1001 Things Everyone Should Know About the Universe [Paperback]

William A. Gutsch Jr. (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0385483864 | ISBN-13: 978-0385483865 | Publication Date: May 18, 1999 | Edition: 1st Main Street Books Ed

White dwarves. Black dwarves. Red giants. Are these Disney characters? Actually, they are astronomical terms that are explained in 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About the Universe, the only source for a comprehensive and entertaining account of the stars and the sun, space exploration, and the Milky Way Galaxy.

Eminent astronomer Bill Gutsch takes the reader on a journey to explore the nebulous star clusters, probe the core of the nuclear furnace we call the sun, tour the distortions of time and space, and demystify 997 more amazing secrets of the cosmos. Readers gain insight into how the galaxy evolved, and search its very heart where many believe there may lurk a monstrous black hole.

Are there other beings that, like us, look up at the starry sky and wonder? 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About the Universe will ferret out the most likely places in space for life to exist, and reveal how scientists are actually trying to contact advanced extra-terrestrials.

These are a few of the subjects 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About the Universe will present in a fun, engaging and intelligent way.


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This is a snappily written excursion through the universe. Gutsch, longtime chairman of New York's American Museum^-Hayden Planetarium and science reporter for WABC-TV and Good Morning America, defines terms and sketches history, then moves from moon to sun to the inner and outer solar system in his first six chapters; the remaining nine cover "Asteroids, Comets, Meteoroids, and Space Dust," various aspects of the nature of stars, the Milky Way and "Galaxies Beyond," and "The Search for Extraterrestrial Life" (coincidentally the title of a children's book Gutsch authored in 1992). Like James Trefil's 1001 Things Everyone Should Know about Science (1991), Gutsch's can be read from start to finish, or dipped into like an almanac (or dictionary). The chatty tone and useful illustrations suggest this volume will appeal to students as well as older astronomy fans. Mary Carroll --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

White dwarves. Black dwarves. Red giants. Are these Disney characters? Actually, they are astronomical terms that are explained in 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About the Universe, the only source for a comprehensive and entertaining account of the stars and the sun, space exploration, and the Milky Way Galaxy.

Eminent astronomer Bill Gutsch takes the reader on a journey to explore the nebulous star clusters, probe the core of the nuclear furnace we call the sun, tour the distortions of time and space, and demystify 997 more amazing secrets of the cosmos. Readers gain insight into how the galaxy evolved, and search its very heart where many believe there may lurk a monstrous black hole.

Are there other beings that, like us, look up at the starry sky and wonder? 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About the Universe will ferret out the most likely places in space for life to exist, and reveal how scientists are actually trying to contact advanced extra-terrestrials.

These are a few of the subjects 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About the Universe will present in a fun, engaging and intelligent way. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Main Street Books; 1st Main Street Books Ed edition (May 18, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385483864
• ISBN-13: 978-0385483865
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,053,187 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Covers the basics in simple language, May 17, 1998

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This review is from: 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About the Universe (Hardcover)

If you're looking for an indepth study of any of the topics, you probably want another book, but for a review of the basics, it's very good. A great book for younger readers developing an interest in astronomy.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No science teacher should be without it., April 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About the Universe (Hardcover)

I am a science teacher and have recommended it to my teacher friends as a classroom resource. Astronomy can be a bit intimidating even for teachers! This covers EVERYTHING and makes the most difficult topics understandable. As a teacher and amateur astronomer, I've read many, many books on astronomy topics for my own enjoyment and for use in the classroom and have never found one so "reader friendly".

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If you like astronomy, you might like to read this book., July 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About the Universe (Paperback)

1001 Things Everyone Should Know About the Universe covers every topic from galaxies to black holes. It doesn't just tell you what they are, but gives you spectacular examples to understand them much better than you had before. I feel that many of the pieces of information were useless. They seemed to resound something said before. He could have cut out some of the facts and put in others he didn't talk about. Some of his grammar was not used well either. He used some words over and over again, but I just ignored that. Overall, this was a very good book to learn about astronomy, structures of the universe and anything else you wnat to know.