Featured Books On Astronomy
|
Featured Books On Astronomy |
|
In this section I will feature books on Astronomy. If you can suggest other items that have been useful to you, please use my comment page to send me your suggestions. The items described below are linked from the official Amazon.com site and the prices listed are the normal prices generated by their system. My relationship to them is that I get a small percentage of the sale price when you follow one of my links into their site to purchase an item. There is no additional markup for the Amazon.com items which I feature.
As a preface to my offering of the books featured below I feel that I must make some statement regarding my personal views on the current state of the profession referred to as astronomy on Earth today. In my view, current astronomical practice can no longer be classified as a scientific discipline. Rather I would characterize it as a ritualized cultic belief system that enshrines popular and long-held theories above any vulgar verifiable and observable data that might impugn the sanctity and "truth" of the professional establishment's opinion. Wallace Thornhill has formulated a nice summary of this view in an article entitled "Whatever Happened to Real Science?". If this matter is of any interest to you, please take a moment to read Thornhill's analysis.
| The Big Bang Never Happened, by Eric Lerner, examines the viability of the so-called "big bang theory" in light of the plasma physics research of 1970 Nobel Prize winner Hannes Alfven. Some people think that God is dead, but, personally, I think that the big bang theory was stillborn. The average customer review is three and a half out of five stars. You can click the linked image at left to purchase this book from Amazon.com right now, or you can follow this link to see all reviews and information about the book in the Amazon.com site. | |
| Electric Sky, by Donald E. Scott, is an introduction to plasma cosmology and to the revolution of perspective that the ubiquitous presence of plasma in the universe implies. I apologize for the limited availability of this title and its high price. A similar book entitled "Electric Universe", coauthored by Wallace Thornhill, is out of print at this time. The average customer review is four out of five stars. You can click the linked image at left to purchase this book from Amazon.com right now, or you can follow this link to see all reviews and information about the book in the Amazon.com site. | |
| Seeing Red, by Halton C. Arp, is Dr. Arp's most recent presentation of the objective data which challenge the widely accepted theory that there is a strict correlation between redshift and stellar distance. Dr. Arp is a much-derided prophet of a new paradigm in astronomy, who has endured wide-spread persecution by the astronomical establishment for his views. The average customer review is four and a half out of five stars. You can click the linked image at left to purchase this book from Amazon.com right now, or you can follow this link to see all reviews and information about the book in the Amazon.com site. | |
| Stargazing With Binoculars & Telescopes: A User-Friendly Guide for Locating Planets, Stars, and Deep-Space Objects, by John Mosley, is an introduction to amateur astronomy. You can click the linked image at left to purchase this book from Amazon.com right now, or you can follow this link to see all reviews and information about the book in the Amazon.com site. | |
| Beyond Pluto, by John Davies, is a compilation of current astronomical data on the Kuiper Belt objects beyond Pluto. One reader makes the following statement about the book,"Davies, a scientist with the UK Infrared Telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii, tells the story of the discovery and investigation of the Kuiper Belt. Rarely discussed in most astronomy courses, this structure exists outside Pluto's orbit and explains the odd behavior and nature of Pluto. The book details the work of the large number of investigators that finally characterized the belt and gives details as to the belt's structure and the constitution of belt components. Though not a technical treatise, this book is not for the uninitiated. A basic understanding of the solar system and a basic scientific vocabulary are needed to get the most benefit from the book." You can click the linked image at left to purchase this book from Amazon.com right now, or you can follow this link to see all reviews and information about the book in the Amazon.com site. | |
| An Introduction to Cosmochemistry, by Charles R. Cowley, is an upper level college text that gives a systematic overview of the frequency with which the various forms of matter are found in the universe and the processes by which the various elemental building blocks of matter originate. The book has 490 pages and the average customer review is five stars out of five. One reviewer had the following comments about the book,"This is a book written by an astronomer who developed an interest in geology. It explains all about how astronomy, physics, chemistry and geology interact and why there should be interdisciplinary action on these subjects. If you are an astronomer with only a rudimentary understanding of geology and want to know how data from meteorites etc affect your work - it's superb. Likewise, if you are a chemist or a geologist and want to know about the relevence of your work in space studies - take a look. It's also remarkably cheap for a science book - so buy it now." You can click the linked image at left to purchase this book from Amazon.com right now, or you can follow this link to see all reviews and information about the book in the Amazon.com site. | |
| Astronomy Today: Solar System, Vol. I (4th Edition), by Eric Chaisson and Steve McMillan, is the first of a two volume series. One editorial review says the following about the book,"This update of the 1999 iteration is newly split into volumes on the solar system and on the stars and galaxies. Volume one tours the genesis of modern astronomy, Earth's planetary system, stars, the galaxies, and cosmology. Include stellar color graphics, planetary data and discovery boxes, self-tests with answer key, discussion questions, problems to be worked with the companion website, and collaborative exercises. Appends a glossary; star charts; and information on scientific notation, astronomical measurement, and using the SkyChart software on the CD-ROM. Other instructional aids are available." You can click the linked image at left to purchase this book from Amazon.com right now, or you can follow this link to see all reviews and information about the book in the Amazon.com site. | |
| Mars Observer's Guide: A Practical Handbook for Amateur Astronomers, by Neil Bone, gives practical information and advice for taking advantage of the current (August 2003) close position of Mars in relation to the earth. One editorial review says the following about the book,"Amateur astronomers have not been entirely superseded by the professionals. In fact, they are often the first to spot dust storms on Mars, which in August 2003 will also be the brightest heavenly body visible, except for the moon and the sun. Come late summer Mars will be closer to Earth than it has ever been before, and its prominence in the sky will definitely provoke interest in the Red Planet. Libraries prescient enough to have Bone's guide at the ready will be prepared to meet patron demand, for its information is modulated for the needs of a novice observer. After explaining the orbital arrangement (termed an opposition) that brings Mars so close, Bone lines up the advantages and drawbacks of three types of commercially available telescopes; binoculars, he writes, are not powerful enough to enable viewers to see the features on Mars. With a summary of the exploration of the planet, and with observing specs for oppositions in 2005 and 2007, Bone's work has both immediate and future shelf life." You can click the linked image at left to purchase this book from Amazon.com right now, or you can follow this link to see all reviews and information about the book in the Amazon.com site. | |
| Falling Stars: A Guide to Meteors and Meteorites, by Michael D. Reynolds, is an excellent introduction to the hobby of tracking meteors and collecting meteorites. One reader says the following about this book,"In addition to reading this great book, I have had the good fortune of meeting Dr. Reynolds in person. He is as engaging a speaker as he is an author, and has a way of bringing you into a subject like no one else. Falling Stars is an excellent introduction to meteor observing and meteorite collecting. This really is a branch of astronomy that anyone can get involved with. I highly recommend this book!" You can click the linked image at left to purchase this book from Amazon.com right now, or you can follow this link to see all reviews and information about the book in the Amazon.com site. | |
| The Stars : A New Way to See Them, by H. A. Rey, is a classic introduction to naked eye star gazing. One reader says this about the book,"Rey uses his talents as a children's author to make concepts clear and give an excellent basic understanding of astronomy. I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in astronomy..." You can click the linked image at left to purchase this book from Amazon.com right now, or you can follow this link to see all reviews and information about the book in the Amazon.com site. |
Amazon.com offers all of the books I have featured on this page and more.
You can use the search engine below to find many other books on this and other topics.
This link will take you back to my home page.
copyright 1997 - 2008 