Review - Astronomy for Beginners

Astronomy for Beginners, Jeff Becan, 2007, ISBN 9781934389256

This book attempts to explain Earth, the solar system, our galaxy and our universe, in clear and easy-to-understand language.

For thousands of years, humans had made quite detailed observations about the heavens. It wasn't until the 14th century, when humanity emerged from the Dark Ages, that people started to test their theories about why the heavens were the way they were. Stars, like the Sun, emit energy in wavelengths shorter and longer than visible light, ranging from gamma rays to radio waves to ultraviolet light. Detecting those waves can tell a lot more about objects in the sky than just what we see.

Billions of years ago, matter, time and energy existed as what is known as the initial singularity, smaller than an atom and with nothing else outside of it. Then the Big Bang happened. If the expansion had happened just a little faster than it did happen, then gravity could not have drawn matter together to form stars and planets. Of the four forces that affect various kinds of matter (strong nuclear force, electromagnetic force, weak interaction and gravity), gravity is the weakest, but it has an unlimited range, working over hundreds of millions of miles.

The book explores the Solar System, giving a short profile of all of its inhabitants, from the Sun to Pluto (no longer considered a planet). Also explored is the search for life on other planets; as of now, there is no actual evidence of life anywhere except on Earth.

The axis of Earth is tilted by approximately 23 degrees, which helps to explain Earth's seasons. At the summer solstice, the North Pole is tilted toward the Sun, so its rays beat down most strongly on the Northern Hemisphere. At the winter solstice, the North Pole is tilted away from the Sun, so its rays beat down on the Southern Hemisphere. During the spring and autumn equinoxes, the tilt is sideways to the Sun, so both hemispheres get an equal amount of light.

The author does a very good job at presenting the material in language accessible to anyone. For those who want to learn more about the heavens, but consider themselves scientifically illiterate, this is an excellent place to start.

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Astronomy Made Simple - A Book Review Recommendation

As a science writer of sorts and the coordinator for a Think Tank which operates online, you can bet, I better get my facts straight. Thus, I often have lots of reference books around in the various scientific domains and since each science field has its own language and terminology - it is truly imperative that I keep it all straight.

This means I have textbooks of all sorts as well as pocket type references. Yes, much of the information is duplicated, which is fine, and while writing any given article, I may have three or four books piled up next to this computer - checking facts, and making sure I get things as accurate as possible. If you saw my office, you'd think I was some sort of crazy scientist, but that really isn't the reality here.

Now then, one great little book, which I have been using lately, as I study NEOs or Near Earth Objects, like comets with short periods, and asteroids, meteors, meteor showers etc, is a book which is actually some 15-years old. Of course, in a planetary or solar system time line, that's not even a full drop in the bucket. In any case let me recommend this great reference book to you, in case you need to get the facts quickly, or wish to have an easy to use study guide on astronomy;

"Astronomy" part of the Applied Science Review Series w/a complete course review, and outline format, by C. Gregory Seab PhD and the series edited by Stanley Loeb and; published by Springhouse Corporation, Springhouse, PA, (1995), pp. 184, ISBN: 0-87434-606.

This book is broken into easy to look-up sections; History of Astronomy, Earth, other planets, Moon, Sun, Solar System Evolution, Milky Way, Universe, Cosmology, Interplanetary bodies, telescopes, etc. This book would make a great book for a High School Advance Placement Astronomy course, or a Introductory college course. It would be awesome for a parent doing homeschooling too.

Of course, I use it for my writing, and to make sure my terminology is correct. It might be a little old for current topics, as we have learned so much about our solar system in the last 15-years, but it is fully adequate for everything else. So, if you are looking for yet another handy reference book for your writing or you want to teach yourself or your kids about astronomy, it's perfect.

If I was hosting a Star Party for kids, well, I'd surely like to have a stack of them to hand out. Anyway, please consider all this.

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