The Scientific American Book of Astronomy - Softcover

9781585742844: The Scientific American Book of Astronomy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1585742848 ISBN 13: 9781585742844

Publisher: Lyons Pr, 2001

Describes recent observations and discoveries in astronomy, including the 1994 collision between Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 and Jupiter and a discussion of dark matter and the destiny of the universe.

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Review:

What's going on out there? Get the skinny on the Great Beyond with The Scientific American Book of Astronomy. Fifty-four prominent researchers and writers contribute articles on everything from the climate on Mars to the ever-changing theories of dark matter, each in the classic, highly enjoyable Scientific American style. Well- and carefully chosen illustrations guide the reader through the reviews of our understanding of far-out topics, and the authors--David Levy , Shannon Lucid, and Vera Rubin among them--are perfectly suited to presenting their material. Most of the articles are from the last few years of the 1990s, though a few classics reach as far back as 1984. With sections ranging from the tiniest topics ("Rays, Waves, and Particles") to the indescribably large ("The Universe"), the book has everything and all readers should find something engaging within. Reports on the Hubble Space Telescope and Mir provide updates on our search for better tools to probe more deeply, while theoretical articles on black holes, gamma-ray bursts, and more keep us on our toes about what we think we already know. Great for browsing or for reference, The Scientific American Book of Astronomy brings the farthest reaches of the universe a little closer with each reading. --Rob Lightner

From the Back Cover:

Space. It has captivated and confounded human beings since the very moment our earliest ancestors gazed upward toward the starry heavens. From the seventeenth century, when Galileo viewed the moon through his newly invented telescope, to the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope just a few years ago, mankind continues to pursue its profound secrets. Is there life in our solar system beyond our own planet? Will the vast universe that surrounds us continue to expand infinitely? What are the chances that earth will collide with a celestial body in the near future, and would the consequences be catastrophic? In The Scientific American Book of Astronomy, some of the biggest names presently working in the field address these and other inquiries in thirty-two cutting edge articles: Travel to a black hole with Leonard Susskind as he investigates the fate of matter that slips beyond its horizon; witness firsthand the heart-stopping 1994 collision between Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 and Jupiter, as presented by David H. Levy, Eugene M. Shoemaker, and Carolyn S. Shoemaker; reevaluate the Big Bang theory with Alan H. Guth and Paul J. Steinhardt, who explain why its flaws have led to the development of an alternate model, the inflationary universe; learn why Vera Rubin believes the existence of so-called dark matter will help us better predict the destiny of the universe. The Scientific American Book of Astronomy presents an astonishing array of knowledge that has shaped our understanding of space thus far and continues to stimulate and drive the imagination. As Timothy Ferris so eloquently writes in his introduction, "Consider some of the cosmic wonders explored in the book, and ask yourself what poet or artist ever imagined anything so strange." (7 X 9 1/4, 392 pages, color photos, b&w photos, illustrations, charts)

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