From Here to Infinity: The Royal Observatory Greenwich Guide to Astronomy [Paperback]

John Gribbin (Author), Mary Gribbin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2008 | ISBN-10: 0948065788 | ISBN-13: 978-0948065781

Analyzing the planets of our solar system as well as the wider universe, this definitive reference provides an unparalleled understanding of all aspects of astronomy. From straightforward questions regarding the distance of stars and Galileo’s discoveries to theories on the possible expansion of the universe, this examination is sure to appeal to both amateur astronomers and space buffs. Beautifully photographed and illustrated with detailed diagrams, this is a highly authoritative and fascinating guide to one of the most exciting areas of scientific research.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Gribbin and Mary Gribbin are the authors of Almost Everyone's Guide to Science, Ice Age, and Stardust.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: National Maritime Museum (September 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0948065788
• ISBN-13: 978-0948065781
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,761,312 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 Not the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe, November 11, 2008

By 

Wayne Robinson (Perth, Western Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From Here to Infinity: The Royal Observatory Greenwich Guide to Astronomy (Paperback)

This book provides a concise (perhaps too concise) and richly illustrated description of the Universe, starting with the Earth and finishing with speculations about how life originated. I would like to think that this book doesn't include anything I wasn't vaguely familiar with before, but I found it useful to have it all in the one place. The illustrations are of high quality, and pretty to look at, just on their own. The shortness of the book is a problem; there's only about 230 pages, and the illustrations take up many of the pages, so the statements of fact tend to be a little terse. For example, on page 48, it is stated about the Earth; 'By 400 million years ago, the fossil record shows that it was spinning once every 22 hours,..." I can see why it would have been spinning faster, but I can't understand how the fossil record would have shown this, so it's obvious I am going to have to do some more reading about this.