Frequently Bought Together
Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought
by David Devorkin
|
by Robert Dinwiddie
|
by Lars Lindberg Christensen
|
by Mark Voit
|
by Robert J. Nemiroff
|
Editorial Reviews
Not all astronomers are totally thrilled with the Hubble Space Telescope. "That's not data, it's pictures," they complain. But what pictures: never has the universe seemed so gorgeous, powerful, diverse: in a word, magnificent. Only part of the pictures in Ken Croswell's Magnificent Universe are from the Hubble, but all cleave to the same high standard. Whether of Mars, a supernova, or galaxies in collision, they are beautiful. The paper in the book is glossy black, which is ideal for bringing out colors and details in the photographs, each of which covers an entire very large page. The white-on-black text is less special, meant more for browsing than for learning. It's rather a pity, because Croswell's other books (The Alchemy of the Heavens and Planet Quest) are written in a style both witty and informative.
The only astronomy coffee-table book that can begin to compare to this one for beauty is Full Moon. The black-and-white photos in the latter have a stark loveliness with something of the chill of space; the pictures in Magnificent Universe are colorful and even exciting, giving the reader sheer, sensual pleasure along with their sense of wonder. --Mary Ellen Curtin
From Publishers Weekly
With an impressive constellation of pictures (including computer-enhanced images from the Hubble Space Telescope), Croswell (Alchemy of the Heavens) takes readers on an introductory tour of the celestial spaces and places that interest astronomers, from earth and its neighboring planets, to nearby stars and the interstellar medium, to the limits of the observable universe (which turn out to be 15 billion light-years from earth). Croswell's summaries of astronomical and cosmological knowledge make clear if very compact introductions to these subjects, fit to accompany the magnificent images, and divide into four segments: "The Planets," "The Stars," "The Galaxies" and "The Universe." Potent photographs alternate with memorable facts: explaining that sunspots arise from magnetic fields on the sun, Croswell stops to note that, for much of the 17th century, there simply were no sunspots; as a result, the sun faded and the earth cooled. Near the end of his last chapter, Croswell tells us why the universe will probably go on expanding and cooling down forever: though there's plenty of "dark" (undetectable) matter between stars (dark matter's gravity holds galaxies together), there'd have to be five times as much as there probably is for expansion to someday halt. Over 100 spectacular photographs show, rather than tell, readers exactly why kids grow up to be astronomers. Some images come from NASA spacecraft, including Viking and Voyager. Appended tables supply vital statistics on, for example, the diminutive moons of Uranus, and the size and age of the best-known stars. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
See all Editorial Reviews
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
One by one they race around the Sun: Mercury, swiftest of all, its surface scarred by countless craters: Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
stellar halo, most other stars, dwarf spheroidals, giant elliptical galaxy, newborn stars, intrinsic brightness, satellite galaxies, giant ellipticals, molecular clouds, stellar population Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Milky Way, Local Group, Andromeda Galaxy, Magellanic Clouds, Orion Nebula, Alpha Centauri, Large Magellanic Cloud, Big Dipper, Local Supercluster, Eagle Nebula, Epsilon Eridani, Eta Carinae, Hubble Space Telescope, Proxima Centauri, Southern Cross, Edwin Hubble, Whirlpool Galaxy New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
- A Man on the Moon by Andrew Chaikin in Back Matter
- Atlas of Uranus by Garry E. Hunt in Back Matter
- Wrinkles in Time by George Smoot in Back Matter
- Out of the Darkness (Babylon 5: Legions of Fire, Book 3) by Peter David in Back Matter
- New Perspectives in Astrophysical Cosmology by Martin Rees in Back Matter
See all 22 books this book cites
- The Universe at Midnight: Observations Illuminating the Cosmos by Ken Croswell in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Cool Tools by Kevin Kelly on page 3
- Couple's Comfort Book: A Creative Guide for Renewing Passion, Pleasure and Commitment by Jennifer Louden on page 199
- Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason by Nancy Pearl on page 28
|
What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?
 |
35% buy the item featured on this page: Magnificent Universe $43.80 |
 |
34% buy Hubble: Imaging Space and Time $31.50 |
 |
15% buy Hubble: The Mirror on the Universe $23.75 |
 |
11% buy Universe $31.50 |
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Customer Discussions
Beta (What's this?)|
This product's forum
(0 discussions)
Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Active discussions in related forums
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Product Information from the Amapedia Community
Beta (What's this?)Be the first person to add an article about this item at Amapedia.com.
› See featured Amapedia.com articles
Listmania!
|
|
So You'd Like to...
|
|
Look for Similar Items by Category
- Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Astronomy > Astronomy
- Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Astronomy > Cosmology
- Books > Science > Astronomy > Astronomy
- Books > Science > Astronomy > Cosmology
- Books > Science > Astronomy > Universe
- Books > Science > Physics > Cosmology
Bath Wonders from LUSH |
Construct Your Kitchen |
|||||||||
|
Your Recent History
(What's this?)|
You have no recently viewed items or searches.
After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session. |
Continue shopping: Top Sellers
| ||||
| ||
| ||
| ||
| ||
| ||
