The Solar System [Paperback]

Michael A. Seeds (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 29, 2007 | ISBN-10: 0495387878 | ISBN-13: 978-0495387879 | Edition: 6

With this newly revised sixth edition of THE SOLAR SYSTEM, author Mike Seeds' goal is to help you use astronomy to understand science--and use science to understand what we are. Fascinating and engaging, this text will help you answer two fundamental questions: What are we? How do we know? Crafting a story about astronomy, Seeds shows you how to ask questions to gradually puzzle out the beautiful secrets of the physical world and our place in it. This edition addresses the newest developments and latest discoveries in the exciting study of astronomy, including new data on Jupiter's ring system; new observations of the shapes of stars; new evidence of dark energy, quasars, and galaxy collisions; and a look inside supernova explosions. And for students looking for an interactive alternative to the print text, the FOUNDATIONS OF ASTRONOMY Online Version is the ideal solution. The Online Version gives you Web-based access to a digital version of Michael A. Seeds' best-selling astronomy textbook containing the complete text of THE SOLAR SYSTEM. If your instructor is using the Enhanced WebAssig online homework management system, the Online Version includes access to your homework assignments as well, allowing you to navigate quickly between your homework and the text. Visit www.webassign.net/seeds to learn more.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mike Seeds is the John W. Wetzel Professor of Astronomy at Franklin and Marshall College as well as Director of the College's Joseph R. Grundy Observatory. His research interests include peculiar variable stars and the automation of astronomical telescopes. He is the Principal Astronomer in charge of the Phoenix 10, the first fully robotic telescope, located in southern Arizona. In 1989, he received the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for distinguished Teaching. In addition to teaching, writing, and research, Mike has created educational tools for use in computer-smart classrooms and continues to develop his upper-level courses in Archaeoastronomy and in the History of Astronomy. He has also published educational software for preliterate toddlers. Mike was Senior Consultant in the creation of the 26-episode telecourse UNIVERSE: THE INFINITE FRONTIER. He is the author of several introductory astronomy textbooks, including HORIZONS EXPLORING THE UNIVERSE, 9th Edition (2006), published by Thomson Brooks/Cole. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 658 pages
• Publisher: Brooks Cole; 6 edition (November 29, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0495387878
• ISBN-13: 978-0495387879
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #691,490 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #42 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Astronomy & Space Science > Solar System

More About the Author

Michael A. Seeds has been Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, since 1970. In 1989, he received F&M College's Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching. Seeds's love for the history of astronomy led him to create upper-level courses on Archaeoastronomy and Changing Concepts of the Universe. His research interests focus on variable stars and the automation of astronomical telescopes. Mike is coauthor with Dana Backman of HORIZONS: EXPLORING THE UNIVERSE, Eleventh Edition (2009); ASTRONOMY: THE SOLAR SYSTEM AND BEYOND, Sixth Edition (2009); and PERSPECTIVES OF ASTRONOMY (2008), all published by Cengage. He was Senior Consultant in the creation of the twenty-six-episode telecourse accompanying the book HORIZONS: EXPLORING THE UNIVERSE.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Book, February 8, 2009

By 

Norman Strojny "retired tech-person" (western desert of Utah) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Solar System, Fourth Edition (Paperback)

"The Solar System (with CD-ROM, Virtual Astronomy Labs, AceAstronomy, and InfoTrac)", fourth edition. is an excellent book for learning the elements of astronomy withing our solar system. The author, Michael A. Seeds, gives not just facts, but, also, a conceptual framework to understand how the logic of science works. The book has many, excellent, colored illustrations and photos with simple explanations. While some of the mathematics is there, the author makes it possible to use the book without resorting to the math.

This edition comes with a CD that has a student tutorial system. This addition makes this edition more worthwhile than the sixth edition that does not have this useful extra.

The book is extensive (my copy has 657 pages) and is easy to read. I strongly recommend this book for any teenager who is interested in learning more about the Solar System and about astronomy.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book at a great price for college, September 13, 2009

By 

Steve T. (Glendale, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Solar System (Paperback)

I needed this book for a class I was taking in college and Amazon was the cheapest way to get it. As far as my review of the actual content of the book, it was great. The author brings you to the reading with a journey together to explore the Solar system. It is a very detailed and accurate book indeed, my Professor who had a PhD. used this book in class and we learned about the Solar System in its entirety. This is a good book if you are a home Astronomer also, or if you are just curious about our planets and how the moon may have been created, etc.

3.0 out of 5 stars Served its purpose, February 4, 2012

By 

MissViki - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Solar System (Paperback)

I bought this used, so I had to anticipate some rips and tears. Nothing major. No missing pages and no damage that prevented me from reading it. I'll probably put it up for sale here again now that my semester is over.