The Young Oxford Book of Astronomy (Young Oxford Books) [Hardcover]

Simon Mitton (Author), Jacqueline Mitton (Author)

Book Description

Series: Young Oxford Books

"Look up on a clear, dark night and you will see the sky is full of twinkling specks of light. What are these stars and planets? How far away are they? Can we learn more about them?"
Simon and Jacqueline Mitton begin The Young Oxford Book of Astronomy by tapping into that sense of mystery and wonder that the endless night sky stirs in each of us. They set out the aims and methods of astronomy, such as how astronomers map and measure the universe. Then they turn to our own solar system, detailing vital statistics in "Fact Files" for each planet, and highlighting important discoveries or remarkable characteristics. Finally, they move to the stars and the great wheeling galaxies of the vast universe. They tell us the life cycle of a star, describe a nova explosion in electrifying detail, and offer a time line that describes what was happening on earth when the light we see today first set out from a galaxy far, far away.
This story of astronomy unfolds alongside hundreds of magnificent color illustrations--the latest photographs from the world's largest telescopes, the most exciting images from space probes, and many fascinating explanatory diagrams and artists' visualizations. The index and glossary are excellent research tools, and a section devoted to star charts will delight any budding astronomers.
The Young Oxford Book of Astronomy is a great book for a curious child, but adults will find it useful and fascinating as well. It's an essential guide to the greatest show on Earth--the starry, starry sky.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9?At first glance this book looks to be an up-to-date, visually exciting summary of astronomy. However, in an effort to appeal to both young amateur astronomers and readers interested in learning about the universe, it fails to satisfy either. The authors begin with a description of the instruments used for viewing the universe and then describe it from a star-gazer's perspective?beginning with the planets and moving out through the solar system and galaxies. This arrangement is confusing since scientific concepts are introduced before they are properly explained. Aggravating this problem is the authors' tendency to avoid mathematical concepts. Although much of the math associated with astronomy is beyond the grade level for which this book is intended, some explanation of the basic concepts is necessary. Also, although astronomers are far from agreeing on theories of the age, evolution, size, shape, etc. of the universe, the Mittons build each discussion around one theory presented as fact, and it is only in the last chapter that they mention that other theories exist. The illustrations, mostly photos, are clear and appealing, but are often spread across the double page. On several occasions the tight binding obscures important parts of them. Some captions seem to contradict the text, and both photos and diagrams are often poorly labeled and explained. Star charts at the end are too small to be very helpful to beginning astronomers. Many better books are available on this topic.?Wendy D. Caldiero, New York Public Library
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

[SERIES LAST REVIEWED IN BKL Mr 1 96, under Bailey, Jill. Gr. 5^-8.] --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (December 28, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195211693
• ISBN-13: 978-0195211696
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,539,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am an award winning science writer specialising in astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology, physics, and the history of science (astronomy). I have an MA degree in Physics from the University of Oxford and a Ph D in physics from the University of Cambridge. My most recent published book is Fred Hoyle: A life in science, which Cambridge U Press re-issued in March 2011. It is regarded as the definitive biography of this famous cosmologist who coined the term The Big Bang to account for the origin of the universe. Ihave just delivered a typescript to Princeton U Press for a book about the origin of structure in the universe.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Young Oxford Book of Astronomy, December 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Young Oxford Book of Astronomy (Young Oxford Books) (Paperback)

This is a beautiful book full of great diagrams illustrating some difficult concepts in astronomy (for example, our place in the universe), wonderfully labeled drawings of planets, and the best of astronomical photographs. There are illustrations on every page. Little boxes of information offer more detail on some subjects ("milestones to the moon" or facts about each planets). The chapters are fairly short and easy to read. After some introductory chapters about exploring the universe and the tools that astronomers use, the book generally goes outward from the earth to the moon, the sun, the solar system, to distant stars (and their exotic varieties), then our galaxy (the Milky Way), other galaxies, quasars, and ideas about the beginning and end of the universe. The tiny star charts weren't very useful, but the glossary is nice. Although the book is aimed at a younger audience, many adults may enjoy the easy to read text and excellent illustrations.