A Photographic Tour of the Universe [Paperback]

Gabriele Vanin (Author), Richard M. West (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1996

A Photographic Tour of the Universe presents over 250 new images from space, drawn from space agencies (NASA and the European Space Agency) and by other renowned observatories. Each photograph is accompanied by an extensive caption that points out the important details in the image and summarizes the techniques and exposure times used to make the photographs. As we proceed through the text, which covers our solar system, the stars, the nebulae, the near galaxies, and, finally, the distant galaxies, we learn how astronomers have interpreted what they have seen and how the new images have changed what we know about the cosmos. Recent photos form the Hubble, for example, have shown the "signature" of black holes -- objects so massive and dense that not even light can escape their gravitational pull. Other images taken recently are remarkable for their high resolution and extraordinary beauty, such as those revealing the famous Horsehead Nebula. The book includes an introduction by Richard M. West of the European Southern Observatory.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Astronomy lovers receive a fine exploration of the universe through over two hundred color photos packed into this volume. New tools like the Hubble and new development and imaging techniques like filtering and computerized restoration lend to both new images and changing theories about the universe, and this is an excellent introduction. -- Midwest Book Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Gabriele Vanin is president of the Italian Astrophiles' Union and has conducted original research in the field of comets and solar observing. He is also an expert on eclipses, meteors and the history, popularization and teaching of astronomy. Vanin has contributed to the most important Italian and international astronomy journals and is the author of more than 200 articles and eight books in the field of astronomy, among them Cosmic Phenomena (Firefly; 1999).

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Firefly Books; Revised and expanded edition (January 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155209345X
• ISBN-13: 978-1552093450
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,470,812 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Basic, Well Balanced Introduction To The Universe, February 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Photographic Tour of the Universe (Hardcover)

Like the previous reviewer, I purchased this book mainly to look at some Hubble photographs. Unlike the previous reviewer, I found much more to like about it. Photos provided are not just from Hubble but from a variety of different ground-based and orbiting telescopes. Some are rather dated, many are indeed beautiful, and ALL of them are interesting to look at. And each one is accompanied by often detailed descriptions of their content and on how the photos were taken; whether from visible light, infrared, or x-ray telescopes.

The book's topics proceed logically from a brief, illustrated history of astrophotography; through a tour of our solar system; through a description of different types of stars, nebulas, and star clusters; through our Milky Way and beyond to distant galaxies; and finally to glimpses of the more distant parts of our universe courtesy of the Hubble Telescope.

Though there are no ground breaking revelations here, I think there is a nice balance between the number and type of photographs provided and the volume of accompanying text. I've taken some astronomy courses and I think this book gives a straight forward, easy yet interesting introduction to our universe. Looking at the pictures is nice, but its also nice to read about what we are looking at and why they are important. Each section is also laced with a little history about how scientists and philosophers interpreted what they saw using the tools of their day.

Overall, a fun book. Highly recommended!

4.0 out of 5 stars Includes a unique image sequence, November 10, 2007

By 

Steve "Zumbini" (Chicago Ridge, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Photographic Tour of the Universe (Hardcover)

I have seen many general-interest astronomy and astrophotography books. This book is unique for a sequence of seven images (in the chapter on Types of Stars) running from hot blue Mintaka to cool reddish Betelguese. I bought the book for this sequence alone!

4.0 out of 5 stars Great pictures, some computer enhanced - too many words., March 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Photographic Tour of the Universe (Hardcover)

Hoping to see more pictures from Hubble telescope,and less about the Hubble. Some pictures were outstanding. Some not very new. Some really good pictures may have been computer enhanced - difficult to tell sometimes. Overall a fair but disappointing book. Too much reading (words).