Books of Note

Fall 2007- New Books of Note

Michael G. Gibbs, Marni Berendsen, and Martin Storksdieck, eds
Science Educators Under the Stars: Amateur Astronomers Engaged in Education and Public Outreach
Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 2007, 978-1-58381-315-7 paperback $10

The first comprehensive treatise of the amateur astronomer's role in communicating knowledge and passion about astronomy to the public. The book reviews the topic from many angles: it characterizes the nature of education and public engagement with astronomy that amateur astronomers are currently doing; it features projects and organizations that support and aid these practices; it discusses the potential impact on the public and on astronomy and amateur astronomers; and it embeds these pieces into a larger framework of astronomy education as a whole. The book also provides a summary of research conducted on amateur astronomers engaging in education and public outreach along with presenting new research findings on women in astronomy.

Richard Baum
The Haunted Observatory: Curiosities from the Astronomer's Cabinet
Prometheus Books, June 2007, ISBN: 978-1-59102-512-2, $28

For many centuries observers of the night sky interpreted the moving planets and the surrounding starry realms in terms of concentric crystalline spheres, in the center of which hung the Earth–the hub of creation. But with the discoveries of Galileo, Copernicus, Kepler, and Newton, astronomers were suddenly struck by a momentous truth: the solar system was neither small nor intimate, but extended an unfathomable distance toward countless even more distant stars. The endless possibilities of these astounding developments fired scientists' imaginations, leading both to further discoveries and to flights of fancy.

While newly discovered facts are important and interesting, the quaint curiosities and spectral "ghosts" that led scientists astray have a fascination of their own. This is the subject of astronomer Richard Baum in this elegant narrative about the mysteries and wonders of celestial exploration. The fabled "mountains of Venus," a "city in the moon," ghostly rings around Uranus and Neptune, bright inexplicable objects seen near the sun, and the truth behind Coleridge's "Star dogged Moon" in his famous poem about the Ancient Mariner–these are just some of the intriguing twists and turns that astronomers took while investigating our starry neighbors. Baum vividly conveys the romance of astronomy at a time when the vistas of outer space were a new frontier and astronomers, guided only by imagination and analogy, set forth on uncharted seas and were haunted for a lifetime by marvels both seen and imagined.

Peter Bond
Distant Worlds: Milestones in Planetary Exploration
Springer, 2007, ISBN: 978-0-387-40212-3, $32.50

In this overview of "where we stand today," Peter Bond describes the achievements of the astronomers, space scientists, and engineers who have made the exploration of our Solar System possible. A clearly written and compelling account of the Space Age, the book includes:

• Dramatic accounts of the daring, resourcefulness, and ferocious competitive zeal of renowned as well as almost-forgotten space pioneers.
• Clear explanations of the precursors to modern astronomy, including how ancient natural philosophers and observers first took the measure of the heavens.
• More than a hundred informative photographs, maps, simulated scenarios, and technical illustrations--many of them in full color.
• Information-dense appendices on the physical properties of our Solar System, as well as a comprehensive list of 50 years of Solar System missions.

Organized into twelve chapters focused on the objects of our exploration (the individual planets, our Moon, the asteroids and comets), Bond's text shows how the great human enterprise of space exploration may on occasion have faltered or wandered off the path, but taken as a whole amounts to one of the great triumphs of human civilization.

Neil Comins
The Hazards of Space Travel: A Tourist's Guide
Villard Books/Random House, 2007, ISBN: 978-1-4000-6597-4, $19.95

With the opening of the International Space Station at the start of this century and Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic company planning to take people above the Earth's atmosphere next year, widespread space travel may soon leave the realm of science fiction. But space isn't Cancún. Travelers will live life on a razor's edge, faced with potential disasters, from the thunderous liftoff to the unpredictable volcanic eruptions on Io, Jupiter's most spectacular moon; from the high-speed impact of pebble-sized micrometeorites to the crumbling of a comet's surface beneath your feet. Physicist and astronomer Neil F. Comins, Ph.D., has written a hands-on guide to outer space for potential tourists and armchair travelers. Bringing to life the hard science are the fictional log entries of an imaginary colleague from the future, astronaut Mack Richardson. Together they reveal the risks and challenges that await tourists in the days they would spend orbiting the Earth, the weeks required for a trip to the Moon, and the years needed to go anywhere else in the solar system when the sky's no longer the limit.

Raymond Jeanloz, et al., eds.
Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Volume 35
Annual Reviews, 2007, ISBN: 978-0-8243-2035-5, $85 print and online

From the Preface:

From climate change and geological aspects of public health to the application of quantum mechanics in geochemistry or the characterization of pre-Solar System minerals in meteorites, the range of topics is broader than ever...the topics of each volume now span well beyond the solid-Earth and planetary disciplines that previously dominated the series, and include articles on subjects of immediate societal relevance...turning to planetary science, Edward R. D. Scott reviews the amazing detail now available from meteorites on the timing of early-Solar System processes and the improved understanding of how chondrules may have formed; Thomas R. Watters, et al. describe Mars' crustal dichotomy -- the distinction evident between the planet's northern and southern hemispheres.

Stephen James O'Meara
Deep-Sky Companions: Hidden Treasures
Cambridge University Press, 2007, ISBN: 0-521-83704-9, $45

Stephen O'Meara's new and exciting observing guide spotlights an original selection of 109 deep-sky objects that will appeal to sky-watchers worldwide. His 'hidden treasures' include a wonderful assortment of galaxies, open clusters, planetary nebulae and more, all of which have been carefully chosen based on their popularity and ease of observing. None of these objects are included in either the Messier or the Caldwell catalogs, and all are visible in a 4-inch telescope under dark skies. Stunning photographs and beautiful drawings accompany detailed visual descriptions of the objects, which include their rich histories and astrophysical significance. The author's original finder charts are designed to help observers get to their targets fast and efficiently.

F.J. Lockman, F.D. Ghigo, & D.S. Balser, eds.
But It Was Fun: The First Forty Years of Radio Astronomy at Green Bank
NRAO, 2007, ISBN: 0-9700411-2-8, paperback $25, hardbound $60

A new book published by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) tells the story of the founding and early years of the Observatory at Green Bank, West Virginia. But it was Fun: the first forty years of radio astronomy at Green Bank, is not a formal history, but rather a scrapbook of early memos, recollections, anecdotes and reports. liberally illustrated with archival photographs. It includes historical and scientific papers from symposia held in 1987 and 1995 to celebrate the birthdays of two of the radio telescopes at the Observatory. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory was formed in 1956 after the National Science Foundation decided to establish an observatory in the eastern United States for the study of faint radio signals from distant objects in the Universe. The committee settled on Green Bank, a small village in West Virginia, and the book documents the struggles that followed to create a world-class scientific facility in an isolated area more accustomed to cows than computers.

Milton D. Heifetz and Wil Tirion
A Walk Through the Southern Sky: A Guide to Stars and Constellations and Their Legends, 2nd ed
Cambridge University Press, 2007, ISBN: 0-521-68945-7 paperback $22, e-book $18.

What star is that? Where is the Southern Cross? Who was Orion? Answering these questions and many more, this book will become an essential traveling companion for amateur astronomers heading abroad. Its unique simplified maps make it easy to find the constellations in the southern hemisphere skies, and the stars within them. Clear instructions guide the user on how to gauge sizes and distances, and move easily between constellations. This new edition has been updated with additional mythology information, and a list of the planet positions up to 2016. Beautifully illustrated, this is an ideal introduction to unfamiliar stars.

Jim Longuski
The Seven Secrets of How to Think Like a Rocket Scientist
Copernicus Books, 2007, ISBN: 0-387-30876-8, $25

This book translates "thinking like a rocket scientist" into every day thinking so it can be used by anyone. It's short and snappy and written by a rocket scientist. The book illustrates the methods (the 7 secrets) with anecdotes, quotations and biographical sketches of famous scientists, personal stories and insights, and occasionally some space history. The author reveals that rocket science is just common sense applied to the extraordinarily uncommon environment of outer space and that rocket scientists are people, too. It is intended for "armchair" scientists, and for those interested in popular psychology, space history, and science fiction films.

Steve Kortenkamp
Space Probes
Capstone Press, 2007, ISBN: 978-1-4296-0063-7, $15.95

For the very youngest readers. An overview of space probes past, present and future.

Judith A. Irwin
Astrophysics: Decoding the Cosmos
Wiley, 2007, ISBN: 978-0-470-01305-2/978-0-470-01306-9, $180/$70. e-book also available

Astrophysics: Decoding the Cosmos is an accessible introduction to the key principles and theories underlying astrophysics. This text takes a close look at the radiation and particles that we receive from astronomical objects, providing a thorough understanding of what this tells us, drawing the information together using examples to illustrate the process of astrophysics. Chapters dedicated to objects showing complex processes are written in accessible manner and pull relevant background information together to put the subject firmly into context.

Stephen James O'Meara
Herschel 400 Observing Guide
Cambridge University Press, 2007, ISBN: 987-0-521-85893-9, $65

The Herschel 400 is a list of 400 galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters, picked from over 2,500 deep-sky objects discovered and catalogued by the great eighteenth-century astronomer Sir William Herschel and his sister Caroline. It comprises 231 galaxies, 107 open clusters, 33 globular clusters, 20 planetary nebulae, 2 halves of a single planetary nebula, and 7 bright nebulae. In this guide Steve O'Meara takes the observer through the list, season by season, month by month, night by night, object by object. He works through the objects in a carefully planned and methodical way, taking in some of the most dramatic non-Messier galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters in the night sky. Ideal for astronomers who have tackled the Messier objects, this richly illustrated guide will help the amateur astronomer hone their observing skills.

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