Hubble Vision: Further Adventures with the Hubble Space Telescope [Hardcover]

Carolyn Collins Petersen (Author), John C. Brandt (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The first edition of Hubble Vision was published in 1995, when the Hubble Space Telescope was already "the foremost observatory of our age." This second edition has been almost completely rewritten to emphasize the telescope's impressive list of new discoveries.

The 100 new illustrations include many glorious images: exploding stars and colliding galaxies, the profound vision of the Hubble Deep Field, gravitational lenses, the impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy on Jupiter, and pictures of other solar systems. But the book is not just a collection of pretty pictures; it's also an excellent introduction to astronomy. Since it describes both objects (from the level of the nearby planets to the level of the big bang) and instruments, it gives laypeople a particularly accurate idea of what astronomers actually do--and of how much fun they have doing it.

Brandt is an astronomer at the University of Colorado and a principal investigator for the space telescope, while his collaborator Collins Petersen is a science writer with practical experience in astronomy. Their combined expertise results in a book that is authoritative but not daunting, gorgeous but not superficial. You may want to keep it on your coffee table, but you should also actually read it. --Mary Ellen Curtin

Review

' ... the most superb encapsulation of modern astronomy I have ever come across ... This is heady stuff indeed. ...This is a book for us all ...The authors, HST and CUP have created a landmark popular book for astronomy.' Derek McNally, Astronomy and Geophysics

' ... the eagerly awaited second edition ... you will find one of the most comprehensive, authoritative, and expertly illustrated popular books about the HST available ... serves to expand public access to the wonders and treasures held within Hubble's vault of images. The magnificent collection of latest and greatest Hubble images is complemented by a clear and fascinating text ... the pictures alone are enough to make this a must-have.' Astronomy Magazine

'It is a most beautiful book and should at the very least belong to every school library ... a truly excellent book.' Astronomy Now

'beautifully illustrated ... Hubble Vision is exactly the type of astronomy book that first captured my imagination as a child: large, glossy pages that offer a stunning tour of the cosmos in pictures. It allows us to ponder and marvel at celestial sights previously hidden ... an engaging and informative introduction to astronomy.' New York Times

' ... a good book for schools and libraries with a lot of thoughtful educational material, held together by the stream of classy images.' N. R. Tanvir, The Observatory

'This second edition is probably one of the most comprehensive, authoritative and best illustrated popular books currently available on the Hubble Space Telescope. It contains a magnificant portfolio of the latest and best images from the HST, together with a lucid text which explains some of the most exciting discoveries and places them in the context of our current understandings in astronomy. This new edition has been completely revised, updated and expanded to include many of the latest discoveries - from supernovae and protostars to gravitational lensing, balck holes and the early universe. It has jet more illustrations, with the addition of more than 100 new images. The text provides sufficient scientific background to enable readers to appreciate the remarkable discoveries being made which are providing a fascinating new insight into the universe.' Spaceflight

'This book is a stunningly spectacular and visual work of art that will delight the beginner and expert alike. The authors enthusiasm for science and exploration shines through the text making the book a pleasant read. This book is not just a once-off read but it will be dipped into time and time again.' James Maher, Astronomy and Space

'A rich trove of images with explanatory text highlights some of Hubble's greatest hits. The well crafted narrative challenges readers to comprehend a wide variety of subjects studied with Hubble.' Astronomy Magazine

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 2 edition (October 28, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521592917
• ISBN-13: 978-0521592918
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,963,062 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hubble Heaven, May 13, 2000

By	Karina Griffiths - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hubble Vision: Further Adventures with the Hubble Space Telescope (Hardcover)

To the average person like myself it is simple uncomprehensable that way out here is all of this energy, peacefully and sometimes horrifically looming around us. Reading this book, and particularly looking intensely at the wonderful colour photographs, I cannot feel anything else but awe for the sheer original beauty of our universe, and the great bridges that we need to cross scientifically to even make an inch of sense of it. The text is easy enough for the pure enthusiast to understand the concepts, but for those with a thirst for knowledge, these pages reveal centuries of human time devoted to exploring milleniums and milleniums of universal time. It really does make you feel as though the only thing between us and the secret of everything is our humble mortality, not our need to know. Hubble Vision gives you a snapshot of the heavens, and beyond, something we'll never experince first hand in our life-time at least!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars the glory that was hubble, September 6, 2004

By	Robert J. Crawford (Balmette Talloires, France) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Hubble Vision: Further Adventures with the Hubble Space Telescope (Hardcover)

This is a book about big science in space. The hubble telescope was the most complex piece of scientific equipment that was ever built to operate off of Earth. From its initial "mistake" in a poorly honed hyperbolic mirror - its "correction" became a major media event that nearly busted Nasa's budget - to the innumerable failing subsystems in constant need of adjustment, its success is something of a phenomenon.

But a success it indisputably was, one of the greatest in the history of human endeavor and easily the equal to, say, the creation of the Gothic cathedral. Images from the telescope have become so uniquitous, such as its use as background in Star Trek, that we would be shocked if they disappeared. Of course, the advancement of virtually all fields of astronomy that it spawned will enrich us forever. Not only can we plumb the composition of stars and search for planets more accurately, but such scientific givens as the Hubble constant are coming into question with the precision measurements not coming available. Even amateurs, if they come up with an interesting proposal, can get a crack at making scientific history.

Peterson and Brandt cover these developments competently and clearly, with gorgeous photos throughout the book to add to its wonder. While they do not cover they public policy angle alll too well, the science is enough (even if it gets a bit too gee-whiz for my taste at times).

Warmly recommended.