Astronomy 101: From the Sun and Moon to Wormholes and Warp Drive, Key Theories, Discoveries, and Facts about the Universe
Astronomy 101: From the Sun and Moon to Wormholes and Warp Drive, Key Theories, Discoveries, and Facts about the Universe book cover

Astronomy 101: From the Sun and Moon to Wormholes and Warp Drive, Key Theories, Discoveries, and Facts about the Universe

Hardcover – Illustrated, January 1, 2013

by
Price
$12.89
Format
Hardcover
Pages
288
Publisher
Adams Media
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1440563591
Dimensions
5.25 x 1 x 7.13 inches
Weight
12 ounces

Description

I've been studying and writing about astronomy most of my life. It's a wonderful science -- a gateway to so many other sciences -- and to the universe itself! I've written several books about astronomy as well as countless articles in newspapers and magazines. Astronomy keeps supplying me with great material to cover and I do my best to distill that firehose of knowledge for my readers. Astronomy 101 was designed by the publishers to give readers a small taste of a variety of topics in astronomy. Got a few minutes to take a break? Pick up Astronomy 101 and read a thousand words on Mars, or black holes, or extraterrestrial life, or learn about how a famous astronomer did her work. Astronomy 101 isn't a big textbook -- it's a smorgasbord of knowledge about the stars, planets, galaxies, and the universe. If something piques your interest, there are links to books and online sources for you to pursue. xa0I hope that you find at least one new thing in Astronomy 101 that you didn't know, and that it will let you look up at the starry skies with a new sense of wonder. Carolyn Petersen is an award-winning science writer, science documentary producer, and CEO of Loch Ness Productions.xa0She has several astronomy and planetary science books to her credit. Her work has appeared in planetarium and fulldome theaters around the world, on Yahoo! News, MIT's Tech Talk , the Radcliffe Quarterly , Sky & Telescope magazine, Astronomy magazine, Astrocast.tv, and StarDate magazine. Her most recent project is a collaboration with the International Dark-Sky Association called Losing the Dark. In the past few years, she has worked on several high-profile astronomy outreach projects. She wrote and co-produced a podcast series titled Space Weather FX for a NASA-funded MIT Haystack Observatory project, served an exhibit writer for for NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Visitor's Center,, authored an exhibit on climate change for the California Academy of Sciences, and was the senior exhibit writer for the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.

Features & Highlights

  • Explore the curiosities of our galaxy with this comprehensive, digestible guide to astronomy!
  • Too often, textbooks obscure the beauty and wonder of outer space with tedious discourse that even Galileo would oppose.
  • Astronomy 101
  • cuts out the boring details and lengthy explanations, and instead, gives you a lesson in astronomy that keeps you engaged as you discover what's hidden beyond our starry sky. From the Big Bang and nebulae to the Milky Way and Sir Isaac Newton, this celestial primer is packed with hundreds of entertaining astronomy facts, charts, and photographs you won't be able to get anywhere else. So whether you’re looking to unravel the mystery behind black holes, or just want to learn more about your favorite planets,
  • Astronomy 101
  • has all the answers—even the ones you didn’t know you were looking for.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(207)
★★★★
25%
(86)
★★★
15%
(52)
★★
7%
(24)
★
-7%
(-24)

Most Helpful Reviews

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I find Astronomy 101 one of the best for the beginning astronomer

I have read lots of astronomy books over my 60-odd years as an amateur astronomer and a 41-year career as a planetarium curator. I find Astronomy 101 one of the best for the beginning astronomer. I find the author's style clean, crisp, and easy to read. I like the fact that I don't have to run to the dictionary to look up words I don't know that aren't related to the topic. I highly recommend it.
14 people found this helpful
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Great breadth but a bit short of depth--4.5 stars--a very well-written book IMHO

This is basically an overview book--as well as an introductory one. I think it's worth 4.5 stars in that it's so well-written and easy to understand. It covers a lot of territory (or space if you don't mind the pun) so it obviously cannot go into too much depth. The author attempts to convey the latest (as of publication date) scientific evidence and opinion as to the nature of various cosmic features. I like that she is unapologetic about the limitations of our present knowledge while emphasizing international attempts or projects to extend that knowledge. There are a few probably typographical or printing errors--notably on p. 138 where we sum to a total of 104% and on p. 198 where Einstein apparently received a degree (stated to be in 1905) while his birth date is given as 1914. Obviously, he was precocious to the max--getting his degree not only before either his birth or conception. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book very much--and learned quite a bit from it--but it's not at a College level--even for an introductory course. Nevertheless, the author's definitions of astronomical phenomena are very helpful--as is having an index. The chapters are short and concise. I especially found the discussion of dark matter (though very limited by present knowledge of it) quite intriguing. Enjoy!
11 people found this helpful
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If you want to learn these things I recommend Dinah Moché's book "Astronomy

This is basically a hodge-podge of selected topics in astronomy. It is full of interesting facts but it doesn't follow a logical order, skips whole subjects and doesn't present the information that it covers in very imaginative or interesting ways. For example, this is the treatment of the all-important spectrum of light. "Visible light consists of the following colors:"
Red Yellow Blue
Orange Green Indigo
Violet
That's it. No spectrum. No order. No explanation of wavelength, frequency or spectometry. This is typical of the whole book. There is a detailed diagram of the geology of Enceladus, a moon of Saturn, an abstruse topic if there ever was one, but there is only an edge-on view of the Milky Way that is difficult to decipher. After verbally describing the arms of the Milky Way, the Sun's position on its sub arm and a bar in the middle, there is no diagram actually showing this in a plane view. There is no treatment of the different kinds of stars along the main sequence. If you want to learn these things I recommend Dinah Moché's book "Astronomy," which is truly excellent.
I did like the biographies and history section where she seems to find her real interest. But this is not an astronomy course as its name might imply.
10 people found this helpful
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It's a wonderful and fantastic book.

That was a great book to the novice who is searching for the basic notions about astronomy. i like to recommend this book to middle school students.
10 people found this helpful
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This is a fantastic book for children to adults to teach them astronomy ...

This is a fantastic book for children to adults to teach them astronomy with. I sent one to my 10 year old grandson, 21 year old step-grandson and bought this book for myself. Great and interesting for all ages!
8 people found this helpful
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A book for my granddaughter

My granddaughter is very interested in astronomy. Along with this book I gave her a more advanced one with beautiful photographs and more advanced topics and descriptions. She's in 6th grade, and pretty smart. I looked through this book when it arrived, and it seems to do a pretty good job describing various astronomical topics in an understandable way. I think it will be a good adjunct to the more advanced book that she also received.
6 people found this helpful
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Book is okay but dated

Has good information. The main reason why I only gave it three stars is because it's somewhat outdated. I didn't notice at first but after reading more and more of the book it makes several references to very old missions. I'm not sure when it was released but the oldest reference I could find was it talking about a mission being launched in 2013. So, if you want a book that has up to date stuff this isn't for you.
5 people found this helpful
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FACINATING

I have no experience on the subject yet the book captured my attention.
It would have made it an easier read for me if all distances had been in miles.
What is described in the book is amazing.Almost impossible to comprehend yet I will delve a little deeper into the subject.
4 people found this helpful
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LOVE!

I just started reading this book and I absolutely love it! I write science fiction and it's why I am reading this book.

I am not a scientist, nor do I have science abilities.

This book starts with the basics. It explains them clearly and in lay terms. It has useful drawings. It is written in a somewhat informal style and is, therefore, also entertaining.

For me, this book is perfect to learn about astronomy. I find it utterly fascinating!
3 people found this helpful
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Astronomy rocks! Is amazing! I always wanted it! :D

I LOVE IT!!! Specially when i have the book to read it! :D i dont like it virtually its not the same as an e-book. I love the book itself! Explains what u need about astronomy! :)
3 people found this helpful

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