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Author:
John Gribbin, Mary Gribbin
By Allen Lane
One of the most fabulous revelations afforded by modern cosmology is the fact that we are all stars, literally. The elements which comprise our bodies (like iron or oxygen) were all forged in the burning cores of distant suns, before being flung across the endless wastes of space by the enormous force of stellar explosions. Great stuff! Now well-known writer and respected astrophysicist John Gribbin has taken this fairy-tale bit of Big Science and used it as the central premise for a book: which describes how the cosmos made us, and what we can therefore make of the cosmos. It's essentially a biography of man from the molecular point of view, with diversions into evolution, astronomy, geology, extra terrestrial life, and so on. One of the more poetic notions covered is that of "panspermia", the idea that the seeds of life are continually being carried across the universe--like so many sycamore keys in an autumn wood. The author definitely sides with those who believe the answer to life is "out there". As always with John Gribbin, the writing is fresh and accessible, the thinking clear if occasionally complex. The real joy of Stardust is its perspective: in contrast to so many...
 Luminous stuff by science-writing luminary!, 2001-09-14
John Gribbin's work is always readable, and particularly fascinating to those with a non-scientific background like myself. But with Stardust he excels himself. Taking the simple premiss that everything in the world (including yourself!) is made out of the hydrogen and helium from the very first stars of the Big Bang, Gribbin weaves a tale as luminous as any he has ever written. In prose that is pure and highly entertaining, this old war-horse of science writing provides a skilled explanation of a difficult subject. Fascinating stuff!
List Price: £26.00
Our Price: £20.65
Author:
Stephen James O'Meara
By Cambridge University Press
They just get better and better!, 2007-05-16
This is the second book in the Stephen James O'Meara trilogy, the first being "The Messier Objects". Each book is thicker and heavier (by quite a margin!) than the previous book.
The Caldwell Objects is a catalogue of the 109 deep-sky objects first listed by our very own Patrick Caldwell-Moore in the December 1995 issue of Sky & Telescope magazine (U.S.A.).
As with the previous Messier Objects book, each Caldwell object is accompanied by a nice B&W image, a sketch of O'Meara's impression of the object through a small refractor, and some excellent prose which adds greatly to the overall quality of the book.
A very big improvement over the Messier Objects book is the inclusion of an Index!
Very informative and a must-have companion to his earlier Messier Objects. I refer to both books on at least a weekly basis.
List Price: £35.00
Our Price: £32.24
Author:
Serge Brunier
By Firefly Books Ltd
A breath-taking view of the stars, 2002-05-30
This Atlas of the Stars will take your breath away, there's no doubt about that. Serge Brunier has got together with acclaimed astro-photographer Akira Fujii to produce a wonderful view of the night sky with stunning, crystal-clear photographs accompanied by informative narration and star data.
The main focus is a tour through 30 of the author's favourite constellations from both the northern and southern hemispheres of the sky. On each occasion, a large photograph of the constellation has a clear plastic overlay with the important features marked. Leave the overlay on to see the brightest stars, galaxies and clusters labelled then refer to them on the adjacent page where their distances, luminosities and general facts are shown with a small close-up picture. Then lift the overlay to see the photograph in all its unhindered glory.
It's a simple but very effective system and several constellations merit further images with even more detail shown. You just can't help but continue through the book, marvelling at both the quality of the imaging and the beauty of the subject matter itself.
That's not to say that the book is perfect. Constellations consist of objects of widely varying brightness and inevitably any photograph which exposes bright stars correctly will not show faint galaxies at all. Conversely, if the exposure is long enough to reveal those faint objects, the nearby and hugely brighter stars will be hopelessly over-exposed. The book tends to go with the first method, and hence labels galaxies and clusters which cannot be discerned in the photo itself.
In addition, the small close-up shots on the data page are often vague - double stars in particular leave you wondering exactly which two stars you are supposed to be looking at.
These are minor points however, and this book will appeal to seasoned astronomers and interested newcomers alike. As light pollution from towns and cities dims our view of the heavens more and more, a book like this is a delight to behold and merits a place in anyone's collection.
Author:
H.J.P. Arnold, etc.
By Institute of Physics Publishing
The Photographic Atlas of the Stars: The Whole Sky in 50 Pla, 2005-05-07
One of the best astronomical books I have ever read!
This book is a rarety among books on astronomy, as it forgoes the usual format of showing the reader all of the wonders of the deep sky objects in the constellations. Instead it focuses on what the astronomer is going to see with the naked eye( a few stars will need an optical aid but over 96% are naked eye stars). This is invaluable when you first start to look at the night sky. This book is a must for all amateur and professional astronmers as it is an unique observing guide.
Buy it, you will not be dissappointed.
List Price: £9.99
Our Price: £0.51
Author:
Arthur I. Miller
By Abacus
The blood on the carpet at the Royal Astronomical Society, 2006-12-29
Here's what you need to know about this book. It's a thrilling read. It's completely accurate. It is a superb account of how personal rivalries can sometimes intrude on the progress of science. And the science revealed here is truly amazing: neutron stars, black holes, the works. This book is much easier on the mind than A Brief History of Time.
List Price: £35.00
Our Price: £52.46
Author:
Linda S. Sparke, III, John S. Gallagher
By Cambridge University Press
Good start, 2008-07-20
This book is all that is needed for an undergraduate student interested in galaxies. The book gives a wonderful and very easy to understand explanation about galaxies, their components, motion, etc. It is full of useful information, balanced throughout chapters. Most of the book is not demanding in mathematics, with illustrative problems. A slightly hard material is given in the part about galaxy dynamics, but still inside the sphere of undergraduate-level knowledge. It is also good for graduate research students, with major in astronomy or physics, full of references, so I certainly recommend this book to anyone who wants to start with galaxy astrophysics.
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