| View Larger Image | The Complete Idiot's Guide to Astronomy, 4th Edition | Paperbackby Ph.D., Christopher De Pree (Author), Ph.D., Alan Axelrod (Author)
| List Price: | $20.95 | | Price: | $14.25 | | You Save: | $6.70 (32%) | | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| | Binding: | Paperback | | Publisher: | Alpha | | Edition: | 4thth Edition | | Page Count: | 336 Pages | | Publication Date: | March 04, 2008 | | Sales Rank: | 179,389th |
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FEATURES | - ISBN13: 9781592577194
- BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
Look to the stars. Although Astronomy has been around for more than 5,500 years, astronomers say that we’ve learned more than 90% of what we know about the universe in just the last 50—and much of that in the last decade! The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Astronomy, Fourth Edition, continues to be the most comprehensive introduction to the topic, covering all the latest advances and discoveries, including: • The demotion of Pluto and promotion of Ceres as planetary objects • Breakthrough evidence of recent water flow on Mars • New developments in asteroid-tracking programs • New information on the nature and shape of our universe • Mind-bending theories concerning multiple universes • Information on the latest telescopes As a bonus, this book includes a fascinating CDROM with more than 200 of the most spectacular images from NASA, star maps, and other tools for backyard astronomers. |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 4 reviews)
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Kindle version needs some work by Bart (Boise, ID United States)  4 Stars
April 24, 2009
Amazon needs to repair the kindle version. On almost any given page you will find words put together that shouldn't be, and it slows down the reading when your brain has to take the time to figure out what the words really are. In other words, spaces are missing in many places throughout the text. For example, one paragraph reads in part, "If the face of the moon presented a puzzle to our ancestors, the way the Moon apparentlychanged shape surely also fascinated them. One night, the Moon might be invisible (a "new Moon"); then, night by night, it would appear to grow (wax), becominga crescent...."
Otherwise, the book is a terrific read, and I learned some things even my college Astronomy class didn't teach.
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A good start by B. Crutcher (Dallas, TX USA)  5 Stars
May 27, 2008
This book has stimulated my interest in astronomy. It is very timely as I have been watching the progress of the Phoenix lander on Mars.
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Great for the beginner or a returning hobbyist by Reticent Reviewer (Southeastern USA) 5 Stars
May 22, 2008
I am just returning to my first hobby, astronomy. This is an excellent, up-to-date guide. It is clear and concise. The CD-ROM is a nice extra, but the book is the reason to buy.
I especially enjoyed the info on cosmology and the fate of the universe.
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Keeping up is hard to do by Robert C. Ross (New Jersey) 5 Stars
April 23, 2008
Keeping up in astronomy as a general reader is not a trivial task. As the editorial matter for this excellent summary indicates, "astronomers say that we've learned more than 90% of what we know about the universe in just the last 50 [years] -- and much of that in the last decade!"
Here's my solution:
Subscribe to Astronomy; the magazine has recently improved its wonderful website, which is filled with tons of information based on your own location on the surface of the earth.
Subscribe to NASA's free "Astronomy Picture of the Day" for a constant flow of fascinating pictures, news and features.
Buy Astronomy For Dummies and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Astronomy when they are released. The last "Dummies" was in 2005; the newest "Idiot's" was just released. Both do a perfectly competent job of reviewing new developments and the editors are excellent, well trained and heavily published astronomers.
Christopher DePree maintains an outstanding website with lots of astronomical information. Alan Axelrod doesn't seem to have a personal website, but his books are always excellent.
Buy the "Idiot's" now, then wait for a year or two, and buy the newest "Dummies". This plan of action will keep you up to date in this fast moving field.
Robert C. Ross 2008
PS: On April 23, 2008, "The New York Times" carried an interesting ten question quiz designed to let you know how up to date you are in the field of astronomy. The questions were written by Christopher De Pree, and there are three additional extra credit questions sure to evoke heavy debate.
On May 13, the "Times" also ran a fascinating story on the Microsoft WorldWide Telescope project and the Google Sky project. Both sound like resources well worth exploring further. B.
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