Universe (DK Eyewitness Books)

Book Description

Discover the incredible secrets of the Universe, from its furthest galaxies to our own solar system. With over 50 million copies sold in 88 countries and in 36 languages, Eyewitness Books are truly the ultimate visual information encyclopedias for the 21st Century. Carrying on the tradition of integrating words and pictures, these three new titles in the Eyewitness series are timely editions to any library.

In Search of Dark Matter (Springer Praxis Books / Space Exploration)

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In Search of Dark Matter
An EXCELLENT book on Dark Matter
Excellent Book

In Search of Dark Matter (Springer Praxis Books / Space Exploration)
Ken Freeman , and Geoff McNamara
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0387276165

Book Description

The dark matter problem is one of the most fundamental and profoundly difficult problems in the history of science. Not knowing what makes up most of the mass in the Universe goes to the heart of our understanding of the Universe and our place in it. In Search of Dark Matter is the story of the emergence of the dark matter problem, from the initial 'discovery' of dark matter by Jan Oort to contemporary explanations for the nature of dark matter and its role in the origin and evolution of the Universe.

Written for the intelligent non-scientist and scientist alike, it spans a variety of scientific disciplines, from observational astronomy to particle physics. Concepts that the reader will encounter along the way are at the cutting edge of scientific research. However the themes are explained in such a way that no prior understanding of science beyond a high school education is necessary.

Customer Reviews:

In Search of Dark Matter.......2007-08-04

I found this book to be very informative, up to date, and could be understood by the layman

An EXCELLENT book on Dark Matter.......2007-05-10

This book sets out the evidence for missing matter in the universe in an entertaining yet thorough way. There is virtually no math in the entire book, and yet each subject area is treated fully. I had thought the first evidence for dark matter was star rotation rates in galaxies as set out by Vera Rubin and others. However this book traces the roots of the "something is wrong with our picture of the universe" back to the 1930s and Fritz Zwicky and Jan Oort--two astronomers who could not be more different from each other. And that is another strength of this book--we learn something about Zwicky and Oort without being seriously sidetracked.

"In Search of Dark Matter" strikes a perfect balance between moving the story along (and it does read like a story) and stopping here and there for brief asides about the personalities and milieu involved at the various stages of dark matter research. Finally, alternatives such as MOND theory are discussed. This book is not a deep tome--it is only roughly 150 pages. But it certainly piqued my interest and made me want to find out more. The authors succeed in bringing up most topics assuming little or no background in astronomy, yet don't get mired explaining the basics. A great read!

Excellent Book.......2007-02-22

The book is very well organized and enjoyable to read. Well done!

The Science of Star Wars: An Astrophysicist's Independent Examination of Space Travel, Aliens, Planets, and Robots as Portrayed in the Star Wars Films and Books

Average customer rating:

Not so long or so far away, some of it could happen
STAR WARS COULD HAPPEN!!?
Very Good
Great Book
Feels like a guilty pleasure, but enjoyable and thoughtful

The Science of Star Wars: An Astrophysicist's Independent Examination of Space Travel, Aliens, Planets, and Robots as Portrayed in the Star Wars Films and Books
Jeanne Cavelos
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312209584

Amazon.com

Jeanne Cavelos says, "Star Wars fueled my interest in space exploration and the possibility of alien life," leading her to a career in astrophysics. While these movies have inspired her, she admits that may not have been their intention.

In creating the part science fiction/part fantasy/part myth that is Star Wars, George Lucas did not seek to create a futuristic universe that agreed perfectly with our current understanding of science.... How realistic, how possible, is this galaxy far, far away?
The answer when A New Hope first came out was "not at all." But a strange thing has happened in the years since Star Wars first came out. Science is beginning to catch up with George Lucas.

Cavelos looks at Lucas's planets, aliens, droids, technology, and Force with both rationality and affection. The droids R2-D2 and C-3P0, among others, become more interesting and almost credible after her consideration.

The element of Star Wars that is most true to science is the sense of wonder it calls forth, which has very little to do with how close it is to a possible future. Or, as Steve Grand, director of the Cyberlife Institute, said to Cavelos: "I never try to let scientific implausibility get in the way of a good story!" --Mary Ellen Curtin

Book Description

Could the science fiction of Star Wars be the actual science of tomorrow?

-How close are we to creating robots that look and act like R2-D2 and C-3PO?
-Can we access a "force" with our minds to move objects and communicate telepathically with each other?
-How might spaceships like the Millennium Falcon make the exhilarating jump into hyperspace?
What kind of environment could spawn a Wookiee?
-Could a single blast from the Death Star destroy an entire planet?
-Could light sabers possibly be built, and if so, how would they work?
-Do Star Wars aliens look like "real" aliens might?
-What would living on a desert planet like Tatooine be like?
-Why does Darth Vader require an artificial respirator?

Discover the answers to these and many other fascinating questions as a noted scientist and Star Wars enthusiast explores The Science of Star Wars.

Customer Reviews:

Not so long or so far away, some of it could happen.......2005-02-06

Quality entertainment is its' own reward, so in many ways the plausibility of the scenarios is not an overriding concern. However, there is a threshold of believability that cannot be crossed, for if it is, it can cease to be entertainment. The quality of the entertainment has a great deal to do with the location of the threshold, if the story is very good, the bar is higher, but for a mediocre story it can be much lower. In the Star Wars movies, the bar is generally considered pretty low, as most people who watch them are fairly uncritical of the scientific basis for the events. George Lucas was brilliant when he opened the series with the phrase, " A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away." This is equivalent to the classic "Once upon a time" opening to fairy tales. By immediately giving the Star Wars events the status of a fairy tale, Lucas provides himself with a great deal of scientific poetic license in his Star Wars movies.
However, there are always people who examine the actions on the screen and consider the plausibility based on the current theories of science. In this book Cavelos critically examines the major events in the Star Wars series from the perspective of modern science. The opening chapter is a discussion of the major environments where the action takes place. It starts with the questions concerning how prevalent planets are in the universe. In this case, recent research indicates that there are an enormous number of planets, so the focus moves to planets that could support life, in particular, human life. Here, the odds drop substantially, as the range of temperature, gravity and atmosphere that humans can function in is in all cases very narrow. The existence of specific planets such as Tatooine with its' two suns, the moon "planets" of Endor and Yavin and the ice planet Hoth are all seriously examined. Given the constant number of new surprises that the study of planets in our solar system has provided, while unlikely, most of these environments cannot be ruled out.
Chapter two, which deals with the characteristics of alien life forms, was my favorite. Many of the main species, such as the Wookies, Hutts, Banthas, Jawas, and Ewoks are examined from a biological perspective. How their bodies are constructed and if they could function in their environment makes an interesting exercise in comparative biology. By examining Jar Jar Binks, one can reach many conclusions concerning how his species functions. This is a chapter that would make an excellent study topic in high school biology classes.
Chapters three and four deal with the technology, with chapter three devoted to the artificial intelligence (AI) of droids and four the technology of the spacecraft. Despite many problems in implementation, there appears to be no reason to doubt that droids with the capability of R2-D2 and C-3PO will eventually be constructed. However, the development of interstellar craft that travel through hyperspace will require substantial advancements in harnessing energy and the presence of scientific realities that we currently know nothing about.
The Force, that all-encompassing energy field, is the topic of the last chapter. It is also the most difficult to envision, although in many cases, it is just another name for God. The difference is of course that using the force would mean that an individual could channel the power of God for their own purposes, independent of the goodness rating of the action. Extra-sensory perception and the current "evidence" for it are also examined.
I am a devoted fan of Star Wars, and as I scientist I recognize when scientific laws are broken on the screen. Nevertheless, it was a very fun book to read, because there is scientific evidence that indicates that some of what happens in these movies could actually take place.

STAR WARS COULD HAPPEN!!?.......2001-09-25

What I loved about the Star Wars saga is the fact that travel
across the galaxy is as commonplace and taken for granted as
car and air travel is today. And I love the alien world our
heroes visit like the Fourth Moon of Yavin,the Moon of Endor,
Tatooine,Hoth,Bespin,Dagobah and Coruscant.

This book explores the possibility of rapid interstellar travel
and alien planets and extraterrestrial life and the even how to
build lightsabers and blasters with incredible detail. Cavelos

explains that such breaktroughs may or may not happen in a few
thousand years. Who knows what breaktroughs humanity will make?
We may not be at war with aliens or other civilizations and I
hope it won't happen. But I do hope that someday people will be
able to travel to other solar systems and galaxies as quickly
and easily as crossing our oceans. Cavelos gives interesting
detail on wormholes,warp drives,and even what it would be like
to travel at warp drive with the stars stretching into streaks
of light. That will be a very exciting time. I hope that galactic
travel and even intergalctic travel will be used for tourism as
well as exploration and colonization. People will travel to exotic planets and moons like Yavin 4,Endor,Hoth,Coruscant etc.
and even view our own galaxy from above as a glowing celestial
spiral. That would be a very exciting time!!Perhaps it
will happen in the next thousand years or so.

Very Good.......2000-10-18

I loved this book. Like all Star Wars books I read, I could barely put it down. The only reason it's not perfect is that the whole Star Wars series is very loosely based on science, so this book really has a very shaky fundamental basis. The fact that Jeanne Cavelos can write a great book around this weak foundation, though, is a testament to the skill with which the author writes.

Great Book.......2000-08-31

I am not a huge, or even big Star Wars fan (heck, I didn't even like the first one), but I loved this book. A great concept, very well done. I could not put it down.

Feels like a guilty pleasure, but enjoyable and thoughtful.......2000-07-10

Reading each chapter of "The Science of Star Wars" made me feel like I was indulging in a guilty pleasure, which is odd, since this is an informative look at science through the prism of the Star Wars movies.

The author has different chapters on planets, lifeforms, spaceships and weapons, droids, and the Force. Each chapter looks at the subject as depicted in the various movies, and then speculates on how likely the subject is scientifically. She has an open-mind; even when the subject seems to be scientifically inaccurate, she writes diplomatically that it seems unexplained, or needs some explanation beyond our understanding.

For the most part, she is a good writer. However, the book is sprinkled with repeated lame jokes about wishing bad things unto Imperial stormtroopers. It's kind of funny the first time, but after that, it becomes silly.

Also, the section discussing the Force delves into a heavy dose of quantum mechanics. There are no equations or diagrams, but it is an extended discussion, albeit at a layperson's level.

Book Description

Dramatic images never before published in a single volume.

High above the dirty window of Earth's atmosphere, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) enjoys a clear view of the universe. Hubble uses hundreds of the latest, most spectacular images from the HST to illustrate a comprehensive astronomy reference. Stargazers will be astonished to see in color pictures what were once fuzzy photographs, dots on a star map or words in a textbook.

Hubble explains how new discoveries are revising scientific understanding of the Universe. Detailed images of the Eagle Nebula show several fingers rising above a massive gas cloud. At the end of each fingertip -- the width of our solar system -- is the birth of a star.

The book covers the observable universe in six sections:

Stars in the Firmament
Stellar Death and Destruction
Gregarious Galaxies
The Expansive Universe
Solar Systems
The Heavenly Wanderers

Clear and concise text explains the fascinating history of astronomy and the development of the HST. Hubble transports readers to the planets of our solar system and on to galaxies millions -- even billions -- of light years away. These dramatic, unforgettable images will bring into sharp focus how the Universe is unfolding in new and astonishing ways.

Customer Reviews:

Our first clear view of the Universe.......2006-02-27

Circling a few hundred miles overhead is one of the engineering marvels of the late twentieth century: humanity's very own mirror on the universe, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Now that we have seen such wonders reflected through its glass, what can we do but venture out into the universe for a closer look?

English astronomer, Robin Kerrod supplies enough explanatory text so that this isn't just another book of beautiful photographs. Among other wonders, we learn about the origins and deaths of stars, cometary knots (which have nothing to do with comets), gaseous stalagmites that have been dubbed 'the pillars of creation,' and protoplanetary disks in the Orion Nebula.

Hubble lets us peer through Titan's atmosphere and into clusters of millions of stars. The planetary nebulae such as the Butterfly and the Spirograph may yield the most beautiful photographs in this book, but it is always the photographs of the vast starfields such as those in the Tarantula Nebula that stop me dead. To think that a few hundred years ago, we were able to count around six thousand stars in the night sky, and now a single photograph yields a million stars in a small pond of gas and dust.

Cosmological theories explode into nonexistence because of these photographs. Others, even stranger are born. The Hubble Deep Field photograph of a small region just north of the Big Dipper (a 120 hour exposure) shows infant galaxies, only a few billion years older than the Universe itself. What will theorists do with this single photograph of a small square of space?

Everyone should own a copy of this book, especially those who are arrogant enough to believe human beings are the center of the Universe. My only problem with some of the double-page photographs is that their most interesting objects are hidden in the book's stitching. This is a very small complaint in the midst of such wonder.

Poorly Executed.......2004-03-24

I just received the book and was fairly disappointed by the overall quality. Except for the cover jacket and the first three double-page photos, the majority of the image reproductions are of poor quality. First, many of the photos look like they were scanned from prints rather than digitally reproduced directly from the original data and show defects like scratches. The photos suffer from a poor selection of dithering pattern used to reproduce the many colors. This gives the overall impression of a grainy photo. Quite a few of the images are displayed at too large a size and have excessive pixellation. A few pages of text were marred with stains or bleed through from the printing process. Finally, about half of the images at the end of the book dealing with the planets are not from Hubble at all. Having seen most of the images in this book in either their native FITS or tif formats I do know what the quality of these should be - and this book ain't it!

The Best Images of the Universe at your Fingertips!!!.......2004-01-13

+++++

The author, Robin Kerrod, an astronomer and accomplished astronomy writer, states in this book's preface the following:

"This book reveals the wonderful, mysterious, and awesome universe of ours...You don't have to be an astronomer to appreciate the...breathtakingly, hauntingly beautiful [colour] images [or pictures], which chronicle frozen moments in the life of the cosmos [or universe]--from the Martian dust storms to...planetary systems [other than our own]; from the birth pangs of young stars to the death throes of ancient ones; from [a very high rate of star formation] in neighbouring galaxies to catastrophic collisions in remote [galaxies]."

Thus, it is the visually stunning and dramatic images that grace all of the 190 pages of this book (published in October 2003) that make it so remarkable. I counted approximately 300 images. Note that of these, about 25 are non-space pictures. My favourite non-space picture is a cutaway diagram of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) that shows its essential features. Each image or picture is accompanied by an excellent description of what's going on in the picture.

This book's title implies that all the space images have come from the HST (named after the foremost U.S. astronomer Edwin Hubble, 1889-1953). Actually, as the picture credits section reveals, the majority of this book's space images do come from the HST but a small minority of them come from other sources such as Earth-based observatories, artificial satellites (for example, the COsmic Background Explorer or COBE), and space probes (such as Voyager 2).

This book is divided into six chapters that deal respectively with star birth, star death, galaxies, the expanding universe, solar systems, and our solar system's planets. The appropriate pictures are put into each chapter. For example, the first chapter on star birth contains about 35 pictures that deal with star birth.

This is not only a picture book! This book also gives an overview of astronomy. That is, each chapter is accompanied by text that is concise, comprehensive, and well-written. I learned much from the combination of Kerrod's lucid text and the magnificant pictures.

This book also has a seventh section that is divided into two parts. The first part explains details about telescopes in general while the second part discusses details about the HST in particular. Both parts include informative pictures.

What significant space event occurred in 1957? When was the HST put into orbit? The answers to these and other similar questions can be found in the section called "Landmarks in Astronomy." This section lists major astronomical landmarks that occurred between 585 BC and 2010 AD.

Need to find the definition of an astronomical/space/telescope term in a hurry? Then use this book's "Glossary of Terms." Such recent terms as "COSTAR", "proplyd", and "WIMP" are given excellent, concise definitions.

There are two obvious problems I found with this book. First, the text on page 162 is duplicated on page 168. Second, there are no references/notes for the book's text. Some of this text information is very recent and very factual. Thus, it seems to me that this information should be properly referenced. All of the pictures, however, do give credit to their sources.

In conclusion, if you want to learn about the universe and see its glorious wonders, then don't go out and buy an expensive telescope or pay the very large amount to be a tourist on the next Space Shuttle flight. Instead, get this relatively inexpensive book and have the universe at your fingertips!!!

+++++

Chapters also cover the science and astronomy involved.......2004-01-09

Robin Kerrod's Hubble gathers some of the most important, breathtaking images from the Hubble system, from the birthplace of stars and the deaths of massive red stars to planets in the making and documentation supporting the collision of galaxies. This isn't just a picturebook: chapters also cover the science and astronomy involved, making this a perfect choice for any who would learn about the latest findings via Hubble.

Good Coffee Table Material.......2004-01-06

This book is worth a spot on the coffee table (or bookshelf even). It is more than a "pretty face" in that it goes into depth in quite a few areas considered very current research in Astronomy such as MACHOS, WIMPS, and galactic cannibalization (with illustrations, of course). Other than a few glaring mistakes they missed in the editing (like saying the Virgo Supercluster of Galaxies is only 100 light years across - pg. 105) it does a good job. Just keep in mind it is long on great photos and a little brief on some topics. Excellent layout that will please both deep sky explorers and planetary "nuts" alike. Divided into 6 chapters each with its focus on one area (ie. Galaxies, Solar System, Cosmology) and the afterwards about the Hubble Space Telescope history was very interesting and replete with pictures also. What I liked best was how the text with the pictures added rather than detracted from the whole reading experience. The text allowed me to stare at the picture even longer and say "wow" more often when I knew more about what I was looking at.

Natural Symbols: Explorations in Cosmology (Routledgeclassics)

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Natural Symbols: Explorations in Cosmology (Routledgeclassics)
Profess Douglas
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0415314542

Book Description

Natural Symbols is one of the most important works of modern anthropology. First published over thirty years ago, the work presaged many of the most controversial areas of intellectual debate, exploring themes such as the social meaning of natural symbols and the image of the body in society and religious cosmology.

Bringing anthropology into the realm of religion, Natural Symbols enters into the ongoing debate in religious circles surrounding meaning and ritual. Written against the backdrop of student uprisings of the late 1960s, the book took seriously the revolutionary fervor of the times, but instead of seeking to destroy the rituals and symbols that can govern and oppress, Mary Douglas saw instead that if transformation were needed, it could only be made possible through better understanding. Expressed with clarity and dynamism, the passionate analysis which follows from this remains one of the most insightful and rewarding studies of human behavior that has been written.

Download Description

Every natural symbol carries a social meaning and this book looks at the ways in which any one culture makes its selections from body symbolism. This is mainly a title about religion but it is also indirectly about style.

Average customer rating:

A Great Collection of Data and Pictures

The Real Mars
Michael Hanlon
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Astrophysics & Space Science | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books

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A Traveler's Guide to Mars
Roving Mars : Spirit, Opportunity, and the Exploration of the Red Planet
Magnificent Mars
The Case for Mars
Postcards from Mars: The First Photographer on the Red Planet

ASIN: 0786714131

Book Description

In January 2004 two NASA spacecraft, making an interplanetary trek to Mars, landed separately on the rocky surface of the red planet. By the end of the month the work of the twin robot geologists, the exploration rovers known as Spirit and Opportunity, had begun. The photos and evidence were exciting; and it seemed there might even be life on the fourth rock from the sun. Illustrated in color, with more than 100 spectacular orbital and surface images from recent probes as well as from NASA spacecraft, the Hubble space telescope, and Earth-based observatories, Michael Hanlon’s The Real Mars relates the history of a planet that has piqued human curiosity and study for centuries. Hanlon also visits Mars as it has been imagined in movies and science fiction, illustrating this with film stills, movie posters, book covers, and more. The object of Hanlon’s quest is, however, a third or real Mars. He contends that many scientists are currently creating a planet that may be no more real than a movie Mars with often confusing evidence of Earthlike possibilities. This book shows us that, although the journey has been long, we actually still stand at the beginning of a transformative voyage.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Collection of Data and Pictures.......2005-01-19

For a century Mars has been the object of more interest, more studies than any of the other planets in our solar system. The reasons are clear: it is the most Earth-like of the other planets, it's the only one where we can get good images from the surface rather than clouds, and from Lowell's announcement of the canals of Mars it has been the subject of speculation both serious and fictional, the pictures released by the various probes, and finally President Gush's announcement on 14 January 2004, "We will build new ships to cary man forwart into the universe ... human missions to Mars and to worlds beyond!"

This splendid book, is written for the popular reader, and covers everything from Lowell's work to the latest pictures from the rovers and then projects on the future planned missions and those that remain yet as dreams.

This is a delightful book for anyone interested in the skys.

Cataclysmic Variable Stars - How and Why they Vary (Springer Praxis Books / Space Exploration)

Average customer rating:

nearly perfect
Thanks, Coel, for writing this book
"Absolutely Astonishing"

Cataclysmic Variable Stars - How and Why they Vary (Springer Praxis Books / Space Exploration)
Coel Hellier
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Astronomy | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1852332115

Book Description

This text presents numerous illustrations of the observed variability of cataclysmic variable stars. It provides a clear explanation and thorough up-to-date overview of this phenomena at a level accessible to the advanced amateur or undergraduate student.

Customer Reviews:

nearly perfect.......2002-04-05

"Cataclysmic Variable Stars: How and Why They Vary" by Coel Hellier is
one of those rare books that successfully toes the line between being a
scientific and a popular book. This book is so popular with AAVSO HQ staff that it
frequently is taken home and has to be tracked down when someone needs it!
It works as both a reference and a straight-through read. As a reference,
one can confidentally refer to it when coming across any type of unfamiliar
CV. As a straight-through read, it is clearly structured and written in a
lively style that makes it easy to go from start to finish.
The majority of the book is broken up into sections about the different
types of CVs. Each section is well illustrated with light curves (many coming
from AAVSO observations from observers like you), historical background, a
breakdown of the system with easy-to-read diagrams, theory, and more. When
mathematics is introduced it is always in a sidebar or appendix which allows
those interested to get involved but does not require an understanding of the
equations for those who wish to avoid math.
The book is not simply an encyclopedia of CVs, though. It covers everything
from basic visual and CCD observing techniques to how to derive a stellar mass
from your observations.
This is a book that every CV lover should own along with anyone who is
interested in learning more about these enigmatic objects. The layout,
illustrations, structure, and writing have all come together to create what is
almost the perfect book on CVs. I hope the team that put together this book
continues to work together on future endevours. If so, the future of variable
star publications looks not variable at all, but bright and steady.

Thanks, Coel, for writing this book.......2001-06-26

Thanks, Coel, this book has made my job of involving undergraduates in my research (on CVs, of course) much easier. It is suitable for amateurs, too, being self-contained with its chapter on CCD photometry. It's also nicely produced, and yet the price is quite reasonable...: I have no qualms with telling them to go out and buy their own copies, necessary since both my copies are already in the hands of students.

"Absolutely Astonishing".......2001-06-07

Gives the reader a full understanding of why these cataclysmic variable stars are so important to understanding the cosmos. Amateur astronomers will love this. Don't be surprised to find yourself gazing at a variable star next trip to the backyard.

Chasing Hubble's Shadows: The Search for Galaxies at the Edge of Time

Average customer rating:

A stimulating reminder of how amazing the universe is
Good, but not for everyone
Great scientific reporting
Exciting tour of the frontiers of cosmology.
The latest in deep space astronomy

Chasing Hubble's Shadows: The Search for Galaxies at the Edge of Time
Jeff Kanipe
Manufacturer: Hill and Wang
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Infinite Cosmos: Questions from the Frontiers of Cosmology
In Search of Dark Matter (Springer Praxis Books / Space Exploration)
The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of String Theory, The Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next
Gravity's Arc: The Story of Gravity from Aristotle to Einstein and Beyond
Dark Cosmos: In Search of Our Universe's Missing Mass and Energy

ASIN: 0809034069
Release Date: 2006-01-24

Book Description

Astronomers are peering farther out in space—and back in time—than ever before

Chasing Hubble’s Shadows is an account of the continuing efforts of astronomers to probe the outermost limits of the observable universe. The book derives its title from something the great American astronomer Edwin Hubble once wrote: “Eventually, we reach the dim boundary—the utmost limits of our telescopes. There, we measure shadows, and we search among ghostly errors of measurement for landmarks that are scarcely more substantial.”

The quest for Hubble’s “shadows”—those unimaginably distant, wispy traces of stars and galaxies that formed within the first few hundred million years after the Big Bang—takes us back, in effect, to the beginning of time as we are able to perceive it, when the first discrete stellar objects appeared out of what has lately come to be known as the “cosmic dark age.” The information that is being gleaned from these dim sources—chiefly with the aid of Hubble’s namesake, the Hubble Space Telescope—promises to yield clues to many cosmic puzzles, including the nature of the mysterious “dark energy” that is now believed to pervade all of space.

Customer Reviews:

A stimulating reminder of how amazing the universe is.......2007-02-25

This book is very readable, and makes no mathematical demands, but does tend to assume readers have a rough idea of some concepts used in cosmology, such as red shift, arcsecond, etc. But even if you don't, the dramatic impact is not lost as you are confronted by the amazing insights that astronomers have been able to gain about the universe, in particular as a result of the data collected by the Hubble telescope.

If your humility needs a refresher course, this is a good book to read! One human being is a mighty small part of the whole shebang.

Good, but not for everyone.......2006-12-27

I am going to have to dissent with some of the previous reviews. I think there is a definite audience for this book, but I cannot wholeheartedly recommend it to just anyone interested in popular books on astronomy. The book is best suited for someone who is already familiar with the basic concepts of galactic astronomy and cosmology, and who is interested in hearing about what type of research is currently on-going in these areas.

The book is not technical, so it is easy to assume, (mistakenly), that the book is suitable for anyone interested in the subject. The problem is that even though the writing is non-technical, Kanipe explains very few concepts. For example, Kanipe talks a lot about redshift and reionization in a non-technical way, but he never really provides a clear introductory explanation of them. You don't need a degree in astronomy to read this book, but you should be familiar with the basic concepts if you want to get the most from it.

Interestingly Kanipe does explain a few basic concepts, but this is sporadic at best. I had to wonder who Kanipe's intended audience was. For example, within the first few pages Kanipe talks about astronomers looking for galaxies with redshifts in the range of 3 to 5 without ever explaining what it means for a galaxy to have such a redshift. Okay, no problem with that. Perhaps Kanipe is writing for an audience he expects would know what a redshift of 5 means, yet only a few pages later Kanipe seems to assume his audience will not know what a spectrum is as he explains how the purpose of a certain telescope is to "separate the light of a very faint galaxy into its component colors, or wavelengths, the result being a narrow band of bright and dark lines called a spectrum." Huh? What audience does not need an explanation high redshift galaxies, but does need an explanation of a spectrum? I expect that Kanipe was trying to make the book accessible to as wide an audience as possible, but unfortunately he only provided a few gratuitous explanations of basic concepts. My concern is that if you scan through the book and see something like the above quote, it is easy to mistakenly assume the book is accessible to anyone, when in truth the basic concepts explained are too random and too few to effectively make the book accessible and enjoyable to those not already reasonably familiar with the subject.

Another aspect of Kanipe's writing to be aware of is his choice of words. It reminded me of reading "Lord of the Flies". Here are a few examples of what I mean:

"the protean objects stippling deep surveys"
"dark matter, the chimeric material"
"when expansion was clearly more allegro"
"the very skin of this alluvial structure"
"the microwave photons broke free from an effluvium of electrons and protons"
"perhaps dark energy and dark matter are hermaphroditic in nature"
"a feathery swirl of diaphanous light wrapped like a watch spring around a bright central sprocket"
"the beautiful cochlear appearance of many normal spiral galaxies"
"perhaps halos are a kind of palimpsest of galactic evolutionary history"
"some of the pithy remnants of these tidally stripped dwarf galaxies"
"it's worth providing some record, however mercurial, of the impressive gains"
"in the study of this empyrean armature we call the universe"

Some people will enjoy Kanipe's choice of descriptive words, but for me he went overboard. Just be aware of this style because I don't think it is for everyone.

As I said, I believe this book will appeal most to those who are already reasonably familiar with the subject, and who are interested in hearing about on-going research. I certainly did walk away with a feeling of having glimpsed into the lives and work of galactic observational astronomers. In this Kanipe succeeds quite well. He passionately describes numerous observational projects and provides extensive quotes from the astronomers doing the research. He also indirectly, though not so subtly, argues for the continued funding of the Hubble Space Telescope and other projects. Certainly I would have no argument with him there.

In the end I gave the book three stars. This was not my kind of book, but I believe it has an audience. It is not a technically difficult book by any means, and it does give a pretty nice review of ongoing research, but to really enjoy the book, it will be helpful if you are reasonably familiar with basic concepts in galactic astronomy and cosmology. For such a person, and especially someone who enjoys descriptive, almost poetic language, this could be a very enjoyable read. Kanipe obviously put a lot into the book, and he does give a feel for the work astronomers are doing. It has its place, but in the end it didn't make my list of favorites.

Great scientific reporting.......2006-11-05

I found this book to be a very good report on the current state of the fields of astronomy and cosmology, particularly as to how they are concerned with investigations into the early development of the universe. It is very well balanced for a wide potential audience, neither too technical (with the danger of tuning out those with inadequate scientific knowledge), nor written so simply as to fail to add to our education as we read. I also thought the length of the book was about right, so that I never felt that the book dragged at any point. Highly recommended to anyone interested in the "universe around us", quite literally.

Exciting tour of the frontiers of cosmology........2006-04-23

I enjoyed this book because it moves beyond the usual arm-waving of many cosmology books. Kanipe is a journalist, not a scientist, and it helps the book immensely. He explains concepts such as redshift and reionization in clear and understandable terms, and seasons his prose with amusing observations (one cosmologist is described as Keith Richards with a killer Powerpoint presentation).

Chasing Hubble's Shadows is also mainly about the frontiers of cosmology - discoveries that are being made now, not rehashes of old science as so many astronomy books can be. I felt as if I were traveling along with the researchers as they pushed the boundaries of knowledge ever-farther.

Highly recommended for anyone who wonders how the universe came to be - and isn't that everyone?

The latest in deep space astronomy.......2006-04-22

When we look out into space we look back in time. When we have the Hubble Space Telescope working for us we look very deep into space and very far back in time, so far back that some of the galaxies that Hubble can see are as they were billions of years ago when the universe was young, when there were few heavy metals, long before the sun came to life, long before (presumably) the birth of our galaxy.

What was the universe like then and what can we learn about the properties of the universe and about its evolution from the dim light given off by those very distant galaxies?

What science journalist Jeff Kanipe is trying to do in this book is bring the general reader up to date on the latest discoveries and understandings in astronomy and how these discoveries are leading to a better understanding of cosmology. Do galaxies look different as we go back in time? Clearly the very first galaxies consisted of stars containing only hydrogen and helium. How were these stars different from the stars we see around us, from our own sun? And what about the shape and characteristics of the first galaxies? Were they spirals, barred or normal, ellipticals or irregulars? And what role does dark energy and dark matter play in their formation?

Kanipe gives up-to-date answers to these questions, and this is one of the strengths of this readable book. Events in astronomy and cosmology move quickly. Books that are even a few years old will be out of date in certain respects. I am always interested in what is, for example, the latest estimate of the age of the universe. Kanipe gives a age of about 14 billion years, which means that light from the most primordial event comes to us from a distance of about 14 billion light years. Actually it is a little less than this since there was a so called "dark age" that lasted until about 13.66 billion years ago at a red shift of (gulp!) 1000. Kanipe typically uses red shift measurements instead of light years to express both distance and time. For example an object 7.3 light years away has a red shift of 0.9. If we look back a mere 70 million years the red shift is a tiny 0.005.

One of the most interesting parts of the book is on Kanipe's visit to Mauna Kea, Hawaii where the two great Keck telescopes are housed. He makes vivid the experience of being with the astronomers at their camp at 9,000 feet and atop the mountain in the cold, still air at nearly 14,000 feet. Kanipe's story integrates knowledge from telescopes around the world, including that from infrared, radio and other telescopes.

One of the things I like best about the book is that there isn't a lot of repetitive history. Instead, the book is devoted to what is happening now in astronomy. The only difficulty is that there is a lot of information to absorb and some of the ideas are unusual. The terminology also requires some effort to get used to, but Kanipe eschews most jargon and uses almost no mathematics.

There are some nice color prints in the middle of the book, an index and a bibliography.

Exploration of the Universe (Saunders Golden Sunburst Series)

Average customer rating:

I have read the 1964 version of this book and loved it.

Exploration of the Universe (Saunders Golden Sunburst Series)
George O. Abell , David Morrison , and Sidney C. Wolff
Manufacturer: Saunders College Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Astronomy | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Horizons: Exploring the Universe (with TheSky CD-ROM, AceAstronomy?, and Virtual Astronomy Labs)

ASIN: 0030345847

Customer Reviews:

I have read the 1964 version of this book and loved it........1999-09-26

I am a 16 year old male. I found this book at a friend's house and started reading it. At the time I wasn't interested in astronomy, and I just wanted something to read. I soon realized how much I was enjoying what I was reading. Since then I have become very involved in astronomy and hope to someday become one professionally. This book has certainly changed my life.

Armchair Universe: An Exploration of Computer Worlds

Average customer rating:

An Engaging Journey Through Computer Worlds
Fun, entertaining, and very informative.

Armchair Universe: An Exploration of Computer Worlds
A. K. Dewdney
Manufacturer: W.H. Freeman & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Programming | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Operating Systems | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
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The Magic Machine: A Handbook of Computer Sorcery
The Tinkertoy Computer and Other Machinations: Computer Recreations from the Pages of Scientific American and Algorithm
The New Turing Omnibus: Sixty-Six Excursions in Computer Science

ASIN: 0716719398

Customer Reviews:

An Engaging Journey Through Computer Worlds.......1999-04-15

The Armchair Universe, a collection of A.K. Dewdney's articles in the Computer Recreations section of Scientific American, contains pages of the most interesting pursuits you'll find anywhere. With subjects such as Infinite Graphics, Mathemagadgets, Artificial Intelligence and Artificial Insanity, and Life in Automata, among others, it's guaranteed that you will find a number of thought-provoking and technically interesting articles. To enjoy the book fully, either a small amount of knowledge about computer programming, or the drive to learn is a must. The majority of articles outline simple methods for examining the curiosities put forth on your own computer. This greatly facilitates the amount of knowledge you will pick up by reading this book. Overall, this is one of the most interesting, fun books I have ever read.

Fun, entertaining, and very informative........1998-11-04

This is a good, engaging book on computer and programming recreations. I am not a computer science graduate, but am a self-taught programmer. This book has introduced me to quite a number of fascinating computer science topics while giving me lots of fun in the process. The algorithms of the book make stimulating, sometimes challenging, coding practice, and often lead to pretty results on screen.

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