Teach Yourself Astronomy (Teach Yourself (McGraw-Hill)) [Paperback]

Sir Patrick Moore (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0844239038 | ISBN-13: 978-0844239033 | Publication Date: January 11, 1999 | Edition: 1

Learn about the cosmos from your armchair

Sir Patrick Moore, who has presented the BBC’s “The Sky at Night” since 1957 and has won numerous awards for his work, guides you through the major breakthroughs in astronomy over the last five years.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (January 11, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0844239038
• ISBN-13: 978-0844239033
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,493,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Beginning Book on Astronomy, April 7, 1998

By 

Kim Christensen (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teach Yourself Astronomy (Teach Yourself (McGraw-Hill)) (Paperback)

Patrick Moore outlines basic principles of Astronomy
in this edition of the 'Teach Yourself' series.

Moore, an English astronomer effectively teaches the beginner how to look at the stars.
While astronomy is often associated with complex mathematics,
Moore almost completely avoids the mathematical aspects
of astronomy and simply teaches the reader how to look at the stars,
identify constellations; buy, make and use a telescope.

A great book for the beginner, Moore's bias towards accomplishments of English
Astronomers and a hint of animosity towards American accomplishments
seems to indicate that his target reading audience is of British nationality
and does take a little something away from this otherwise great book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good Astronomy Starter Book, July 31, 2009

By 

silhouette_of_enchantment "zenfully awake." (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Teach Yourself Astronomy (Teach Yourself: Math & Science) (Paperback)

If you're starting off with astronomy (learning the basics) this is a great guide. I first discovered this book at my local library, and fell in love with its detailed information about our solar system and the universe.

This brief overview contains constellation charts, tips on buying a good telescope, as well as concise, easy-to-understand information about the sun and her satellite planets, as well as Kuiper Belt dwarf planets, the Oort Cloud and other features of the universe. He also includes a little theory/laws for beginners (including Bode's Law and Kepler's Three Laws of Motion). Historical information about astronomers are also included.

Unfortunately, although this book is the perfect brief guide for beginniners, it does not contain a lot of color photographs. People looking to planetary "eye candy" should turn to a book like "Universe," for color photographs. There are also some persnickety remarks (by this British astronomer) about the American space program. (But all things aside, this still is a great manual.)