanations often sparkle with interesting 'I didn't know that' factoids... The book is truly a conversation between astronomer and reader, illuminating the 'Big Questions' in astronomy with a down-to-earth approach.

(Carolyn Collins Petersen Sky and Telescope 2008)

Easily accessible to the nonspecialist.

(Paul V. Pancella Science Books and Films 2008)

It is always a pleasure to read a book that is written by someone who has such a passion for the subject... The overall impression is of a book that is worthy of inclusion in any bookcase. On a final note, it has a superbly designed and eye-catching dust jacket!

(John Griffiths Observatory Magazine 2008)

About the Author

Mark Kidger is an astronomer at the European Space Astronomy Centre in Madrid. He is the author of Astronomical Enigmas: Life on Mars, the Star of Bethlehem, and Other Milky Way Mysteries, also published by Johns Hopkins.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press; 1 edition (October 31, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801884608
• ISBN-13: 978-0801884603
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,046,837 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars light, engaging, and fun, September 5, 2008

By 

Bruce D. Wilner "Bruce David Wilner" (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cosmological Enigmas: Pulsars, Quasars, and Other Deep-Space Questions (Hardcover)

Kidger has written an estimable sequel to his "Astronomical Enigmas." He addresses a wide range of questions treating the origin and fate of the universe, exobiology, and the like. He presents a first-class series of _conceptual_ essays, finely toeing the line between unacceptable vagueness and over-the-top mathematics. That having been said, this is definitely not a book for the professional astronomer or physicist. However, the curious dilettante should find Kidger's discussions lively, engaging, and thought-provoking, while his numerous links to Internet resources and other published works for the non-specialist are a welcome addition that rounds out this first-class offering.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Digestible Layman's book on Astronomical topics., September 8, 2009

By 

Lonewolf Astronomer "a fellow reader and life... (Trevor, Wisconsin USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cosmological Enigmas: Pulsars, Quasars, and Other Deep-Space Questions (Hardcover)

Mr. Kidger's book, "Cosmological Enigmas - Pulsars, Quasars & Other Deep-Space Questions", is written with the layperson in mind. It cuts across many of the top cosmological phenomenon that are the sources of research in cosmology and astrophysics; but, does so without dragging you through the muddle astronomer/astrophysicist "speak" and leaves behind any maths required to fully explain things. That does not mean that the book is absent of all math; it does bring up important equations that are explained. Overall is fairly well written with explanations given on ground terms to those who do not have a strong background on any of the subjects covered.

Given the target reader, the book presents a very god synopsis of current objects of interest and questions most commonly asked of astronomers and astrophysicist; however, the book suffers from high quality pictures and diagrams that are misplaced in two locations of the book that forces the reader to rifle through the pages in search of the figures being referred to in the text and goes as far as breaking a chapter forcing the user to both sections of figures. There are numerous typographical errors and mistakes made in explanations that should never have been present in the book. One cannot blame the author totally. The editors and reviewers should have caught the mistakes prior to publishing the book.

Overall the quality of the material is there; but the publishing mistakes knock the book down from 5 to 4 stars. Like any subject in the sciences, things change very rapidly. When talking about the things that are on the cutting edge of research, discussion, and theorization, it does not take long for the contents of a book like this to become dated. Many things have changed since the date of publication; however, the layperson will not be disappointed due to the well-thought out way the book was written.