Customer Reviews

Radio Astronomy

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Prof. Kraus' book RADIO ASTONOMY 2nd ed. is THE classic textbook
on radio astronomy. Radio astronomy is an exponentially growing
field of research through which we can gain insight into
everything from the origin of our solar system to the origin of
the Universe itself. Unlike the beginning of optical astronomy
which is lost in the midsts of time, radio astronomy can trace
its beginnings to 1931 with Karl Jansky's pioneering work at
Bell Laboratories. Dr. Kraus was also there at the beginning,
attending Jansky's first public lecture and contributing
technically, scientifically, and in education to this emerging
field ever since. This experience gives Dr. Kraus a unique
vantage point from which to write his book. In the book,
Dr. Kraus carefully and methodically covers the basics of radio
astronomy, wave polarization & propagation, radio telescope
antennas & receivers, and discusses radio observations of the
solar system, interstellar medium, pulsars, and external
galaxies. Dr. Kraus is an excellent technical writer. He provides
worked out examples and illustrations for many of the most
important problems one encounters in this field. Indeed, this
book serves as an important working reference for radio
astronomers as well as an introduction to new comers. The writing
is clear. Unlike with many textbooks, when one finishes reading a
chapter in RADIO ASTRONOMY, you will have enough practical
knowledge to actually solve real problems in radio astronomy
pertaining to the subject matter. For anyone interested in radio
astronomy as a hobby or career, I would say this book is a MUST.

Perhaps referred as the BIBLE of radio-astronomy, this book has everything. Though the novice user may find it intimidating because of the technicality of the material, the book is still a reference book for many. This book has been designed as a course-work and the formal approach to teaching by means of worked out examples and exercises are clearly visible. The author is a Prof at Ohio state, has an absolute mastery of the subject and a strong historical background about the start and his involvement in this movement to boot. Though the starting of the chapters are very abrupt, this is passeable as the book is intended for graduate studies and it is implicit that one knows the basics. Ex: He directly jumps into "polarization" without explaining the term lucidly for a lay-man. Some new chapters have been added to make the book more upto date as possible.

On the whole, a good buy for a person with a technical bent of mind with a strong foundation of basics in this field.