Guide to the Sun [Hardcover]

Kenneth J. H. Phillips (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 30, 1992

The sun has been an object of fascination and scientific interest to humans since the time of the ancient Greeks. With minimum technical language, this book gives an account of what we now know about the sun's interior, its surface and atmosphere, its role in our solar system, and its relation to other stars. The ways that solar power is being converted to useful forms of energy are also explained. The book is aimed at anyone interested in learning about the latest developments in solar studies, from those at high-school level to the nonspecialist professional.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The book is well written...it contains so much material that even professionals may find it a valuable summary...I can therefore recommmend it highly to both the interested outsider and the professional." Stephen M. White, Physics Today

"I have not seen a more complete work at this level." Gordon Bond, The Practical Observer

"Guide to the Sun does not get bogged down in the technical details of astrophysics but always reminds the reader of the grand view. As a guide and reference work, this book is quite good." Richard Hill, Sky & Telescope

"Overall, this book is a well-written and easily readable history of the development of knowledge about the sun, as well as a comprehensive reference work." George J. Flynn, Science Books & Films

"An excellent introduction to the sun that can easily be understood by anyone who is able to read Scientific American. It is more complete than most recent books on the subject, and includes a number of interesting topics not seen elsewhere. One of the best books on the subject in recent years, and a good choice for anyone wanting to learn about the sun." B.R. Parker, Choice

"...will be a helpful tool for high school students faced with the need to do research about the sun but unable to understand advanced astronomy textbooks." Book Report

"...as a general guide for those with a technical interest in solar astrophysics it has much to recommend it." John Gribbin, New Scientist

"The end result, accessible to a wide range of reader, is an excellent genreal account of the Sun, its properties and relationship to other stars, and the solar-terrestrial environment that it supports. Bernard Roberts, The Times Higher Education Supplement

"As a guide and reference work, this book is quite good." Richard Hill, Sky and Telescope

Book Description

With minimum technical language, this book provides an account of what we now know about the sun's interior, surface and atmosphere, role in our solar system and relation to other stars. The ways that solar power is being converted to useful forms of energy are also explained.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (October 30, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052139483X
• ISBN-13: 978-0521394833
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.9 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,219,157 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kenneth Phillips is Visiting Professor at University College London and Honorary Professor at Queen's University Belfast. He is the author of "Guide to the Sun" (CUP) and one of 3 authors of "Ultraviolet and X-ray Spectroscopy of the Solar Atmosphere" (CUP). He was educated at Ashford County Grammar School then gained BSc and PhD degrees at University College London, after which he took postdoctoral positions in solar physics at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (Greenbelt, Maryland, USA) and the University of Hawaii. He was at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory's Space Science Department between 1977 and 2002, then took up a US National Research Council Senior Research Associateship at Goddard (2002-2005) to work on the RHESSI spacecraft project with Brian Dennis and others. His research interests include solar physics and X-ray and ultraviolet spectroscopy, as well as Sun-like stars. He has lectured widely on these topics. He and a research team from Belfast and the University of Wroclaw, Poland, were the subject of a BBC documentary on the 2001 total solar eclipse in Zambia. He has close links with NASA Goddard and with Polish solar astronomers at the University of Wroclaw in Poland and the Polish Academy of Sciences, notably Professors Pawel Rudawy, Janusz Sylwester and Jerzy Jakimiec. The co-operation over several years led to the award first of the Gold Medal of Wroclaw University (Sept. 2009) followed soon after by the Copernicus Medal of the Polish Academy of Sciences at the Staszicz Palace in Warsaw (see pictures). Minor planet 13991 Kenphillips is named after him. Ken lives in Thatcham, Berkshire, in the UK, where in the local parish church Francis Baily, famed eclipse observer and astronomer in the 19th century, is buried. Among his more than 200 publications is a Scientific American article on solar coronal heating with Dr Bhola Dwivedi, published in the June 2001 issue of the magazine, which gained the 2004 Popular Writing Award on Solar Physics from the American Astronomical Society. Ken continues to lecture at University College London, and takes an active interest in fair representation of women and minorities in astronomy, serving on the RAS Women in Astronomy Committe (1998-2002). His hobbies include running, music and drama, and reading. The bookshelves in his living room groan under the weight of nearly 500 novels and non-fiction books he's read over the years.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introduction as well as a long time companion, April 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Guide to the Sun (Paperback)

For me as a novice to the subject of solar physics "A guide to the sun" by K.J.H. Phillips provided me with an excellent, concise, and easy to read introduction into this fascinating topic. And with basic knowledge acquired I realized that it covers a lot of topics of current discussion about solar physics like the SOHO mission. This book is an asset which once read will serve you as a reference and long time companion.